DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's tax take should exceed forecasts sufficiently in the final two months of the year to fund committed extra spending without increasing the budget deficit, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said on Wednesday.
Ireland is relying on its year-end tax take being 2 percent higher than forecast to cut its budget deficit to 0.9 percent of GDP from 2.3 percent last year. With outperformance waning in recent months, however, the finance ministry warned last week, that strong receipts would be needed by year-end to meet that goal.
"The exchequer would need to exceed forecast in the final two months of the year to ensure that there is sufficient money to cover what is committed but my expectation is that there will be sufficient money to do that without increasing the deficit," Noonan told a parliamentary committee.