The state appears to be $50 million in the black, based on preliminary revenue numbers for September, but $29 million of that is designated to pay Business Equipment Tax Reimbursements (BETR) and tax rebates under the Circuit Breaker program.

State officials say some major businesses have yet to apply for their BETR checks and fewer lower-income homeowners than expected are applying for Circuit Breaker rebates. The money not spent shows up as revenue since BETR and Circuit Breaker payments are now counted as lost income by the state rather than on the expense line.

Still the state is ahead of its revenue budget, and that’s despite sluggish sales numbers. Sales tax revenue is down close to $6 million from budget for the first three months of the fiscal year. The winners include both personal and corporate income tax and the estate tax, and even the cigarette tax is ahead of budget. The $1-a-pack increase on smokes, however, didn’t go into effect until mid-September.