Boost for Government coffers following increased tax take

The Exchequer has run a surplus for the first three months in the year – for the first time in seven years. The latest Exchequer Returns show the state took in nearly 200 million euro more than it spent. It’s the first time since the financial crisis that the state hasn’t run a deficit over a three-month period. The finance minister Michael Noonan has welcomed the figures, saying the tax take is 5 per cent ahead of schedule.