Govt’s fiscal deficit touches 59% of full year Budget Estimate at November-end

31 Dec 2022 Evaluate

The Finance Ministry’s latest data showed that the government’s fiscal deficit has touched 59 per cent of the full year Budget Estimate at November-end on increased capital expenditure and slow growth in non-tax revenue. In actual terms, the fiscal deficit, which is the difference between expenditure and revenue, was Rs 9.78 lakh crore during the April-November period of 2022-23. In the corresponding period last year, the deficit was 46.2 per cent of the Budget Estimates of 2021-22. The government has budgeted fiscal deficit to be Rs 16.61 lakh crore or 6.4 per cent of the GDP in the current year ending March 2023. The deficit is funded by market borrowings.

As per the data by Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, the net tax revenue was at Rs 12.24 lakh crore or 63.3 per cent of BE 2022-23. During the corresponding period of 2021-22, the net tax revenue was 73.5 per cent of that year’s BE. Non-tax revenue was at Rs 1.98 lakh crore or 73.5 per cent of BE. In the last fiscal, the collection was 91.8 per cent of BE.

The central government’s total expenditure during April-November works out to be 61.9 per cent of BE 2022-23, higher than 59.6 per cent of BE in the year-ago period. Capital expenditure was at Rs 4.47 lakh crore or 59.6 per cent of BE between April-November. In the last fiscal, capex was 49.4 per cent of BE. As per the data, the central government’s total receipts, including non-tax revenue, stood at Rs 14.64 lakh crore or 64 per cent of the current year’s BE. In the year-ago period, the total receipts had touched 69.8 per cent of BE 2021-22.

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