The state budget account for last year reveals considerable differences between the draft budget and the final result.

In its report, the Court of Auditors determined an increase in expenditure of roughly €800 million in its report, but also an increase in revenue of €2.5 billion.

As a result, the deficit is much lower than anticipated in the budget. The overall deficit is only €800 million, rather than the €2.4 billion stated in the budget.

The main reason for the difference of around €1.6 billion is that revenue from general taxes and VAT was much greater than predicted.

According to Patrick Graffé, vice-president of the Court of Auditors, the budget for 2021 was created in 2020, i.e., during the pandemic. The government "was very conservative" with its estimates for 2021 in 2020. However, the economy recovered much faster than predicted, explaining the significant increase in revenues.