China’s fiscal revenue rose 5 percent year on year to reach 1.44 trillion yuan ($ 234.6 billion) in May, the Ministry of Finance announced on June 11.

Combined fiscal revenue in the first five months hit 6.43 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent, which is 5.7 percentage points lower than the rise seen in the same period last year.

Several factors have caused the slower growth, the ministry said, including lower global commodity prices which triggered a fall in import value, slowing industrial activity, a reduction in business tax collected from the sluggish property, as well as the central government’s campaign to cut tax and fees to relieve burdens on businesses.

The ministry said it will strengthen budget management and keep cutting taxes and fees.

Total fiscal spending from January to May amounted to 5.85 trillion yuan, up 11.1 percent year on year, with spending on energy saving and environmental protection surging 29.7 percent to reach 112.4 billion yuan.

Premier Li Keqiang, speaking at the opening of the annual parliamentary session in March, stressed that a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy would continue in 2015.

China plans to raise its budget deficit to 2.3 percent of its GDP for 2015, up from last year’s target of 2.1 percent.

China’s year-on-year economic growth in the first quarter registered 7 percent, the lowest quarterly growth rate since 2009.