CONCORD — A preliminary report indicates state revenues will be about $9 million less than predicted for the recently completed 2012 fiscal year.

The unaudited figures only show state revenues and not what state government spent. That will be determined over the next few months and released at the end of September.

The state collected $2.18 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2012, which is $8.9 million less than projections and $12.9 million less than fiscal 2011. However with several exceptions, most state levies produced more than budget writers projected and more than they produced last year including business taxes which were 5 percent above last fiscal year and the utility property tax which was 17 percent ahead off estimates due largely to a new emissions scrubber at Public Service of New Hampshire’s Merrimack Station in Bow.

The biggest drains on the revenue picture are a tax hospitals collect for in-patient services and the tobacco tax.

The Medicaid Enhancement Tax was due in July to be counted toward the 2012 fiscal year revenues, but the tax produced $24.5 million less than budget writers anticipated.

With the exception of the Medicaid Enhancement Tax, the tobacco tax and a $21.5 million drop in revenue that state tax collectors assessed companies underpaying their business tax liability, most state levies produced more than they did the year before.

If the Medicaid Enhancement Tax and business tax recoveries revenues are not counted, state revenues produced $29 million more than a year ago and $12.9 million more than estimates.

Administrative Services Commissioner Linda Hodgdon said “That’s a good message,” noting it shows the state’s economy is improving.

The new figures released late Friday, include what state budget officials believe is owed in taxes for the 2012 fiscal year that may not have been collected prior to June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

For example, the rooms and meals tax often lags several weeks behind because the money collected is not immediately turned over to the state.

The new figures paint a rosier financial picture than the June revenue report which indicated revenue was $26.6 million below projections.

Since the June report budget, officials have identified almost $20 million in additional revenue including $9.5 million in Medicaid Enhancement Tax. The state and the hospitals have had an ongoing disagreement over how much they owe for the enhancement tax which is collected on hospital services, then used to match federal dollars and eventually returned to the state’s smaller hospitals to offset the cost of services they provided to patients who did not paid for them.The tobacco tax returned 4 percent less than budget writers projected (down $8.5 million) and 5 percent less than a year ago. Lawmakers cut the tax by 10 cents a pack.

Liquor revenues were also disappointing, returning 6.1 percent less than budget writers projected at $125.3 million, but about the same as was collected last fiscal year.

grayno@unionleader.com