Increasing Trend in GST Sales

Business Activity (GST) Indicator - September 1999 quarter

Business Activity (GST) Indicator: September 1999 quarter

Increasing Trend in GST Sales

Statistics New Zealand's latest quarterly analysis of GST sales shows the trend has been increasing steadily since May 1998.

Seasonally adjusted sales increased for the September 1999 quarter by 3.4 per cent, despite a slight decline in the September month.

The largest contributors to the sales increase for the September quarter came from wholesale and retail trade; and transport, storage and communications.

Within wholesale trade, much of the improvement was due to the improved performance of primary product food wholesaling with sales increasing since April 1999.

The broad base of sales growth in most industries over the September quarter supports earlier Statistics New Zealand releases which have revealed an increase in overall economic activity.

Seasonally adjusted GST purchases decreased 1.1 per cent in September 1999, after increasing in the preceding three months.

The largest contributors to the decrease came from wholesale trade, government administration and defence, and manufacturing.

This is the sixth release of the experimental Business Activity Indicator, a monthly series of economic statistics based on GST data supplied by the Inland Revenue Department.

Ian Ewing Deputy Government Statistician

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