THE national government’s budget balance registered a P52.8 billion surplus in April, reversing a deficit in March, data from the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) released on Friday showed. The fiscal surplus of P53 billion is more or less on a par with April 2016 and Apr 2015 which brings the four-month deficit to only P30 billion, better than the P57.5 billion deficit in 2016 and P19 billion surplus in 2015, ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said. In March, the Philippine posted a P61.5 billion deficit. Revenue performanceThe BTr said revenue totaled P235.9 billion in March, down 4 percent or P10.8 billion from a year earlier. The primary surplus totaled P81.2 billion year-to-date, up 35 percent over the same period last year.

Source: Manila Times May 26, 2017 18:22 UTC