Lower borrowing cost and big increases of $3.3 billion over forecast for General consumption and special consumption taxes on local and imported items, helped to push revenues for May and April above budget by $1.3 billion, in spite of a shortfall of $1 billion in grants and a $345 million in the bauxite levy.
Expenditure is down by $3.76 billion, with reduced spend on capital expenditure accounting for $2.1 billion, interest $571 million and other programmed expenditure of $1 billion. Programmed expenditure savings, may include amounts budgeted for wage increases but not yet paid and may be purely a timing issue than a real savings.
Government borrowed $13 billion less than forecast, paid out $1.7 billion more than budgeted and that should result in a reduction in interest cost going forward. Overall, the Fiscal deficit for the two month period, is $5 less that budgeted and pushed the overall deficit to $11.5 billion down from $16.5 billion planned.
The wage bill is $27 billion for the two months. A settlement of 5 percent for the year would add $8 billion to the cost, but government would get taxes direct and indirect form its payment. The longer the parties take to settle the less costly it will be for the government, or the easier it will become to pay a higher amount, but there is a matter of year two to contend with as well.