Department of Finance: ‘Healthy’ tax revenues are on track

The exchequer continued to take in more in taxes than it anticipated just six months ago, providing some welcome fiscal headroom for any new incoming minority government.

Tax and spending returns for the first four months showed tax revenues surged by more than €1.1bn, up 9% from a year earlier, to reach more than €14bn.

The €14bn in tax revenues collected to the end of April was also €475m, or 3.5%, higher than the amount the exchequer had anticipated it would take in at this stage of the year.