Ireland

Economy
Ireland came close to balancing its budget at the end of 2015 as a costly bank bailout wound down and tax revenues surged. The government was prepared to eliminate a deficit that was the highest in the euro zone in 2009 before the target of 2018 that it agreed with the European Union. The state collected 7.8%, or 3.3 billion euros, more tax than expected in 2015, mostly from corporation tax receipts over the year and a sharp monthly rise in income tax and excise duty in December, pointing to a broadening recovery in the domestic economy.