State tax coffers continue to swell, backed by a surging April in which personal income tax receipts were nearly 7 percent higher than expected.
For the month of April — always a key month because that's when most people file their tax returns — state tax receipts exceeded projections by $84 million, bringing the state's surplus revenue to $350 million this fiscal year.
Most of that $84 million — which was 4 percent above estimates for April — was from personal income tax collections, which exceeded projections by $81 million.
State Budget Director Tim Keen downplayed the strong showing for April, saying tax receipts were "modestly" above the estimates.
"We ended up about 2.3 percent above estimates," Keen said, referring to the year-to-date overall numbers. "So we are pleased to see that. It was another good month for our personal-income numbers, but withholding continues to be weak, which is a little bit of a cause for concern."
With some budget forecasters predicting the state's ending balance June 30 to be as much as $800 million in the black, Gov. John Kasich's administration has been trying to tamp down expectations.
Nonetheless, the rising tide of revenue has grabbed the attention of state lawmakers in both parties, who are beginning to make noise about spending some of the state's extra money come the end of June.
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