Budget deficit 3.95% of GDP upto April

Sri Lanka has posted a budget deficit of 3.9 percent of gross domestic product for the first four months of 2013, against a full year target of 5.8 percent of GDP, finance ministry data showed.

State revenues for the first four months was Rs 326.6 billion , up from Rs 313.9 billion a year earlier and current expenditure was 471.3 billion rupees (5.4 percent of GDP) up from Rs 460.6 billion (6.1 percent of GDP) in 2012.

The revenue deficit, or the gap in the current budget was 157.0 billion rupees up from Rs133.9 billion (-1.8 percent of GDP).

The capital budget Rs 195.1 billion giving an overall deficit of Rs 343.5 billion or 3.9 percent of GDP for the four months, up from 285.5 billion rupees (3.8 percent of GDP) last year. (LBO)