According to forecasts by Deloitte Access Economics, the budget deficit within the next four years will be $45 billion (US$33.4 billion) less compared to Treasury forecasts, but the long-term outlook for the budget is $60 billion (US$44 billion) worse. Deloitte partner Chris Richardson said Australian taxpayers would get $45 billion back in their pockets because of the sound pre-Delta economy and tighter budget used to handle the Delta outbreak. “We’ve said for some time that, if our economy gets better, our budget will too,” Richardson said. “So, it’s no surprise that our red hot recovery prior to the Delta outbreak saw the deficit shrink from a record $204 billion in the year to February 2021, to $101 billion in the year to August 2021.” The May budget revealed that revenue during the last financial year exceeded official estimates by $20 billion. The cost of the Delta outbreak was also lower than last …