Croatian consumers spent substantially more money during this holiday season than last year.
Data from the Tax Administration show the growth of spending in December and particularly in the Christmas week. Spending in December has so far reached nearly 11 billion kuna, which is 4.3 percent more than in the same period last year, while spending in the week including Christmas increased by 9.5 percent to nearly 3.5 billion kuna, reports Jutarnji List on December 28, 2016.
Tax Administration published a comparison of data from the fiscal receipt system during the Christmas week, in December, and since the beginning of the year. All data indicate the growth of consumption compared to last year.
According to data, in the Christmas week (19 to 26 December), 45.13 million receipts were issued, which is 3.4 percent more than in the same period last year. The amount of money spent increased more significantly, by 9.5 percent. In the period between 19 and 26 December, consumers spent 3.47 billion kuna, while in the same period last year they spent 3.16 billion kuna. The average amount on receipts in the Christmas week was higher by 5.9 percent. This year the average receipt was for 76.80 kuna, while last year it was 72.49 kuna.
Comparison of data issued in Christmas week shows that both this and last year the highest spending day was 23 December, while Christmas Day itself, 25 December, was the lowest spending day. On 23 December, receipts were issued for a total amount of 663.28 million kuna, which is 5.4 percent more than on the same day last year. At the same time, the number of receipts fell by 0.4 percent, with nearly eight million receipts registered.
Data on consumption in December (up to 26 December) shows that a little more than 152 million receipts were issued, which is 0.5 percent less than in the same period last year. However, the average amount increased by 4.3 percent and December's consumption this year totalled nearly 10.9 billion kuna. “It is evident that in 2016, compared to 2015, consumption increased while the number of individual receipts dropped, which could lead to the conclusion that more purchases were done at one location”, notes the Tax Administration.
Finally, the data show the growth of consumption in the period from the beginning of the year up to 26 December. The total amount on registered receipts reached almost 156.5 billion kuna, which is 2.6 percent or nearly 4 billion kuna more than in the same period last year. The number of registered receipts increased by 0.4 percent, to slightly more than 2.3 billion receipts issued. The average amount per receipt increased by 2.2 percent. From the beginning of the year up to 26 December, the average receipt amounted to 67.80 kuna, while in the same period last year it amounted to 66.34 kuna.
