by Meg Wingerter, Kansas News Service
Kansas tax receipts came in about $37 million above estimates in February, chipping away at the state’s budget deficit.
The Kansas Budget Office on Wednesday reported about $331.5 million in tax receipts for the month, which was about 13 percent higher than projected revenue. Tax revenues were up about 9 percent compared to February 2016.
State tax collections have exceeded estimates since November, when the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group lowered its projections for the rest of fiscal year 2017. Collections fell short of estimates for the first four months of the fiscal year.
Secretary of Revenue Sam Williams said he was pleased to see growth in individual income taxes.
“Month-to-month sales tax(es) have increased 2.4 percent,” he said in a statement. He added that was “a hopeful sign that Kansans’ income growth means they have more money to spend.”
Total revenues for February came in around $326.7 million because transfers offset some of the state’s income. Kansas still has a budget gap of roughly $281 million for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.
Rep. Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican who serves as chairman of the House Taxation Committee, said Wednesday that the additional revenue will make it easier for the House and Senate to agree on a tax plan for next fiscal year.
For example, the chambers could avoid a fight over whether tax increases should be retroactive if the extra revenues help keep the state out of the red until January 2018, he said.
“We still need to make sure we have a tax plan that will drive the revenue that’s needed,” he said.
Last week the Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback battled over a tax plan that would roll back some income tax cuts adopted in 2012. The House and Senate approved the plan but were unable to come up with enough votes to override the governor’s veto. They are on a midsession break this week but return Monday to resume work on a budget.
While revenues have met the lowered projections, they haven’t come close to the original estimate overall. In November the estimating group cut its projections for the rest of the fiscal year by $346 million. So far, revenues have exceeded the lower estimates by about $68 million, though the state could make up more ground in the remaining four months of the fiscal year.
Tax collections in the current fiscal year have been higher than they were in the previous year in six out of eight months so far. Of the taxes Kansas levies, individual income receipts have been above 2016 more often than other taxes, though they still were prone to significant swings from month to month.
So far, tax revenues are up about $17.6 million compared to the previous fiscal year. The difference amounts to less than 0.5 percent.
Meg Wingerter is a reporter for KCUR’s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.
See more at http://kcur.org/post/kansas-tax-receipts-continue-upswing-february.
Substate high school basketball competition is beginning this week.
The substate schedule, according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association:
Boys basketball
Wyandotte High School (3-15) is scheduled to play Olathe Northwest High School (15-5) at 7 p.m. tonight at Olathe-Northwest in a Class 6A boys substate contest.
Washington High School (14-4) plays Lansing High School (5-15) at 7 p.m. March 2 at Washington in Class 5A boys substate competition.
Schlagle High School (14-6) plays Sumner Academy (7-13) at 7 p.m. March 2 at Schlagle High School in Class 5A boys basketball competition.
Harmon High School (7-13) will play Turner High School (11-9) at 7 p.m. March 2 at Turner in Class 5A boys substate competition.
Bonner Springs High School (12-8) will play Bishop Miege High School (17-3) at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at Bonner Springs in Class 4A, Division 1, boys competition.
Piper High School (18-2) will play Tonganoxie (4-16) at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at Piper in Class 4A, Division I, boys substate competition.
Bishop Ward High School (0-20) will play George-Rock Creek High School (16-4) at 6 p.m. March 2 at Meriden-Jeff West in Class 4A, Division II, boys substate competition.
Girls basketball
The Wyandotte High School girls (3-13) are scheduled to play Lawrence High School (16-4) in substate Class 6A girls competition at 7 p.m. March 2 at Lawrence.
The Schlagle High School girls (17-3) will play Topeka Highland Park (4-16) in Class 5A girls competition at 7 p.m. March 1 at Schlagle in Class 5A substate competition.
The Washington High School (7-13) girls will play Leavenworth High School (17-3) at 7 p.m. March 1 at Leavenworth in Class 5A substate competition.
The Sumner Academy (14-6) girls will play Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights High School (8-12) at 7 p.m. March 1 at Sumner Academy.
The Harmon High School (1-16) girls will play St. Thomas Aquinas High School (17-3) at 7 p.m. March 1 at St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Turner High School (3-13) girls will play Pittsburg High School (14-6) at 7 p.m. March 1 in Pittsburg.
Bonner Springs High School (3-17) girls will play Baldwin High School (18-2) at 6 p.m. March 3 at Bonner Springs in Class 4A, Division I, girls competition.
Piper High School (19-1) girls will play Tonganoxie High School (7-13) at 7:30 p.m. March 3 at Piper in Class 4A, Division I, girls substate competition.
Bishop Ward High School (8-12) girls will play Meriden-Jefferson West High School (16-4) at 7:30 p.m. March 3 at Meriden-Jeff West in Class 4A, Division II, girls substate competition.
Colton Beebe, Kansas City, Kansas, has been named to the fall dean’s list at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Beebe is a sophomore in the College of Science and Engineering at the university.
To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must complete 12 or more credits while attaining a 3.66 grade point average. The university is in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.
