July 16 (SeeNews) - Serbia's budget balance showed a surplus of 8.8 billion dinars ($87.1 million/74.6 million euro) in the first five months of 2018, compared to a surplus of 12.5 billion dinars in the prior-year period, according to finance ministry data.
Primary budget surplus decreased to 64.8 billion dinars in January-May from 76.1 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 2.6% on the year, reaching 445.7 billion dinars in the period under review, while expenditure increased 3.6% year-on-year to 436.9 billion dinars.
Tax revenues rose by a real 4.7% to 388.8 billion dinars, non-tax revenues went down 9.6% to 54.9 billion dinars, and grants decreased 14.2% to 1.99 billion dinars in the first five months of 2018.
On the expenditure side, current expenditure grew by a real 1% to 391.4 billion dinars, while capital expenditure soared to 35.9 billion dinars from 17.6 billion dinars in January-May 2017.
In May alone, Serbia reported a budget surplus of 2.2 million dinars, based on revenues of 87.9 billion dinars and expenditure of 85.6 billion dinars. The primary surplus totalled 4.7 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 = 117.980 dinars)