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.
Eric Joost is President of Artificial, where he leads the company's U.S. expansion and works with specialty brokers and carriers to modernize how placement and underwriting get done. He has extensive experience across brokerage, underwriting, operations and technology in the commercial insurance market.
Before joining Artificial, Eric held senior roles at WTW, Aon, Allianz and CAC Group, where he worked hands-on with insurers and brokers to modernize legacy processes, build new distribution channels and translate emerging technology into measurable business outcomes.
David studied Accounting and Economics at Loyola University Chicago and later deepened his expertise at MIT, focusing on Data and Economic Policy. He was the innovator behind Deloitte Cortex, Deloitte's flagship analytics platform, and previously led software innovations at both Deloitte and Synchrony Bank. With a strong technical background in machine learning and large language models (LLMs), David drives the development of Abacus' products and infrastructure. Today, he guides the company's vision, product strategy, and enterprise AI innovation across regulated industries.
Sven Klingemann is a senior director at The RepTrak Company.
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.