British public borrowing last month was almost a fifth lower than a year earlier, when the economy was feeling the full force of the coronavirus pandemic, but rising inflation put upward pressure on debt costs. Public sector net borrowing, excluding public sector banks, fell to 22.8 billion pounds ($31.0 billion) in June, still the second-highest June figure on record. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a drop to 21.6 billion pounds.
英国上月的公共债务比一年前低了近五分之一，当时英国经济正遭受到新冠病毒的全面打击，但不断上升的通胀给债务成本带来了上行压力。6月公共部门净借款（不包括公共部门银行）下降到228亿英镑（310亿美元），是有史以来6月第二高的数据。路透社调查的经济学家此前预测净借款额将下滑至216亿英镑。
"We still expect borrowing to undershoot the OBR's latest forecast for this year. But we are not out of the woods yet, with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases putting some parts of the economy at risk of further restrictions later in the year," KPMG economist Michal Stelmach said.
“我们仍然预计，今年的借款规模不会达到OBR最新预测的水平。但我们还没有脱离险境，随着最近新冠病毒确诊病例激增，部分经济此后将面临进一步受限的风险，”毕马威经济学家迈克尔·施特尔马赫说。
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, said in a report with economists from Citi that borrowing in the 2021/22 financial year would drop to 9.3% of GDP. This is 30 billion pounds less than the government's forecasters expected in March but would still be the third-highest on record. The Office for National Statistics said June's debt servicing costs - which include an inflation uplift to index-linked gilts' future redemption values as well as actual interest payments - rose to a record 8.7 billion pounds.
智库美国财政研究所与花旗经济学家共同完成的一份报告中说，2021/22财年的借款占GDP的比重将下降到9.3%。这比政府三月预测的低300亿英镑，但仍是有记录以来第三高的水平。英国国家统计局表示，6月的债务成本创下新高，达到87亿英镑，其中包括通货膨胀对指数挂钩金边债券未来赎回价值的提振，以及实际支付利息。
A rise in the rate of retail price inflation was largely to blame, it added. However, debt servicing costs as a share of GDP remain low by historic standards, and most economists say the pace of economic recovery will be the key factor in improving the public finances. "The economy can do more of the job in 'fixing' the public finances than a fiscal tightening," Ruth Gregory of Capital Economics said.
报告补充称，零售价格通胀率的上升是主要原因。然而，与历史标准相比，债务成本占国民生产总值的比重仍然很低，多数经济学家表示，经济复苏的速度将是改善公共财政的关键因素。“凯投宏观”的露丝•格雷戈里表示:“（自由）经济在‘修复’公共财政方面发挥的作用比财政紧缩政策更大。”
本文节选自：Reuters（路透社）
