Georgia’s tax take continues to improve

State tax collections were up 6.8 percent in March, a modest increase when compared to much of fiscal 2016.

Collections for the first nine months of the fiscal year are up 10.3 percent, or about $1.4 billion.

More than a third of that gain has come from the increase in fuel taxes and new hotel taxes approved by state lawmakers last year.

Without the extra fuel taxes in March, revenue increased only 2.2 percent over March 2015.

Gross sales taxes were up 2.5 percent in March, while income tax collections climbed 12.3 percent.