Government Budget:
Meaning :
The government has to incur expenditure in maintaining law and order and in undertaking various developmental economic activities. The government has to raise necessary revenue to finance these expenditures. It raise its revenue through various sources like taxes and public borrowings. Accordingly, the government has to draw a financial plan corresponding to various activities it wants to undertake during the coming year. Such a financial plan is known as the budget of the government.
Definition:
“The budget of the government is an annual financial statement describing in detail the estimated receipts and proposed expenditure and disbursements or fiscal year (1 st April to 31 st March).”
Characteristics of Budget :
1. The budget gives the estimates for the coming financial year, the actual financial accounts for the previous year and the revised estimates of the current year.
2. In democratic countries like India, the budget is a constitutional obligation. Under Article 112 of of the constitution, the Union budget is to be prepared every financial year or fiscal year and has to be placed before the Parliament.
3. The budget is presented in the Lok Sabha on such a day as the President of India may direct. However the budget is presented on the last working day of February but the presentation, of budget has been advanced to 1st February from the year 2017.
4. The budget is prepared annually.
5. It is prepared at all levels of the government, whether it is Central Government, State Government or Local Government.
6. In India, the Finance Minister presents the annual budget of the Government for its approval by the Parliament. It is approved and then it is implemented.
7. The expected revenues and expenditures are planned as per the objectives of the Government.
8. Budget impacts the economy through fiscal discipline and resources allocation.
Objectives of Government budget:
The main objectives of the government budget are:
1. Redistribution of Income and Wealth (Distribution Function) :
Equitable distribution of income and wealth is a sign of social justice and objective of welfare state. The government uses fiscal instrument of “Taxation and Subsidies” with the view of improving the distribution of income and wealth. This can be achieved by:
- By imposing high taxes on luxury goods
- By progressive tax structure having more burden on rich section of society.
- By giving tax concessions, excise rebates and similar concessions and incentives for production of goods of mass consumption and thus making these goods available to poor sections at lower prices.
- Spending the revenue collected as tax on social securities like free education, medical facilities, drinking water, sanitation and transport and communication facilities add to the real income of the poor.
- Government incur huge expenditure on providing guaranteed employment (100 days) to jobless people in rural areas.
- By providing essential food items to below poverty line families at subsidised rate.
2. Reallocation of Resources (Allocation Function):
- Main objectives is to reallocate resources in such a manner that there is a balance between profit maximisation and social welfare.
- Private sector always desire to allocate resources to high profit areas like production tobacco, alcohol etc., but such areas may not promote social welfare so the government will reallocate resources to social welfare areas such as construction of schools, roads, hospital etc.
- It can be done in two ways:
a. By Using Fiscal Policy (Taxation and Subsidy):
Production of goods which are harmful to health like cigarettes and whisky is discouraged through heavy taxation and production of socially useful goods like khadi is encouraged through subsidies.
b. By Self Allocation:
If private sector does not interest, government can directly undertake the production by allocating more funds to social and public useful sector.
3. Economic Stability :
Free play of market forces of demand and supply generates trade cycle or business cycle. These refers to phases of recession, depression, recovery and boom.
- Government uses government budget as a tool to control this trade cycle and the situation of inflation and deflation. In other words, it tries to prevent business fluctuations and maintain economic stability i.e., price stability with high level of employment.
- The government can change the tax rates in response to the needs of the economy. For example, during inflation or excess demand an increase in income tax rate would reduce the disposable incomes, this would cut down the demand for goods and services.
- Public expenditure can also serve as an instrument to bring price stability. An increase in public expenditure pumps in more money in the economy, while a cut in public expenditure sucks out more money.
4. Managing the Public Enterprises:
The budgetary policy shows the interest of the government to increase the rate of growth through public enterprises.
Government undertake commercial activities that are of the nature of Natural Monopolies and requires heavy manufacturing.
Private sector in these areas may cause lesser production and higher price to maximises profits and thereby reducing social welfare.
5. Growth of the Economy:
The growth of a country depends upon the rate of savings and investment. This will further promote capital formation and production levels resulting in raising the country’s national income.
- The government makes various policies and provisions through its budgetary policy to enhance savings and investment in an economy. This is done by providing various tax rebates and other incentives for productive ventures.
- The government spends on essential services and facilities to have a solid infrastructural base for the economy like health, education, housing and transport, so that level of production rise in both the private sector and the public sector.
6. Employment Opportunities:
Budgetary policy focuses on employment generation through investment in public enterprises. Under these various schemes like MNREGA are initiated to create employment among poor people and reduce the problem of poverty.
Types of Government Budget in India:
There are different types of budgets which are as follows:
1. Union Budget:
- The budget which is prepared by the central government for the country as a whole.
- Till 2016, the budget was prepared in two parts: 1.Railways Budget. 2.General Budget.
- Railways budget showed the details of the estimated receipts and proposed expenditure and disbursements by the Railways Ministry with regard to Indian Railways only.
- General budget showed the financial plan for the entire economy, describing in detail the estimated receipts and proposed expenditure for the economy as a whole.
- The totals of the receipts and expenditure of the Railways were incorporated in the budget statement of the Government of India.
2. State Budget:
- Since in India, there is federal system of government with Union Government for the whole country and state government for different parts of the country. Every state government in India prepares its own budget.
- State budget is the budget prepared by the state government such as the budget of Delhi Government, Budget of the government of Tamil Nadu etc.
- The local bodies such as municipal corporations, municipal committees and municipal boards also prepare their own budget.
3. Plan Budget:
- The plan budget is a document which shows the budgetary provisions for important projects, programmes and schemes included in the central plan of the country.
- This document gives the details of the budgetary support for the central plan by sectors of development.
- It shows the central assistance for states and union territories plans as well.
- It also gives the detailed break up of the proposed outlays on various government services – economic, social, community and general services – along with various physical targets.
4. Performance Budget:
- Performance budgets present the main projects, programmes and activities of the government in the light of the specific objectives and assessment of the previous years budgets and achievements.
- They explain the scope and objectives of the schemes, their estimated cost, physical targets, achievements, reasons for shortfalls, standards of performance etc.
- Thus the performance budget aims at monitoring the progress of various projects in terms of the actual achievements against the given targets.
- The performance budget provides a link between financial allocations and physical achievements by the concerned disbursing agency.
- It also serves as an instrument of administrative and financial control in the implementation of various development programmes.
5. Supplementary Budget:
- Budget estimates of the coming year are based on future forecasts with regards to revenue and expenditure.
- It is not always possible to foresee and provide for all emergencies such as war or natural calamities or political instability, which may necessitate extra expenditure.
- In these circumstances, the government may find it necessary to present in Parliament a supplementary budget to deal with such eventualities.
6. Zero – based Budget:
- Traditional budget, attempts to justify only increase in the expenditure over the previous year, there is no reference is made to the previous level of expenditure.
- While, zero – based budget is defined as the budgetary process which requires each ministry or department to justify its entire budget request in detail. It is a system of budget in which all government expenditure must be justified for each new period.
- In this method of budgeting, the functioning of every ministry is reviewed comprehensively and all expenditure are approved rather increase in the expenditure only.
- It is like assuming that a zero – expenditure has been incurred on a project at the time of its review.
- Thus, under zero – based budgeting, no base or initial expenditure level is presumed for any activity.
- Zero – based budget means that the past is cut – off. The present is regarded as a clean slate and all departments have to start from scratch or afresh.
- A zero – based budget ensures that such schemes and projects that have become redundant are scrapped and better and more suitable projects are undertaken.
- A zero based budget is cost effective. But it is a time consuming process as it takes much longer time to prepare the budget then the traditional budget.
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