Headline Comparisons

• Public sector surplus on the current budget in 2006-07 was minus £8.8bn (i.e. in deficit) compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of minus £9.5bn (and the March 2006 Budget projection of minus £7.0bn).
• Public sector net borrowing in 2006-07 was £33.6bn compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of £35.0bn (and the March 2006 Budget projection of £35.8bn).
• Public sector net debt at the end of 2006-07 was £501.0bn, or 37.4% of national income compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of 37.2% (and the March 2006 Budget projection of 37.5%).
• Central government current receipts in March were 4.3% higher than in the same month last year and over the whole of 2006-07 were 6.6% above the outturn for 2005-06. Overall, current receipts in 2006-07 are thought to have been £482.2bn, compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of £482.1bn (and the March 2006 Budget projection of £480.9bn).
• Central government current spending in March was 4.5% higher than in the same month last year and over the whole of 2006-07 was 5.3% above the outturn for 2005-06. Overall, current spending in 2006-07 is now thought to have been £491.0bn compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of £490.9bn (and the March 2006 Budget projection of £487.2bn).
• Public sector net investment in March was 11.4% higher than in the same month last year and over the whole of 2006-07 was 9.6% above the outturn for 2005-06. Overall, net investment in 2006-07 is now thought to have been £24.9bn compared to the March 2007 Budget projection of £25.5bn (and the March 2006 Budget projection of £28.8bn).

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