That's on top of nearly $600 million in unexpected revenue lawmakers already doled out during this year's general session. The question, though, is whether the revenue will continue to flood in or if income tax collections drop off.

"I don't know if it will hold up, but if it does we'll have at least $68 million more than we budgeted for," said Doug Macdonald, the Tax Commission's chief economist. "That could go south on us. The odds are it won't because everything's been doing better."

Richard Ellis, the state's budget director, said the report shows the economy is still strong, though he also warns the numbers are "volatile" and may not stay up.

"Our fear is that we're right there at tax season," Ellis said. "But I think it shows the trend."

The new figures come on top of a report from the commission showing taxable sales grew 8.5 percent during the last quarter of 2004, with retail sales and business investment coming in at higher levels than expected. The fourth quarter numbers follow gains from the previous three quarters.

The gains are "good news" after six quarters of "sluggish" sales prior to 2004.

"These are pretty pretty much a reflection of a rebounding of the economy," McDonald said.

Out of the 30 sectors studied by the commission, 12 showed double-digit jumps, while eight logged decreases.

Utah lawmakers went into legislative session in January knowing there was a surplus of funds. The Legislature adopted a budget of $9 billion, which included $370 million in projected revenue growth and $235 million in surplus.