Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said the state collected $1.77 billion in sales tax in August, up 0.8 percent compared to a year ago.

"Monthly sales tax collections continue to slightly exceed year-ago levels. While some major sectors including oil and gas and manufacturing were up, other sectors including construction and retail trade dropped from the previous year," said Combs. "For fiscal 2010, which began Sept. 1, 2009, collections declined through the first seven months of the year, often by double-digit percentages, but the modest increases during the last five months resulted in an overall decline of 6.6 percent for the fiscal year. Overall, state sales tax collections appear to have stabilized, but solid growth has not yet resumed."

Local governments will receive $439.9 million in September sales tax allocations, a 2.7 percent increase compared to a year ago. So far this calendar year, local sales tax allocations are down 1.9 percent compared to the same period in 2009.

Combs will send monthly sales tax allocations of $298 million to Texas cities, up 2.7 percent compared to last September. Texas counties will receive sales tax allocations of $26.9 million, up 4.2 percent compared to a year ago.

The 169 special purpose taxing districts around the state are getting $18.4 million in sales tax revenue, an increase of 12.5 percent compared to a year ago. Ten Texas transit systems will get $96.5 million in sales tax, up 0.7 percent compared to a year ago.