March 23 -- The Census Bureau invites comments by April 22, 2021 on its proposal to OMB to collect the Quarterly Summary of State & Local Government Tax Revenues (QTax Survey) for 2021-2023.
The Census Bureau conducts the Quarterly Summary of State & Local Government Tax Revenues (QTax Survey) to provide quarterly estimates of state and local government tax revenue at a national level, as well as detailed tax revenue data for individual states. Quarterly measurement of, and reporting on, these fund flows provides valuable insight into trends in the national economy and that of individual states. Information collected on the type and quantity of taxes collected gives comparative data on how the various levels of government fund their public sector obligations. There are three components to the QTax Survey; the first component is the Quarterly Survey of Property Tax Collections (F-71), which collects property tax data from local governments, the second component is the Quarterly Survey of State Tax Collections (F-72), which collects data on 25 different tax categories for all 50 states, and the third component is the Quarterly Survey of Selected Non-Property Taxes (F-73), which collects local tax revenue data for three taxes: Sales and gross receipts, individual income, and corporation net income taxes.
The Census Bureau is requesting approval to conduct the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Quarterly Summary of State & Local Government Tax Revenues. The Census Bureau is also requesting approval to add the collection of cannabis sales and sports betting sales taxes to the F72 component and remove the collection of all license taxes from the F-72 component of the QTax Survey. This will modernize the survey's content to maintain the relevancy and sustainability of these data.
The information contained in this survey is the most current information available on a nationwide basis for state and local government tax collections. Data are collected for fifty state governments and the District of Columbia and a sample of the local governments (approximately 7,300).
The Census Bureau conducts the three components of the QTax Survey to collect state and local government tax data for this data series established in 1962. It serves as a timely source of tax data for many data users and policy makers and is the most current information available on a nationwide basis for government tax collections Tax collection data are used to measure economic activity nationwide, as well as for comparison among the states. These data are also used in comparing the variety of taxes employed by individual states and in determining the revenue raising capacity of different types of taxes in different states.
Key users of these data include the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who rely on these data to provide they provide insight into and the most current information on the complex nature and fiscal health of state and local government finances. These data are included in the quarterly estimates of the National Income and Product Accounts developed by BEA. HUD has used the property tax data as one of nine cost indicators for developing Section 8 rent adjustments. These data are widely used by Federal, state, and local legislators, policy makers, analysts, economists, and researchers to follow the changing characteristics and monitor trends in public sector revenues. The data are also widely used by the media and academia.
QTax Survey website:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/qtax.html
2021-23 QTax Survey submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202103-0607-002 Click on IC List for survey instruments, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation
FR notice inviting public comments:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/03/23/2021-05977/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
Point of contact: Kristina Frates, Chief, State Finance and Tax Statistics Branch, Census Bureau 301-763-5034 kristina.marie.pasquino.frates@census.gov
For AEA members wishing to submit comments to OMB, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806