National government generated €136bn from taxes last year, an increase of almost 2% on 2007, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.

Between 2005 and 2007, the increase in tax income averaged 8%, the CBS says.
The increase over the first nine months of last year was 5%, but this was offset by a 6% contraction in the final quarter as the effects of the economic slowdown transferred through to government.
The downturn in house and car sales and consumer spending had the sharpest affect on tax income, the CBS said.