Kansas is reporting that its tax collections last month were $2.6 million more than expected, giving state officials a small dose of good news in dealing with ongoing budget problems.
The Department of Revenue reported Monday that the state collected $584.3 million in taxes in April, when the official projection was $581.7 million. The surplus was 0.5 percent.
That's positive news but revenue projections were slashed only three weeks ago. The tax collections are now being pegged against a more pessimistic forecast.
Still, Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan said there are positive economic signs in personal income and sales tax collections that exceeded expectations.
The report came 12 hours after the Legislature approved a budget-balancing plan that leaves most of the work to Gov. Sam Brownback.