The latest figures from the Department of Finance show there was an Exchequer deficit of €16.4bn for the seven months to the end of July.
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Just under €18.7bn was taken in tax receipts, €575m or 3% less than the target set out in April's Budget and 17.6% lower than in the same period last year.
A breakdown shows that VAT receipts came in almost €500m below target, as consumer spending continued to be weak, while the take from stamp duty was more than 17% less than what was expected in April.
Corporation tax receipts were 4% better than expected at almost €1.9bn, helped by a change in the payment dates for the tax.
In recent months, the year-on-year decline in tax revenue has been showing signs of stabilising.
The drop in the first six months was also just over 17% compared with falls of more than 20% in the earlier months of the year.
