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NEWS from the Office of the New York State Comptroller
Contact: Press Office 518-474-4015

DiNapoli: State Tax Revenues Down $767 Million in May

June 15, 2020

State tax receipts in May were down $766.9 million or 19.7% from the previous year, according to the monthly state cash report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“With an economy still suffocated by a global pandemic, the state’s finances took another serious hit in the month of May,” DiNapoli said. “We are now clearly seeing the recession’s impact on tax receipts. As we continue to slowly re-open the economy, it’s critical that Washington act on our call for more federal aid.”

Other items of note in the report:

  • Personal income tax withholding revenues were $291.8 million below May 2019, a decline of more than 9 percent reflecting both depressed economic activity and timing factors.
  • Local assistance spending through May totaled $17.9 billion, $1.4 billion less than the state Division of Budget (DOB) projected in the Enacted Budget Financial Plan. In addition, spending for capital projects totaled $915.8 million through May, $412.2 million lower than projected.
  • The Department of Education made $4 billion in general aid payments to school districts.
  • The General Fund ended the month with a balance of $7.3 billion, $1.1 billion higher than the latest projection by DOB.

Report:
May Cash Report

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