Oklahoma State revenues in April surged to a record high propelled by income tax payments, but other indicators point to caution, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced.
This was true even though some categories dropped.
But in April, Medical marijuana taxes generated $62.6 million, down by $2.2 million, or 3.4 percent. Motor vehicle taxes produced $72 million, down by $6.4 million, or 8.2 percent.
April gross receipts of $2.04 billion, an all-time high, are up 37 percent from a year ago and mark the first time collections for any month have topped $2 billion. The previous record was $1.58 billion set in April 2019.
For the month, combined individual and corporate income tax payments totaled $1.1 billion. April income tax receipts are typically higher than other months due to the annual filing deadline.
Twelve-month receipts of $16.42 billion, also a new record, are up by more than 20 percent compared to the prior period. For the first time, corporate income tax payments contributed over $1 billion to the bottom line during the 12 months.
“Record performance numbers point to the strength of the state economy,” McDaniel said. “Even so, there are signs that would urge some caution going forward. Sales and use tax receipts are up by less than the rate of inflation, and gross production and motor vehicle revenues are lower than collections of last April.”
The annual inflation rate hit 8.5 percent in March, up four-tenths of a percentage point from February. It is the highest rate since December of 1981. Gasoline prices are up 48 percent, while the cost of food rose at an annual rate of 10 percent.
Sales and use tax revenue of $584.6 million rose by $16.6 million, or 2.9 percent, in April. Motor vehicle receipts of $72 million shrank by $6.4 million in April, down by 8.2 percent from the prior year. Gross production collections in April generated $132.1 million and are down by 1.2 percent from a year ago.
Twelve-month collections are up by $2.86 billion, or 21.1 percent, compared to the previous 12 months with all four major revenue streams showing expansion ranging from 111.3 percent in gross production to 9.5 percent in motor vehicle taxes.
The Oklahoma unemployment rate in March was reported as 2.7 percent by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up one-tenth of a percentage point from February. The U.S. jobless rate was listed as 3.6 percent in March, down from 3.8 percent in February.
Other April collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $157.7 million – down by $731,123, or 0.5 percent.