SLOVAKIA's state budget deficit at the end of September was better than expected at Sk5.1 billion, thanks to growth in budget revenues.
According to the Finance Ministry, budget revenues, planned at Sk272.7 billion for the whole of 2006, came to Sk212.2 billion in the first nine months of the year, or 77.8 percent of the annual plan.
State budget expenditures, planned at Sk330.2 in 2006, reached Sk217.3 billion at the end of September, or only 65.8 percent of the annual target, the Hospodárske noviny daily wrote.
The budget, drafted by the previous Mikuláš Dzurinda government, plans for a budget deficit in 2006 of Sk57.5 billion.
