France Central State Budget Deficit Rose in January-July 2017

France's central state budget deficit widened in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period in 2016, as spending rose faster than revenue, the country's budget ministry said Friday.

The central state budget deficit--which doesn't include social security and local authority spending--stood at EUR83.8 billion ($96.3 million) at the end of July compared with EUR80.8 billion at the end of July 2016.

The budget ministry said the state recapitalization of nuclear power company Areva SA (ARVCY) pushed up spending in July 2017, while a rise in sales taxes boosted revenue.

Write to William Horobin at william.horobin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 08, 2017 03:17 ET (07:17 GMT)