BOULDER - The city of Boulder's sales- and use-tax collections increased 12.9 percent in January, pushing total 2012 tax revenue 3.9 percent higher than 2011 tax revenue, according to the latest report from the city's finance department.

Boulder collected $11,445,723 in January, compared with $10,131,897 in January 2011, according to the report. The collection in January represents sales made in December. For the year, Boulder collected $96,106,966 in sales- and use-tax. In 2011, the city collected $92,438,731.

Retail sales-tax collections were up 14.5 percent in January, compared with the same month last year. Of the total, sales-tax receipts from eating places were up 14.6 percent in January and food-store receipts were up 18.6 percent.

For the year, retail sales-tax collections were up 3.7 percent, according to the report. Receipts at eating places are seen as an indicator of consumers' disposable income.

Apparel sales-tax collection was up 5.7 percent in January, the report said. For the year, apparel sales-tax collection was up 8.7 percent. The increase was driven by an incremental increase in tax revenue from the new Nordstrom Rack store in the Twenty Ninth Street shopping area. The first sales-tax revenue from the Nordstrom Rack store was collected in May 2011, the report said.

For the year, business/consumer use tax collection was up 2.3 percent over the year before, according to the report. Audit revenue collected in October and December boosted the category, the report said. Without the one-time audit revenue, the category would be down for the year, according to the report.

Construction use-tax collection for the year was up 5.3 percent, compared with construction use-tax collection in 2011. If Boulder Junction, a development planned on the northwest corner of 30th Street and Pearl Parkway, were excluded, construction use tax would be down by 9.2 percent, the report said. Boulder Junction is slated to include a hotel, stores, housing, an underground bus station and a parking garage.

Motor vehicle use-tax revenue was up 8 percent in 2012 over 2011. New-vehicle tax revenue comes to the city based on whether the vehicle owners live in Boulder, not where vehicles are purchased.