The state Department of Revenue reported on Tuesday that its tax collections fell $21 million dollars short of expectations in September.
The Department said corporate income tax collections exceeded expectations, $86.5 million dollars in corporate tax collections in September, 33 percent more than the predicted $65 million.
Even with the corporate taxes, the state collected $521 million dollars in taxes for September, 4 percent less than the $542 million it had anticipated.
Personal income tax collections fell more than $42 million short of the September target of $250 million, a shortfall of nearly 23 percent. Individual income tax collections also are running about 9 percent behind where they were last year.
Department of Revenue spokeswoman Jeanine Koranda said this month's shortfall can be attributed to many taxpayers making estimated payments based on their 2013 incomes, and they're likely to face additional payments early next year.
Since the fiscal year began July 1, the state has taken in $1.35 billion dollars in taxes, some $23 million, or 1.7 percent less than anticipated for the past three months.
The state has cut its top personal income tax rate 26 percent and exempted the owners of 191,000 businesses from personal income taxes.
Governor Sam Brownback says the reductions are stimulating economic growth, but before yesterday's report, the Legislature's nonpartisan research staff predicted a budget shortfall of $238 million by July 2016.
Democrat Paul Davis, who is challenging Brownback in the November 4th election, says the personal income tax cuts Brownback championed have wrecked the state's finances, and jeopardized funding for public schools and social services.
