·  8.7 billion pounds in income tax paid by persons and 31 billion pounds paid by companies.

·   Rising in customs revenues to 8.7 billion pounds and 44 billion pounds in total wages and compensation...

·  8.7 billion pounds in income tax paid by persons and 31 billion pounds paid by companies. ·   Rising in customs revenues to 8.7 billion pounds and 44 billion pounds in total wages and compensation of employees by 21% growth. ·  17.5% growth in the interest of loans and 50% increase in public investment to  record 21 billion pounds.   A recent report by the Ministry of Finance on the performance of the general budget of the current fiscal year discovered that the total public revenues and grants rose by 33.2% during the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2008/2009 to a record 161.5 billion pounds, which represents 15.5% of GDP, the report attributed this rise to the increase in the income tax rate of 16.7% of the total revenue from customs duties and various taxes for about 90 billion pounds, also increased the general non-tax revenue by 62% to a record 71.6 billion pounds. The report pointed out that the highest growth rate in income tax in the tax revenues on the income of individuals, which rose by about 27.6% to reach 8.7 billion pounds, which helped to offset the slight decline in tax revenues on corporate profits, which plummeted during the period by about 0.4% to reach 31 billion pounds This brings the total proceeds of taxes on income to 39.8 billion pounds during the period from July 2008 to February 2009 by a growth rate of 4.6% over the same period last year, as increased tax revenue, which increased sales by 25% to a record 23.7 billion pounds, the report added that the proceeds of the customs rose 0.2% to reach 8.7 billion pounds.   On the expenditure side, said the report, a rise of 29% to a record 205.2 billion pounds, which represents 19.7% of GDP, compared to 159.5 billion pounds, which represents 17.8% of GDP during the same period of the previous fiscal year.   This is due primarily to increased expenses for the support of about 11.5% to reach 59 billion pounds in addition to the increase in the value of social benefits by more than five times the value achieved during the period from July to February of the year 2007/2008 to reach LE 19.3 billion during July-February, 2008 / 2009. Also increased wages and workers compensation by 21% to 44 billion pounds compared to 36.4 billion pounds during the same period last year, as well as interest paid on loans, which rose by 17.5% to $ 31.3 billion. In addition, increased spending on public investment by about 49.3% to $ 20.8 billion pounds.   Despite this rise in total expenditure, the increase in public revenues contributed to the stability of the proportion of the overall budget deficit at 4.3% during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, the same as in the previous year was also the first stabilized the percentage of deficit to gross domestic product at 1.3%.   (Source: Ministry of Finance)