Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which receipts of all forms of taxation including excise duties to date are in accord with projections and targets set in budget 2009; the extent of shortfalls in any area; the measures proposed or intended to compensate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6579/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In light of the unprecedented pace of developments in the global and domestic economic environment since the October Budget, the economic and fiscal forecasts were revised and new macro-economic and fiscal forecasts were published.

Consequently, in early January, revised aggregate tax forecasts for 2009 and the following years to 2013 were set out by my Department in the Addendum to Ireland's Stability Programme Update, which was submitted to the European Commission on 9 January last. My Department now expects that tax revenue for 2009 will decline by 91⁄4%.

Monthly profiles of projected tax receipts are normally published by the end of January every year. However, this year, reflecting the fact that the tax forecasts were revised at the start of January, the publication of tax revenue profiles has been delayed. I expect my Department to publish these tax profiles shortly.

The end-January Exchequer Returns showed tax receipts, at €3,735 million, which were generally in line with expectations. In this regard, tax receipts for January 2009 represent approximately 10% of the forecast receipts for the year and this is in line with the percentage received in previous years. While tax receipts were down 19% year-on-year, it must be taken into account that tax receipts in January 2008 were relatively strong.