The Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DoR) has released preliminary revenue figures for the first half of December showing a continued decline in state revenue. For the first half of the month, total tax collections for the month-to-date period were $138 million or 8.2% less than the collections during the same period in December 2022. Final results for the full month of December will be issued soon by DoR. The continued decline in the first half of December is on top of the sharp decline for the first 5 months of the fiscal year 2024. Specifically, total revenue collections for the first 5 months of the fiscal year 2024 (July 2023-November 2023) were $627 million or over 4% less than the year-to-date budget benchmarks. The November revenue collections represented the 5th month in a row that the state has missed its revenue collection benchmark expectation. The lower-than-expected revenue collections may require Governor Healey and the Legislature to take action in the current year and upcoming fiscal year 2025 budgets, since state law requires a balanced budget.