OTTAWA, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Canada recorded a slight drop in its budget deficit to C$21.72 billion ($15.05 billion) for the first nine months of the 2024/25 fiscal year as government revenues increased faster than expenditure, the finance ministry said on Friday.
By comparison, the deficit in the same period a year earlier had been C$23.61 billion, it said in a statement.
Program expenses rose 10.7% on increases across all major categories of spending for the nine months.
Public debt charges increased by 17.3% largely because of higher interest rates, the ministry said.
Year-to-date revenues grew by 11.8%, largely reflecting higher tax revenues and from other taxes and duties.
On a monthly basis, Canada’s budgetary balance in December swung to a surplus of $1 billion, from a deficit of C$4.47 billion in same month the prior year.
($1 = 1.4432 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee, editing by Fergal Smith)
((Reuters Ottawa bureau; fergal.smith@tr.com))
Keywords: CANADA BUDGET/
