PAYE collections, outperformed forecast for September, by $620 million and $677 million, for the six months to September, this year, but that was inadequate to cover the $2.5 billion drop in corporate taxes, in the latest month, for government of Jamaica revenues.
At the end of August, corporations paid over $6.63 billion versus a projection for $8.8 billion, resulting in a shortfall of $2.18 billion, by the end of September, what should have been collections of $15.3 billion turned up to be only $10.65 billion, $4.7 billion short, resulting in a $2.5 billion shortfall, in the latest month alone. The underperformance for company tax collection, was the main reason why the revenue forecast of $156.5 billion for the six months period, suffered an increased shortage of $1.4 billion in tax revenues, bringing the year to date shortfall, to $7.33 billion. Overall revenue shortage, amounted to $7.13 billion, as grants fell short by $337 million in September, but non tax revenues outperformed forecast, by $400 million for the month.
Expenditure| Payment for expenses is well below target, as capital expenditure almost crawled to a halt in September, with only $590 million spent, raising the underspending for the year to date to $7.8 billion, up from $5.38 billion at the end of August. Programmes saw savings in payments of nearly $900 million, in the month, and wages and salaries was $350 million more, in the month, than planned, but there is still a reduction year to date, in this area.
At the end of September, the fiscal deficit of $18.95 billion was ahead of target by $6.3 billion, as the capital programmes have once more taken the bulk of the hit, as revenues fall short of target.