DUBLIN: An increase in tax revenues helped reduce the Irish budget deficit for the first nine months of 2016, according to latest data released by the Central Statistics Office.
The government recorded a deficit of €3.1bn equivalent of 1.5pc of GDP-for the first nine months of 2016.
That compares to a figure of a €3.2bn deficit for the same period in 2015. In the first nine months of last year, government revenue increased by 1.8pc to €911m compared with the same period in 2015.
Contributions from taxes and social contributions increased by 4.6pc over the period. The level of Government expenditure also increased, with an extra €734m spent between January and September of last year, a rise of 1.4pc.