State Taxes Across U.S. Take Second Consecutive Record Plunge

From the Rockinst.org:

For the second quarter in a row, tax revenues collected by states across the U.S. plummeted sharply in April-June 2009, according to the latest quarterly report on state revenue collections issued today by the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

When compared to the same period one year earlier, second-quarter 2009 tax revenues in the 50 states dropped a record 16.6 percent — the second consecutive quarter in which revenues fell more sharply than during any previous time on record. Forty-nine states saw total tax revenue fall during the quarter, with 36 states reporting double-digit declines.

Tax collections for two major sources of revenue — sales taxes and personal income taxes — declined for the third consecutive quarter. Income tax was down by 27.5 percent, while sales tax was down by 9.5 percent.