Taxable retail sales in Manteca since 2015-2016 have far outstripped the rate of inflation.

They reached $2.04 billion in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

That’s up from $1.08 billion in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The sales figures are gleaned from an audit of the city’s half cent Measure M public safety tax.

The city collects a half cent of tax on each retail sale that is taxable.

Some items — such as non-prepared food in supermarkets — are not taxable.

The half cent sales tax brought in $10.2 million to municipal coffers in the fiscal year ending on June 30.

That allowed the city to pay for 20 of its 76 sworn police officers and 18 firefighters that represents two-fifths of personnel that man engines 24/7.

Without the tax, the city would have 38 less first responders.

The overall sales tax is 8.25 percent on taxable sales within Manteca. That is a half cent less than in Lathrop.

Part of the Manteca sales tax includes a half cent for Measure K that funds road and transportation projects through San Josquin County.

The basic sales tax is 1 percent or a penny one each dollar of taxable revenues in a jurisdiction whether if it is a city or a county.

That is used to pay for day-to-day-general fund services such as street maintenance, public safety, parks, libraries, and general government.

The remaining 5.75 cents goes to the state.

The City Council on Tuesday tapped into $200,000 in Measure M sales tax receipts to purchase two used fire engines to replace apparatus that is as old as 26 years that backs up frontline engines.

The measure approved in 2006 restricts expenditures from the half cent public safety tax to cover the salaries and benefits of frontline public safety personnel and equipment they need to do their jobs.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com