Pennsylvania House of Representa�ves Republican Caucus

Economic Brief
State Representa�ve Marguerite Quinn
September 2010

August 2010 Revenues Exceed Monthly Projections;

Sales Tax Collections Drive Monthly Overage
Following two years of below-es�mate tax collec�ons,
Pennsylvania’s General Fund revenues exceeded projec�ons in
August. Collec�ons for the month were marked at almost $1.81
Billion -- $7.06 Million more than an�cipated.

Monthly revenue collec�ons have consistently fallen short of

es�mate since May 2008. Although June 2010 yielded above-
es�mate collec�ons, this overage was the result of higher-than-
expected revenues from the state’s tax amnesty program and the
receipt of several table games license fees coming in all at once.

August revenues were driven by a surge in sales tax collec�ons, EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
which yielded nearly a $34.5 Million overage for the month. In July 2010 Monthly Change
contrast, Personal Income Tax collec�ons were $12.3 Million below Labor Force 6.395 Million -43,000
es�mate. Of the four major General Fund collec�on categories, only
consump�on taxes exceeded es�mate (see chart below). Unemployment Rate 9.3% +0.1

Thus far, through the first two months of the 2010-11 fiscal year, Total Employment 5.802 Million -45,000
the state is carrying a $6 Million revenue surplus. While this serves
as a posi�ve sign, it remains far too early to determine if the August 12-Month Growth
collec�ons are reflec�ng an upswing in the state’s economy. Total Employment -65,000

Unemployment Rate +1.0

General Fund Revenue REVENUE COLLECTIONS

Actual vs. Estimate Estimate Actual
$4,000,000,000

Actual Collections Corpora�on Taxes Corpora�on Taxes

$3,500,000,000 Estimated Collections
$42.9 Million $42.1 Million
$3,000,000,000

Consump�on Taxes Consump�on Taxes

$2,500,000,000

$785.3 Million $822.5 Million

$2,000,000,000

$1,500,000,000
All Other Taxes All Other Taxes

$1,000,000,000 $774.0 Million $746.7 Million

$500,000,000 Non-Tax Revenue Non-Tax Revenue

$0
$197.1 Million $195.1 Million

State Representative Marguerite Quinn

District Office Harrisburg Office
(215) 489-2126 www.RepQuinn.net (717) 772-1413