BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- China's tax revenue increased by 1.9 percent year on year in April, marking a shift from decline to growth, official data showed on Tuesday.

In the first four months of the year, the country's tax revenue edged down 2.1 percent year on year while non-tax revenue increased by 7.7 percent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance.

The data also showed that China's fiscal revenue dipped 0.4 percent year on year to 8.06 trillion yuan (about 1.12 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first four months.

The pace of fiscal revenue decrease in the first four months eased from a decline of 1.1 percent registered in the first quarter of the year, according to the ministry.

From January to April, the central government collected 3.39 trillion yuan in fiscal revenue, down 3.8 percent year on year, while local governments collected nearly 4.67 trillion yuan, up 2.2 percent year on year.

In April alone, fiscal revenue collected by the central government rose 1.6 percent, the first growth registered this year, the ministry said.

China's fiscal expenditure rose by 4.6 percent year on year to nearly 9.36 trillion yuan in the January-April period.

The pace of fiscal spending in the first four months of this year topped the equivalent figures for every year since 2020, as financial authorities at various levels have implemented more proactive fiscal policies, according to the ministry.

While speeding up fiscal spending, China has further optimized the structure of its fiscal expenditure, with more funds being channelled to fields related to improving people's well-being and boosting consumption, the ministry said.