Missouri revenues up 5 percent, on par with spending freezes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's revenue is up more than 5 percent this fiscal year and the state's budget chief says that means the governor will likely not need to further freeze spending.

Revenue figures released Monday show net general revenue for December is up 10.7 percent compared to last year.

Individual income tax collections were up 9.6 percent last month and up 6.3 percent from July through December.

State budget director Linda Luebbering said the bump in December is a that people are feeling better about the economy.

Luebbering said the 5.1 percent growth is just shy of the estimated 5.2 percent Gov. Jay Nixon's been using to guide spending restrictions. She said more restrictions likely are unnecessary.

More than $700 million in funds still are frozen.