Deficit Reduction: Government deficit can be reduced by an increase in taxes or reduction in expenditure. In India, government has been trying to increase tax revenue with greater reliance on direct taxes (indirect taxes are regressive in nature - they impact all income groups equally). There has also been an attempt to raise receipts through the sale of shares in PSUs. However, the major thrust has been towards reduction in government expenditure. This could be achieved through making government activities more efficient through better planning of programmes and better administration. A recent study by the Planning Commission has estimated that to transfer Re1 to the poor, government spends ₹3.65 in the form of food subsidy, showing that cash transfers would lead to increase in welfare. The other way is to change the scope of the government by withdrawing from some of the areas where it operated before. Cutting back government programmes in vital areas like agriculture, education, health, poverty alleviation, etc. would adversely affect the economy. Governments in many countries run huge deficits forcing them to eventually put in place self-imposed constraints of not increasing expenditure over pre-determined level. These will have to be examined keeping in view the above factors. We must note that larger deficits do not always signify a more expansionary fiscal policy. The same fiscal measures can give rise to a large or small deficit, depending on the state of the economy. For example, if an economy experiences a recession and GDP falls, tax revenues fall because firms and households pay lower taxes when they earn less. This means that the deficit increases in a recession and falls in a boom, even with no change in fiscal policy.
The reason for Deficit in Budget is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Expenditure Exceeds Revenue
A budget has a deficit when the government’s expenditure is more than its receipts. The government then has to borrow to fill the gap.
When the two are equal, the budget is balanced. When receipts are more than expenditure, the budget is in surplus.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.2 BALANCED, SURPLUS AND DEFICIT BUDGET The government may spend an amount equal to the revenue it collects. This is known as a balanced budget.… When tax collection exceeds the required expenditure, the budget is said to be in surplus. However, the most common feature is the situation when expenditure exceeds revenue. This is when the government runs a budget deficit.” |