According to the Government, the garment user fee collection moved little upwards in June reaching at $2.1 million, comparing to the collection of the months May and April, which reached only $1.8 million each.
The CNMI Government's average collection is around of $2.5 million a month or $30 million a year before elimination of global quota system.
Finance Department records showed that user fee collection in January of current year was $2.3 million, $2 million in February, $2.1 million in March and $1.8 million each for April and May.
Bob Schrack, Finance Deputy Secretary informed that the result is almost within the Government forecast of 20 percent down in the garment user fee collection, which is currently around 12 percent per month.
The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA) declared a substancial decline in garment sales by about 28 percent, which was about $520,000 less for the revenues generated for Government from garment user fee.
The SGMA expected that sales would decline by 50 percent this year, which is a massive drop in user fees by up to $10 million.
The Government would also lose nearly $35 million from the declining garment industry in fiscal year 2006, according to SGMA forecast.
As the largest sector, the garment industry accounts nearly a third of the Commonwealth Government revenues, at the same time it directly generates employment of about 15,000.
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