What is the purpose of a "Tax Anticipation Note"?

A "Tax Anticipation Note" serves the specific purpose of providing funding to a municipality prior to the actual collection of tax revenues. Municipalities often experience a gap between when expenses are incurred and when tax revenues are received. To manage this timing issue, they issue Tax Anticipation Notes to generate immediate cash for ongoing operational expenses until the tax revenue is collected. These notes are a short-term borrowing mechanism that allows governments to meet their financial obligations in the interim.

While funding long-term capital projects and refinancing existing debts are important aspects of municipal finance, those activities typically involve different financial instruments, such as bonds or refunding bonds, rather than short-term notes like Tax Anticipation Notes. Additionally, although they might indirectly support salaries during cash flow shortages, the primary function of these notes is to bridge the timing gap of tax revenue collection, not to specifically address payroll obligations.