Portuguese budget deficit close to zero in Q3
Xinhua,December 23, 2017 Adjust font size:
LISBON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's budget deficit for 2017 stood at 0.3 percent of GDP by the end of Q3, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on Friday.
The figure compares favorably to 2.8 percent for the corresponding period in 2016 and 1.9 percent at the last quarterly reading, taken in June.
In volume terms, the public administration's deficit for the first nine months of the year stood at 393.9 million euros.
The INE attributes the turnaround to an increase in revenues, especially from indirect taxes.
The figures support Prime Minister Antonio Costa's claim, made on Thursday, that Portugal's deficit for 2017 would be below 1.3 percent.
Portugal exited the European Union's Excessive Deficit Procedure program in May, which sets a deficit to GDP ratio upper limit of 3 percent.
The data release caps a positive week of economic news for Portugal. Last Friday, the Fitch ratings agency returned Portuguese debt to the investment grade bracket for the first time since 2011. Enditem