Brasília – The consolidated public sector, which includes federal, state and municipal governments, had a primary surplus – savings for payment of debt interest – of 17,748 billion Brazilian reals (US$ 10.6 billion) in January this year, according to a report published on Friday (25) by the Central Bank of Brazil. In the same period in 2010, the primary surplus had totalled 16.084 billion reals (US$ 9.6 billion).
The Central Government (Treasury, Central Bank and Social Security) contributed with 13.807 billion reals (US$ 8.3 billion). State governments had a surplus of 3.813 billion reals (US$ 2.3 billion), and cities, 690 million reals (US$ 143 million). State-owned companies, excluding the Petrobras and Eletrobras groups, registered a primary surplus of 562 million reals (US$ 337 million).
The primary result is the difference between revenues and expenses, excluding debt interest. On including debt interest, the nominal result is reached. Last month, expenses with interest totalled 19.281 billion reals (US$ 11.6 billion), against 14.129 billion reals (US$ 8.5 billion) in January 2010. The nominal deficit was 1.532 billion reals (US$ 917 million), against a surplus of 1.955 billion reals (US$ 1.2 billion) in the same month last year.
In the 12 months ending in January 2011, the primary surplus was 103.360 billion (US$ 61.9 billion), which corresponds to 2.81% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total of all goods and services produced in the country. The surplus target for the public sector this year has been stipulated at 117.9 billion reals (US$ 70.6 billion). Over the last 12 months, expenses with interest have totalled 200.521 billion (5.44% of GDP) and the nominal deficit was 97.161 billion reals (2.64% of GDP).
*Translated by Mark Ament