Kansas motorists have been paying less at the gas pump. State economists expected them to spend the extra money elsewhere, but so far that hasn't happened - at least not as much as officials had predicted. Chris Courtwright, with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, told lawmakers that with lower oil prices, the state had expected to see a jump in sales tax revenue.
“There are growing indications that people are saving more and are not, for whatever reason at this moment, have not gone on a spending spree with that extra money in their pockets,” says Courtwright.
The state has now lowered its estimate for sales tax collections by $30 million for both the current and the coming fiscal years.