HispanicBusiness

Rising gasoline prices and increasing automotive sales drove a rise in taxable sales up and down California last year, the Board of Equalization reported.

In the first quarter of 2011, all taxable sales rose 9 percent on a year-over-year basis.

That increase appears to reflect both an increase in commerce, but also spiking fuel costs. A 20 percent increase in the price of retail gasoline pushed gasoline sales tax receipts up 22.4 percent during the first three months of last year.

Motor vehicle dealers' sales rose 17.4 percent year-over-year during the first three months of 2011. Retail and food services sales rose a more modest 8.8 percent.

The Board of Equalization estimates that taxable sales within the first quarter of this year will show a rise of 9.3 percent once all the numbers are in.