U.S. states saw their tax revenue drop by about $31 billion, or 6 percent, from March through August, compared to the same period a year earlier, as the pandemic triggered economic shutdowns across the country, according to data from 44 states compiled by the Urban Institute.
The scale of the drop appears smaller than expected, relative to the depth of the economic contraction, and comes after several states have reported that their revenue didn’t decline as much as anticipated despite business shutdowns and increased unemployment. In August, when much of the country was reopening, state revenue climbed about 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the Urban Institute found.
Sarah Acton is the chief customer officer at BILL. She brings more than 30 years of experience in marketing, sales and brand-building work in both consumer and business markets. Prior to BILL, she led both marketing and sales at Athos, a wearables company in the athletic performance space. She was also responsible for global brand oversight during pivotal periods of growth at LinkedIn and consumer marketing leadership at Yahoo!. She was also the owner of a small retail business, and holds an MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in Marketing from Tulane University.
Barry Ubsdell is the head of sales for Root.
Ryan Stokes is Vice President, Business Development, Claims TPA & Solutions at Xceedance, a global leader in consulting, technology, operations support, and data solutions for the insurance sector. He focuses on growing the TPA/claims solutions with new partners and exploring new markets. Stokes has extensive knowledge and expertise in the property and casualty insurance industry, specifically in claims management, valuation and loss adjustment services.
The tax figures come as Republicans in Washington balk at extending aid to states and cities to help cover budget deficits that are expected to continue as the coronavirus weighs on the economy. Experts say that states’ financial outlooks could worsen as the effects of the stimulus bill fade and high unemployment reduces tax bills next year.
The August increase should be viewed with caution since income-tax deadlines were pushed back to July, which could have resulted in some revenue being processed later, according to Lucy Dadayan, senior research associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Personal income-tax collections, which rose 3.8 percent in August, were in some cases supported by backlogged unemployment insurance benefits subject to withholding tax, Dadayan said.
Between March and August, tax revenues fell 6.4 percent year over year, with 36 states reporting declines over that period, the report said. Between March and August, eight states, including Washington and Georgia, reported growth in tax revenue.
“Due to the shifting in timing of tax receipts this past year, it is crucial to view August year-over-year revenue gains and fiscal year to date data with caution,” Dadayan said in the report.