TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Department of Revenue said it has yet to process between 70,000 and 80,000 state income tax returns after bringing in workers from another agency last week to help open envelopes.
Department of Revenue spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda said Monday the processing of the remaining returns should finish by the end of the week, The Wichita Eagle (https://bit.ly/1EMnkVY) reported.
The contents of the unopened envelopes, many of which contain checks, could be crucial as legislators look to address a projected budget shortfall that’s estimated to be more than $420 million next year.
The state has collected $82 million less in income tax revenue than it did at this point last year but is anticipated to finish the year $62 million above last year’s total, according to the Kansas Legislative Research Department. If tax collections are less than expected for May and June, then the budget shortfall could increase.
Sen. Les Donovan chairs the Senate Tax Committee and said the returns could represent hundreds of millions of dollars that could be important as lawmakers work on a budget fix.
“It does leave a little uncertainty. The hole might not be as deep as we think it is,” he said.
Koranda said it’s not unusual for the processing of returns to last into May. But legislative researchers said Monday in a report on state revenues that the processing of returns is at least a week behind last year’s pace, partly because the department had fewer temporary workers available this year.
Employees of the Department for Children and Families helped with the processing last week.
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