State Fair Manager Not Surprised by Increase in Tax Collections

According to figures released by the South Dakota Department of Revenue, tax collections at the 2018 South Dakota State Fair increased over $15,000 compared to last year.

The figures show $206,903 in total tax collections, an increase from the 2017 total of $191,149.

$108,203 was state sales tax, $35,661 was state tourism tax and $63,039 was Huron’s municipal sales tax.

State Fair manager Peggy Besch says her office is in the process of compiling final attendance numbers for the 5 day fair.

According to the Dept. of Revenue, vendor numbers were down slightly from last year. Besch says those figures don’t tell the whole story.

Besch says several factors have contributed to the Fair’s recent uptick in attendance.

While attendance is the most common metric used to measure success, Besch says the educational value of the Fair is even more important but harder to quantify.