Exchequer Deficit Of €7.4 Billion Recorded By The End Of April

That compares to just over €3 billion in the same period last year.

Tax revenues in April were down 8 per cent, or €223 million, on the same month last year.

Excise receipts fell 50 per cent year-on-year, or nearly €300 million, reflecting a fall in consumption and a drop in new car sales.

Spending was €2.4 billion more than forecast up to the end of April, that reflects increased government spending in relation to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Meanwhile between February and March this year the volume of retail sales fell sharply as the Covid 19 restrictions took effect.

They were down 12.7 per cent, the largest monthly fall since January 2009, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The biggest falls were in bar sales and clothing, which were halved.

Car sales were down almost a third, as were the sale of books, newspapers and stationary.

As our lifestyles changed last month, so did our shopping habits and options.

Supermarket sales were up 14 per cent while food sales and tobacco in specialised stores were up almost a fifth.

Online sales accounted for 4.3% of the total turnover for All Businesses, the highest share since November 2018, when they were first recorded.