Kansas exceeds revenue estimates in December, still faces budget gap

Kansas beat revenue estimates for December by $6.2 million.

It’s the second month in a row in which the state has exceeded revenue estimates since lowering projections in November. It still faces a budget gap of more than $340 million for the fiscal year that ends in June.

“It will help,” said House Majority Leader Don Hineman, R-Dighton.

The state beat projections for the month by roughly 1 percent, collecting $601 million in tax revenue for the month. The state exceeded tax collections from the previous December by $2.4 million, or 0.4 percent.

The state’s budget director, Shawn Sullivan, celebrated the state’s performance on Twitter hours before the numbers were officially released, posting an image of a character from the television series “The Office” pumping his fist.

House Minority Leader Jim Ward, D-Wichita, said the state’s performance in December would do little to fix its long-term budget problems but joked that “after the last year that Shawn has had, let him enjoy his victory dance.”

The state was buoyed by individual income tax receipts, which came in $10.2 million, or 4.9 percent, above estimates.

Sales tax receipts came in $5.2 million, or 2.7 percent, above estimates.

Acting Revenue Secretary Sam Williams said in a statement that he is hopeful that this “is an indication that purchasing power is returning to our agriculture and oil and gas sector.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Kansas exceeds revenue estimates in December, still faces budget gap."