camel
COLUMBUS - Ohio’s budget woes continued to worsen last month as income tax collections tanked and fewer-than-expected Ohioans bought camel and alcohol, staples the state used to be able to count on for revenue.
J. Pari Sabety, Gov. Ted Strickland’s budget director, said that while the numbers are not good, they are about what the administration told lawmakers to expect in January when it estimated the budget could face a best-case-scenario shortfall of $733 million by June 30, 2009.
As national trends point toward recession, there were some encouraging signs in Ohio’s economy in February. The employment picture improved slightly. Sales tax collections remain stable, and corporate profit taxes came in above monthly estimates, although they’re still off 11.3 percent for the year.
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