By Tuba Sahin
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Turkish Treasury's cash balance posted a deficit of 23.7 billion Turkish liras ($4.5 billion) last month, the Treasury and Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Treasury's cash revenues reached 66.1 billion Turkish liras ($12.5 billion), up 20 percent year-on-year in December.
Its expenditures — including interest payments of 2.59 billion Turkish liras ($490 million) — amounted to 91 billion Turkish liras ($17.2 billion).
Last month, the Treasury's non-interest expenditures reached 88.4 billion Turkish liras ($16.7 billion) — a deficit of 22.3 billion Turkish liras ($4.2 billion) — in the primary balance.
The cash balance represents the Treasury's cash revenues minus expenditures, including interest payments.
The average U.S. dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate in December 2018 was 5.31.