Irish tax revenues rise, spending falls in February

Ireland collected 7.1 percent more tax in February than a year ago, driven by a rise in levies on income, while spending fell compared to the same point in 2015, the country's finance department said on Wednesday.
The government expects to balance its budget a year ahead of schedule in 2017 thanks to surging tax revenues, a booming economy and a fall in government spending that swung Irish finances into a 310 million euro surplus last month.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan said in January that he expected a budget deficit of around 0.75 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year.