Tax Collections In Mass. Continue Upward Trend

State revenue collections in January were more than 11 percent higher than in the same month a year ago, continuing an upward trend during the first half of the fiscal year.

The Department of Revenue announced Tuesday that Massachusetts collected just over $2 billion last month, an increase of $208 million from January 2010.

For the first seven months of the 2011 fiscal year, the state says collections are 10.3 percent higher than in the same period the previous year, and are also running $28 million above year-to-date benchmarks set by the Patrick administration.

Revenue Commissioner Navjeet Bal said income and sales taxes exceeded projections in January, while corporate tax collections fell slightly below the benchmark.