UK tax receipts may hint at faster than expected recovery: OBR

LONDON (Reuters) - The unexpected strength of tax receipts in Britain may reflect a faster-than-forecast economic recovery from the coronavirus lockdown, the Office for Budget Responsibility fiscal watchdog said on Thursday.

Earlier official data showed Britain's budget deficit for the first five months of the financial year at 174 billion pounds was running around 50 billion pounds lower than the OBR had assumed - in part due to strength in tax receipts.

"(This) appears to be broadly consistent with the faster-than-assumed recovery in real GDP through the summer," the OBR said in a statement.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by Alistair Smout)