February is a non-VAT-due month, but on a cumulative basis VAT receipts of €2,657 million were €400 million, or 13.1 per cent lower than in the same period in 2020. Similarly, excise duties have now fallen by €131 million or 14.8 per cent on the same period last year. February is not generally a significant month for corporation tax and receipts of €350 million to end-February were down by €232 million on the 2020 performance. This is due to a once off payment received in February 2020 and a deduction of €69 million to fund payments under the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). Income tax receipts continued to show a remarkable resilience, with cumulative receipts of €4,034 million marginally ahead of 2020, by €56 million or 1.4 per cent.