A total of 2.858 trillion (133.2 million USD) was added to the budget of the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city in the first quarter of this year, increasing 21.5 percent from 2014.

Domestic revenue contributed 1.77 trillion VND (82.5 million USD) to the sum, an annual rise of 2.3 percent.

Bui Van Buu, deputy head of the Can Tho Tax Department, said strong budget collection in January-March reflected the local economic recovery. The revenue is expected to surpass target by the end of 2015.

Moving forward, the taxation agency is tasked with handling prolonged arrears and bad debts. Non-performing loans amounted to 2.2 trillion VND (102.5 million USD) in Can Tho by the end of the first quarter of this year.

According to Le Hung Dung, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, local authorities have taken measures to remove obstacles for business and production and accelerate administrative reforms.-VNA