Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for Finance when he will publish profiles of expected tax revenues and voted expenditure for 2009; the reason for the delay in their publication in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6314/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of the normal December Budget day decisions for both expenditure and taxation, monthly profiles of projected receipts and expenditure are generally published by the end of January every year. However, reflecting the fact that the fiscal forecasts were revised at the beginning of January, with a decline in tax revenue this year of 91⁄4% now anticipated, my Department is still working on finalising the profiles for 2009. I expect these tax profiles to be published before the end of the month.

In relation to projected Exchequer expenditures, the Government has recently announced various measures required to adjust the overall expenditure levels. In this regard, my Department is working with other Departments to produce revised expenditure numbers. It is the intention to produce a monthly profile towards the end of this month, consistent with the revised budgetary projections and with the allocations to be presented in the 2009 Revised Estimates Volume.

The end-January Exchequer Returns showed an Exchequer deficit of just over €747 million and tax receipts, at €3,735 million, down 19% year-on-year. However, it must be taken into account that tax revenue in January 2008 was relatively strong. 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. In addition, the Budget 2009 changes to Income tax (the introduction of the 1% income levy) and VAT (the increase on the standard rate to 21.5%) are not, due to the normal lags in the collection times, fully reflected in these figures. Consequently, the January 2009 figures are generally in line with expectations.