ALBANY – Sales tax collections tumbled 5.9 percent statewide in 2009 – among the sharpest declines on record – state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced today.

The steep slide was matched in the city. The suburbs on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley were hit even harder, with Westchester and Putnam counties each suffering sales tax declines in excess of 10 percent.

“This is yet another sign that the Great Recession is having a continuing impact on our communities across New York,” said DiNapoli, who warned about the declines in a previous report. “These numbers are sobering.”

Statewide sales tax collections fell to $10.8 billion, compared to $11.5 billion the prior year. The city alone collected $4.6 billion down from $4.9 billion in 2008.