Government borrowing fell in April compared with the same month last year, as parts of the economy reopened after lockdown measures eased.
Borrowing - the difference between spending and tax income - was £31.7bn, official figures show, which was £15.6bn lower than April last year.
However, the figure was the second highest for April since records began.
Borrowing has been hitting record levels with billions being spent on measures such as furlough payments.
The Office for National Statistics now estimates that the government borrowed a total of £300.3bn in the financial year to March. While that was down slightly from its previous estimate of £303.1bn, it remains the highest level since the end of World War Two.
April's borrowing figure was lower than official forecasts. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, had predicted borrowing would reach £39bn last month.
Parts of the economy began to reopen in April, including pubs and restaurants as well as hairdressers and gyms.
Tax receipts were lower last month at £58bn compared to £66.3bn in March. However, the figure was ahead of the same time last year when tax receipts hit £54.2bn.
The government's borrowing figures were also boosted by smaller than expected interest payments on debt.
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics said public borrowing "should continue to undershoot" the OBR's forecast it published alongside the Budget in March amid expectations of a strong recovery in GDP.
However, he said: "The chancellor's room for manoeuvre on austerity measures will depend on the size of the long-term hit to potential GDP from the recent recession.
"While 'scarring' should be smaller than after past recessions, given that the unemployment rate has remained low, we still see significant costs in the form of diminished investment and an unprecedented exodus of non-UK nationals."
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2021-05-25 08:06:27Z
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