(The Center Square) - Kansas collected $626.8 million in taxes last month, Governor Laura Kelly's office announced Wednesday.
Those collections are $18.9 million more than projected and more than $70 million more than the state collected in November 2020.
Tax revenue estimates are generated by the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, a statutory group of researchers, economists, and financial advisors who meet to evaluate the state's financial health.
promo_64j1_states_-_road_sign_kansas_sunflower_-_istock_-_lady-photo.jpg
"While our state revenue numbers continue to be encouraging, maintaining fiscal responsibility is paramount moving forward," Kelly said in a news release. "That's how we will sustain strategic investments in critical state services - and how we will 'Axe the Food Sales Tax' long-term, providing much-needed relief to Kansas families."
According to the state's tax receipts, individual income taxes totaled $288.9 million in November, which was 1.6% or $4.6 million below estimates.
However, the state more than recovered those losses in income taxes from corporations and financial institutions. Corporations paid more than $13.7 million in taxes, which was 64.1% above estimates, while financial institutions paid $323,000, which is 147% more than the estimates.
promo_64j1_money_-_finance_dollar_up_down_percent_change_-_istock_-_marchmeena29.jpg
Kansas also collected more in cigarette, liquor, and gasoline taxes than it projected. Cigarette taxes came in at $10.3 million compared to estimates of $9.1 million.
Kansas collected $2.2 million in taxes from liquor sold in retail locations and another $1.3 million from liquor sold at bars, restaurants, and other venues.
The state also collected $1.7 million in gas severance taxes, a 17% increase when compared to the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group's estimates.
Kelly is pushing to eliminate the state's 6.5% sales tax on food items to provide Kansas families relief.
