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Virginia took in $1.446 billion in general fund revenue in August, up 4.5 percent over August 2017, due mostly to boosts in sales tax collections and payroll withholding.

The general fund, which makes up a little more than a third of the state budget, comes mostly from taxes paid by residents and businesses. The general fund pays for generally applied services such as education, health, public safety and government administration.

“The positive revenue growth in this report is a clear sign that our economy is on the right track and our commonwealth remains in a strong financial position,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement, adding that his administration must continue its efforts to diversify the economy.

Collection of sales and use taxes grew 7.5 percent in August compared with August 2017. Collections of payroll withholding taxes rose 5.1 percent compared with the same month in 2017.