Tax revenue close to €2bn

Tax revenue last year rose by €27.3 million over 2008 to just under €2 billion, according the latest official statistics.

Higher revenues from direct taxes contributed to the increase in total government revenue, the National Statistics Office said, despite a drop of €24.3 million in revenue from indirect taxes. Social contributions stood at €351.8 million, equal to the previous year.

The overall tax burden, defined as the total amount of taxes and actual social contributions expressed as a percentage of GDP, was 34.7 per cent in 2009.