GST cut makes budget surplus difficult: NT

The Northern Territory government says it will struggle to achieve a budget surplus given its reduced share of GST revenue.

The Commonwealth Grants Commission has recommended the NT's share drop from 5.7 per cent this financial year to 5.4 per cent next year, which NT Treasurer David Tollner equates to a $145 million loss.

"Combined with a decline in the Territory's own revenue sources and the need to sustain the Territory's economy, it will make achieving a surplus in 2017-18 very challenging," he said in a statement.