November 29 (SeeNews) - Serbia's budget balance showed a surplus of 49.3 billion dinars ($473.5 million/416.6 million euro) in the first nine months of 2018, compared to a surplus of 66.6 billion dinars in the prior-year period, according to finance ministry data.
Primary budget surplus decreased to 168.8 billion dinars in January-September from 142.7 billion dinars in the respective period of last year, figures posted on the website of the finance ministry show.
Total budget revenues grew by a real 4.7% on the year, reaching 873.7 billion dinars in the period under review, while expenditure also increased 7.4% year-on-year to 824.5 billion dinars.
Tax revenues rose by a real 3.6% to 751.1 billion dinars, non-tax revenues went up 10.9% to 117.8 billion dinars, and grants increased 47.3% to 4.8 billion dinars in the first nine months of 2018.
On the expenditure side, current expenditure grew by a real 4.1% to 711.9 billion dinars, while capital expenditure soared to 91 billion dinars from 49.2 billion dinars in January-September 2017.
In September alone, Serbia reported a budget surplus of 12.5 billion dinars, based on revenues of 102.9 billion dinars and expenditure of 90.5 billion dinars. The primary surplus totalled 25.1 billion dinars.
Serbia's budget swung to a surplus of 33.9 billion dinars in 2017 from a deficit of 7.9 billion dinars in the previous year.
(1 euro = 118.337 dinars)