The Basque Autonomous Administrations, made up of the Basque Government, the Provincial Councils and Municipal Administrations, together with their corresponding Autonomous Institutions and Supra-municipal bodies obtained a budgetary surplus of 462 million euros, 5.1% less than in the year 2000, according to Eustat data.

The unequal growth in non-financial income and expenditure (3.3% and 9.4% respectively) explains the reduction in the budgetary surplus. Non-financial income amounted to 9,799 million euros in the year 2001 and non-financial expenditure came to 9,338 million, from which is derived the aforementioned surplus or financial capacity showing a figure of 462 million, 1.1% of the GDP.

Current income increased by 2.54% compared with the 8.58% increase in current expenditure. As a result, there was a decline in Gross Saving, which in 2000 came to 2,310 million euros and a year later, in 2001, amounted to 1,942 million.

Among the tax revenue, which made up the largest part of income, income tax and Corporate Tax grew above 6% (6.39% and 6.86%, respectively), while VAT grew more moderately (2.45%) and Special Taxes fell by 4.61%.

In the section of current expenditure, Expenditure on Personnel rose 7.17%, while Current Transfers registered a 10.36% increase. Together, both areas increased 8.9% in 2001 compared with 10.5% in 2000.

Investment and Capital Transactions registered a 13.08% increase in the reference year, which was much higher than the growth reached by this area a year before (3.47%).

Outstanding debt, which came to 2,971 million euros on 30 December 2000, fell to 2,753 million a year later, 6.43% of the GDP, which represents a 7.3% decrease.

Employment in the whole of the Basque Autonomous Administrations in the year 2001 involved 57,959 persons, which represented 1.2% growth compared with the year 2000. If we include Mercantile Enterprises and Private Law Public Entities, the total came to 86,431 persons, 1.92% more than in 2000, representing 9.86% of the total employed persons in the Basque economy in 2001.