State officials are pleased fiscal 2020 went better than expected, especially with coronavirus in the picture the last three months of the financial year.
The Department of Revenue says the total tax collections for June were down 4.8 percent from June 2019 but were also over 22 percent more than expected with almost $745 million collected. For fiscal 2020 as a whole, there was a 5.7 percent year-to-year decrease but a nearly 2.5-percent increase over projections.
The Revenue Department says the COVID-19 economic impact started showing itself in April. Tax extensions were announced in March, moving that revenue to fiscal 2021, and at least 300,000 individual income tax returns have not been filed and paid with the deadline coming July 15.
In other financial news at the state level, Governor Laura Kelly says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the state’s plan for crisis counseling — which secures federal funding for FEMA’s Crisis Counseling Immediate Services Program. A partnership involving several state agencies, notably the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Health and Environment, Department of Aging and Disability Services and Department of Agriculture, helped to secure funding for the program, which offers disaster relief help through specially trained providers for up to 60 days after a major disaster declaration.
FEMA dollars are helping to support the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255. Support is also available through the Kansas Ag Stress Resources phone number, 800-447-1985, and website, www.kansasagstress.org, as well as the Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990 and the Kansas: Stronger Together Facebook page.
