The Congressional Budget Office has released their Monthly Budget Review. During the first eight months of FY 2006 (remember the fiscal year begins October 1) the government incurred a deficit of $223 billion, which is $50 billion lower than the deficit amount recorded for this period last year. Outlays for Social Security and net interest payments on the debt grew by about $3 billion each, and defense spending was up $2 billion. Receipts for the month of May this year were substantially higher than receipts last year. The report says: Nonwithheld receipts of individual income and payroll (social insurance) taxes were up by about $15 billion (or more than 70 percent). That substantial increase occurred in part because a larger share of receipts from tax returns filed in April was recorded in early May this year than in May of last year. (For the two months combined, nonwithheld receipts were up by about 20 percent this year.) Receipts of individual income and payroll taxes withheld from paychecks were about $18 billion higher (a gain of almost 16 percent). Those receipts were boosted by an additional business day this May.