This was the fourth time this year that a nominal surplus was recorded, after January (5.531 billion reais or US$ 2.6 billion), March (3.989 billion reais or US$ 1.8 billion) and April (3,841 billion reais or US$ 1.8 billion).
Interest reached 6.142 billion reais (US$ 2.9 billion) in September, as against 15.473 billion reais (US$ 7.3 billion) during the same period of 2007, the lowest volume since September 2001 (5.861 billion reais or US$ 2.7 billion).
According to the BC, in September 2007 a nominal deficit of 11.919 billion reais (US$ 5.6 billion) was recorded, and in August this year a negative result was also recorded, at 2.343 billion reais (US$ 1.1 billion).
The primary surplus (government savings for meeting financial obligations) reached 10.005 billion reais (US$ 4.7 billion) in September, a higher figure than the 3.554 billion reais (US$ 1.6 billion) recorded in the same month of 2007. It was the best result since September 2002 (10.257 billion reais – US$ 4.8 billion).
"The primary surplus [in September] is in keeping with the good results that have been recorded [this year]," said the adjunct-head at the Economic Department of the BC, Túlio Maciel. According to him, the figures reflect a rise in government tax collection.
In September, the largest contribution was that of the federal government, at 12.730 billion reais (US$ 6 billion), the highest figure for the month since the BC started keeping track, in 1991. The results posted by state-owned companies in general were also the highest ever for September (3.242 billion reais or US$ 1.5 billion) and specifically those of federal state-owned companies (3.093 billion reais or US$ 1.4 billion).
State-level state-owned companies contributed 184 million reais (US$ 86.9 billion) and municipality-level ones recorded a primary deficit of 36 million reais (US$ 17 million). State governments posted a surplus of 1.303 billion reais (US$ 616 million) and municipality governments, 288 million reais (US$ 136.1 million).
ABr