The amount of tax collected in the first eight months of this year remains slightly ahead of target, though returns in August were weaker than estimated, according to figures from the Department of Finance.
Just over €20.5 billion in tax was collected, about €204m or 1% better than expected.
The figures are €1.6 billion (8.3%) higher than the same period last year.
The year-on-year increase is primarily due to a 25% increase in income tax, which arose as a result of measures introduced in last December's budget, including the Universal Social Charge.
Corporation tax and excise duties are performing better than expected, but VAT was €229m behind, reflecting ongoing weak consumer spending.
The rate of VAT on a number of items was reduced at the start of July as part of the Government's jobs initiative.
However, the full effect of this is not likely to be seen for a couple of months.
Spending is running approximately 1.5% below target.
Of this, capital expenditure is €155m (7.2%) below target, but is expected to be largely in line with target for the year, while current spending is €282m (1.0%) lower than estimates.
Overall, there was an Exchequer deficit of €20.4 billion for the first eight months of 2011, up from just over €12.1 billion in the same period last year.
More than half of this was due to the banks, with €7.5bn going into the main banks in the past few weeks to help them meet capital targets by the end of July and €3.1 billion going in promissory note payments to Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Nationwide and EBS.
Excluding these payments and €233m from in capital receipts from the sale of the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission's stake in Bank of Ireland, the Exchequer deficit was down approximately €2 billion compared with a year earlier.
The cost of servicing Ireland's debt up to the end of August increased €800m on the same period last year.
