Aug 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. government's budget deficit

grew nearly 20% in July to $291 billion despite a $21 billion

jump in customs duty collections from President Donald Trump's

tariffs, with outlays growing faster than receipts, the Treasury

Department said on Tuesday.

The deficit for July was up 19%, or $47 billion, from July

2024. Receipts for the month grew 2%, or $8 billion, to $338

billion, while outlays jumped 10%, or $56 billion, to $630

billion, a record high for the month.

The month of July this year had fewer business days than

last year, so the Treasury said that adjusting for the

difference would have increased receipts by about $20 billion,

resulting in a deficit of about $271 billion.

Gross customs receipts in July grew to about $28 billion

from about $8 billion a year earlier due to higher tariff rates

imposed by Trump, a Treasury official said. This data builds on

tariff-related momentum in the past couple of months, as

companies importing goods paid those duties.

For the first 10 months of the fiscal year, the Treasury

reported a $1.629 trillion deficit, up 7%, or $112 billion, from

the same period a year earlier. Receipts were up 6%, or $262

billion, to $4.347 trillion, a record high for the 10-month

period, while outlays grew 7%, or $374 billion, to $5.975

trillion, also a 10-month record.