"With the economic recovery continuing to stutter, we think it will become increasingly difficult for the Government to meet its ambitious deficit reduction plans in the coming fiscal year"
- Samuel Tombs, an economist at Capital Economics
British public sector borrowing rose by more than expected in March, said the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday.
Net borrowing rose by 18.2 billion pounds and reached 125.97 billion pounds for the fiscal year 2011/12, a whisker below the Government's target of 126 billion pounds.
"Today's data shows that the forecast for 2011/12 is on track, with public borrowing down by £11bn compared to the previous year," said a Treasury spokesman.
"This shows that the Government's plan to reduce the budget deficit is working."
"March's public finance figures suggest that the trend in the UK's fiscal position is continuing to worsen," said Samuel Tombs, an economist at Capital Economics.
"With the economic recovery continuing to stutter, we think it will become increasingly difficult for the Government to meet its ambitious deficit reduction plans in the coming fiscal year."
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