This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 2, 2009 - The state of Missouri just sent out its latest financial numbers, and they're not good.
The state's income, compared to a year ago, is down 10 percent, said state Budget Director Linda Luebbering. The tally is $1.71 billion so far this fiscal year, compared to $1.9 billion last fiscal year -- which also had seen a decline from the year before.
The September numbers are even worse: down 16.3 percent compared to those for September 2008.
The September 2008 number: $774.7 million. September 2009: $648.7 million.
The declining numbers could well lead to more budget "withholdings'' by Gov. Jay Nixon and could portend hard budget decisions by the Missouri Legislature when it crafts the budget for the next fiscal year.
Here's the key state income numbers, as released by Luebbering's office:
Sales and use tax collections
• Decreased 6.7 percent for the year, from $494.9 million last year to $461.6 million this year.
• Decreased 10.6 percent for the month.
Individual income tax collections
• Decreased 8.2 percent for the year, from $1.31 billion last year to $1.20 billion this year.
• Decreased 12.6 percent for the month.
Corporate income and corporate franchise tax collections
• Decreased 9.3 percent for the year, from $124.5 million last year to $113.0 million this year.
• Decreased 21.1 percent for the month.
All other collections
• Decreased 10.2 percent for the year, from $113.7 million last year to $102.1 million this year.
• Decreased 13.5 percent for the month.
Refunds
• Increased 17.4 percent for the year, from $146.3 million last year to $171.8 million this year.
• Increased 32.0 percent for the month.