Tax collections up slightly in January

ATLANTA - The governor&#39;s economist says the state is starting to show signs it&#39;s slowly climbing out of the recession. <br> <br> Figures released Monday by the State Revenue Department show the state posted a slight increase in tax collections in January for the third month in a row. <br> <br> January&#39;s tax collections of $1.3 billion were about 0.3 percent above the collections for the same month a year ago. <br> <br> That boosts tax collections for the first seven months of the state&#39;s fiscal year to just 3.2 percent below the total for the same period a year ago. <br> <br> Governor Perdue expects a $620 million shortfall in the budget year ending June 30 and has proposed a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to balance the budget.