CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state has collected less in tax revenue than it thought it would after five months of the fiscal year but November was better for collections than originally reported.
State Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow said the state received a total of $35 million in severance tax collections Monday and Tuesday, a few days after the deadline for November. He said the Thanksgiving holiday required taxes to be in by Nov. 27. He said severance tax collections after that day were $14.2 million short of the month’s estimate but things got much better this week.
“After two days in December we collected more in severance than all of November,” Muchow said.
The state still missed revenue estimates overall by about $4 million for the month and the budget hole is growing. It’s now more than $50 million short of estimated revenue collections. The Tomblin administration is considering cuts for the current budget and next year’s spending plan.
Muchow said there are some signs of improvement. He says personal income tax collections are now trending higher than last year at this time.