Brazil’s Federal Revenue (the country’s tax department) reported for January 2014 a tax revenue higher than the one collected in any other month in history: R$52.869 billion, against R$52.391 billion in January last year. Tax collection was driven up by sales of goods and services, which rose 2.87% compared to January 2013. The country’s payroll and the exports in dollar were also reported by the Revenue to have increased by 10.37% and 8.26% respectively.

From the government’s perspective, the rise in the tax revenue will make it easier for the Brazilian economy to reach the primary surplus target (savings necessary for the payment of public debt interest) – which has been announced for this year to be 1.91% of the GDP.

In a teleconference held last week with international journalists and financial analysts, Finance Minister Guido Mantega had declared that the government was going to spare no efforts to reach its fiscal goals in 2014. “Tax rises are not predicted, although this may happen. [In case it does,] it’ll be a sort of saving we’ll have in order to increase tax collection if necessary” the minister said.