THERE continues to be a shortfall in the Government’s revenue operations based on the latest returns for the period April to December 2021.

Data from the Ministry of Finance show that total revenues and grants for the period amounted to $492.22 billion to $1.23 billion behind projection. However, the inflows represent an increase of approximately 23.6 per cent relative to the $398.26 billion recorded for the corresponding period in 2020.

On the other hand, total expenditure for the period April to December 2021 amounted to $501.25 billion, $9.34 billion less than the budgeted amount of $510.59 billion. Recurrent expenditure, which totalled $466.35 billion, accounted for 93.04 per cent of overall expenditures.

Under the recurrent expenditure categories for the review period, the category above the budgeted amount was Interest. This totalled $91.85 billion, 1.8 per cent above the budgeted amount of $90.23 billion.

The categories below the budgeted amount included programmes, which amounted to $193.51 billion, which was $4.75 billion or 2.4 per cent less than budgeted. Comparably, Compensation of Employees totalled $180.99 billion, $2.92 billion below the budgeted amount of $183.92 billion.

Wages and Salaries totalled $166.30 billion, 1.6 per cent less than budgeted. Additionally, Employee Contribution totalled $14.70 billion, which was 1.7 per cent less than the budgeted amount of $14.94 billion.

Jamaica’s fiscal deficit, which occurs when the Government spends more than it earns was $9.02 billion, relative to a projected deficit of $17.13 billion, which was good news for the Administration.

Additionally, the primary surplus balance, which happens when a country has larger levels of income relative to current spending for the period amounted to $82.83 billion, relative to the budgeted primary surplus balance of $73.10 billion, which was also good news for the Government.