State records €3.5bn budget surplus in final quarter of 2021

Deficit of €8.1 billion was recorded for full year

A series of budget deficits were recorded during the pandemic years. Picture: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

The state’s pandemic era deficits turned to a surplus in the last three months of 2021 thanks to high tax takes and reduced spending on pandemic expenses.

State spending was less than revenue to the tune of €3.5 billion during the time frame, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

A total of €31.5 billion was taken in while €27.7 billion was spent from October to December 2021, bucking a Covid-19 pandemic trend ...