Budget revenue was down 6% from July to EUR 643m, while expenditure fell by 15% to EUR 627m, first budget realisation calculations for August show.

Tax receipts increased by 6% to EUR 532m, but taxes on goods and services, including VAT, decreased by almost 23% to EUR 404m. Higher VAT rates are taken into account for the first time after the rise on 1 July.

All types of expenditure decreased in August, especially interest paid.

Budget revenue in the first eight months of the year added up to EUR 4.86bn and expenditure amounted to EUR 6.16bn, which puts the deficit at EUR 1.3bn.

This means that the surplus can only increase by a further EUR 200m in the coming four months, considering that the supplementary budget passed in July projects the deficit for the year at EUR 1.5bn.

Slovenia remains a net recipient versus the EU budget; the country paid EUR 328m in the common purse and received EUR 664m from it in the first eight months of the year.