By Gene Meyer
February 26, 2010

(KansasReporter) TOPEKA, Kan. - Preliminary Kansas Revenue Department figures Friday showed that state tax collections fell nearly 27 percent short of expectations in February.

The results "are bad," Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson said after the numbers were released.

And Kansas House Speaker Mike O'Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, hinted the disappointing results, which come after similarly disappointing numbers in December and January, could spell trouble for both the current and upcoming state budgets lawmakers have been struggling with.

"This number is grim," O'Neal said.

Altogether, Kansas collected $194.9 million in assorted taxes during the month, or $71.2 million less than state officials projected. Only two of the 16 categories of taxes counted in Kansas exceeded the projections. Some $1.3 million in corporate franchise taxes beat expectations by $125,000 and $469,000 in tobacco taxes came in $19,000 higher than expected.

Those totals bring total tax collections for the fiscal year begun last July 1 to $3.1 billion, which is about $105 million, or 3.3 percent below officials' expectations at the eight-month mark.

Legislative researchers are expected sometime next week to pull the tax numbers together with similar counts of other miscellaneous income the state also receives and calculate a more complete revenue estimate for the month. Legislative appropriators or the governor after that will need to gauge how much the shortfall will affect either the current fiscal 2010 budget, which looked previously looked to be $39 million out of balance or the 2011 budget for which lawmakers are trying to find more than $400 million.

"None of the options are good," said Parkinson.