Deficit up €75.5 million

The government's deficit rose by €75.5 million to €333.9 million in the first nine months of the year.

The latest figures issued by the National Statistics Office show that revenue fell by €32.1 million to €1,553.6 million while expenditure rose by €43.4 million to €1,718.5 million. This was mainly because income from Customs and excise duties fell by €55.5 million, VAT by €22.9 million while revenue from income tax rose by €21.5 million and from social security by €19.3 million.

Government debt at the end of September rose by €359.2 million to €3,877.3 million.

Short- and long-term borrowing increased by €151.2 million and €214.9 million respectively and foreign borrowing fell by €14.1 million.