Lowest public finance deficit ever was recorded last year

Last year, Slovakia posted its lowest annual public finance deficit ever, reaching a mere 0.78 percent of GDP, the Finance Ministry reported on Monday with reference to the Eurostat's autumn notification. A higher-than-expected collection of VAT and levies to mandatory social and health-insurance funds have been behind the better-than-projected deficit. Meanwhile, a lower-than-planned drawing of EU funds in 2017 was behind lower-than-budgeted expenditures.