STATE OF CONNECTICUT
NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman today said that while tax revenues remain flat, the projected 2010 budget deficit has been lowered to $371 million by the delay of a $100 million payment to the state pension fund and by about $47 million in Medicaid savings tied to the federal stimulus program.

The deficit had been hovering around $500 million since last October, driven by weak collections of nearly all major tax categories. The two largest shortfalls are in the income tax and sales tax, which are short of budget projections by $222.2 million and $90.6 million, respectively.

Delaying the $100 million pension payment and realizing the $47.4 million in Medicaid savings created by a change in the federal stimulus program were two elements of a deficit-mitigation plan implemented by the Governor last month.

Wyman said the final deficit figure will be greatly determined by how much income tax revenue is collected around the April 15 filing deadline, especially from upper-income earners who typically make quarterly estimated income tax payments.

"The weeks around the filing deadline are always a crucial time for revenues," Wyman said. "We normally take in about $1 billion during this time, but with the economic downturn it is very hard to predict what is going to happen this year."

Wyman's deficit estimate is based on a budget of $18.6 billion, and is about $14.5 million higher than the projection by the Governor's budget office.

The State Comptroller appreciates input on this and other issues from residents of the state. Please feel free to contact her office by phone - (860) 702-3300; mail - OSC, 55 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106; or, via E-mail - osc.opinions@po.state.ct.us

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For Immediate Release
April 1, 2010

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