May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. government posted a $258

billion budget surplus for April, up 23% from a year earlier,

reflecting strong tax receipts in the final month of the tax

season and surging collections of import duties, the Treasury

Department said on Monday.

Treasury reported that net customs duties in April totaled

$16 billion, about a $9 billion increase from the year-earlier

period. The increase occurred during a month in which President

Donald Trump boosted tariffs on Chinese goods to as much as 145%

while slapping at least 10% on imports on goods from other

countries.

The budget results indicate the U.S. collected just over

$500 million a day from tariffs in April. Trump last month said

the collections were about $2 billion a day.

That new revenue, however, is likely to drop off. The U.S.

and China over the weekend reached a deal to temporarily ease

their steep tariffs on each other, with the U.S. cutting its

145% tariffs to 30% for the next 90 days, while Chinese duties

on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125%.

Treasury reported a $1.049 trillion budget deficit for the

first seven months of fiscal 2025, which started Oct. 1, up 23%

from a year earlier. Fiscal year-to-date receipts of $3.110

trillion and outlays of $4.159 trillion were both records for

the month of April, though the deficit itself was not, an agency

official said.

After accounting for calendar differences that exaggerated

outlays recorded in 2024 and $85 billion in deferred tax

receipts from California that had boosted fiscal year 2024

receipts, the deficit would have been 4% higher, according to an

agency official.