**MNI 5 Things: Borrowing Deteriorates But FY Target In Reach

By Jamie Satchithanantham and Laurie Laird

     **LONDON (MNI) - The following are the key points from the ONS' public

sector finances data published Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics.

     - Public sector finances fell into the red in February, with borrowing

rising to stg1.340bn, reversing a surplus of stg1.158bn in February of 2017.

     - That takes year-to-date (YTD) borrowing to stg41.4bn, a 5.7% decline on a

year earlier. However, the borrowing position has deteriorated since January,

when YTD borrowing was down by 16.0%.

     - The new full-year borrowing target of stg45.2bn remains within reach, if

March borrowing is in line with the past two-year average of stg3.2bn.

     - Self assessment taxes over the Jan-Feb period fell by less than feared to

stg17.2bn, from stg18.0 bn in 2017.

     - After falling in the early part of the financial year corporate tax

receipts have improved, rising by stg2.7bn or 5.5% year-to-date.

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: MABDS$,MAUDR$,MAUDS$,M$B$$$,M$E$$$,M$U$$$]