The Slovak state budget recorded a 3.168 billion Slovak crown ($79 million) deficit in February after showing a surplus of 3.909 billion crowns in January, the Finance Ministry said on March 1. Over the same period last year, the budget was left a quarter billion crowns in the black.
The government has set an end year state budget deficit target of 15 billion crowns for 1999, representing just under two percent of gross domestic product.