DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland collected 1.6 percent more tax than expected in the year to the end of August, the finance ministry said on Friday, but the scale of the outperformance was less than in the previous two months.
Ireland had taken in 4.3 percent more tax than expected at the end of May and while the ministry had said an unexpectedly large increase in corporate tax was likely to unwind, income tax came in 6.5 percent below target for the month of August.
Overall, tax revenues were still over 6 percent higher than a year ago up to end of August as an economic recovery continued. The government has said it expects its tax take for 2016 to be 2 percent higher than forecast by year-end.
Ireland had a fiscal deficit of 329 million euros over the first eight months after government spending came in 1.3 percent lower than expected. Ireland has forecast that its deficit will fall below one percent of gross domestic product by the end of 2016.