ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland estimates the state raised roughly $6 million in added revenue in July from a 50 percent increase in the state's sales tax on alcohol.

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David Roose, director of the Maryland Bureau of Revenue Estimates, said Monday it's hard to tell from the first month of a new tax how much will be raised on a yearly basis.

If July turns out to be the average, it would add up to about $72 million in extra state revenue a year. Initial estimates projected the tax would raise roughly $85 million a year.

But Roose says a variety of factors could have affected the July revenues. For example, people may have stocked up on alcoholic beverages in June, and seasonal factors can play a role on alcohol sales.