Democratic governors have lambasted the GOP tax reform as “evil in the extreme,” to quote the moral stylings of California Governor Jerry Brown. But that isn’t stopping them from cashing in on the tax law.

Many liberal states have reported unexpected revenue surges. Tax revenues in California this year are $3.8 billion higher than the governor’s forecasts. New York’s Comptroller reported last month that tax collections have surpassed the state’s February forecast by $315 million. Even Connecticut raked in $1.3 billion more than its pie-in-the-sky projections.

Corporate tax revenues are booming thanks to growing profits and, though it’s still early, businesses repatriating billions in foreign income. The GOP tax bill imposes a one-time tax on overseas cash and allows future profits to be repatriated tax free. According to California’s Legislative Analyst Office, eliminating the incentive to stash cash abroad will increase revenues “on a one-time basis by a few hundred million dollars over the next two to three years” and permanently boost state coffers by tens of millions of dollars annually. Note also that the dividends corporations are paying to shareholders will be taxed by states, as will capital gains that result from stock buybacks.

Some high-earners appear to have shifted income forward to dodge the $10,000 state-and-local tax deduction limit that takes effect this year. California’s Legislative Analyst notes that “tax payments appear to have been shifted from January 2018 to December 2017,” but adds that this year’s “ongoing growth in tax payments appears to be healthy.” So the revenue boom isn’t merely a product of tax timing.

The Trump Administration’s deregulation and tax reform have unleashed animal spirits, which has increased stock values and capital gains. These revenues are volatile, but the serendipitous surge was a godsend for Connecticut. Without the revenue spike, the state would have hit its debt limit and may have had to cancel school construction projects.