WINDHAM, Maine (AP) _ Fireworks sales are down in Maine as retailers say exploding gadgets are losing some of their sparkle with customers.
State officials say sales tax from fireworks generated $278,083 from June 2013 to May of this year. The figure represents a loss of more than $100,000 from the prior 12-month period. The sales tax figure works out to about a drop of about 28 percent in sales from the previous year.
The sales tax revenues remain higher than the state's original estimate of $120,000 a year from fireworks sales.
Fireworks became legal in Maine on Jan. 1, 2012 after the repeal of a six-decade old law. People must be 21 years old to purchase and use fireworks in Maine.