A fiscal deficit can be defined as a negative balance of the government on its expenditure and revenue that arises during the fiscal year. This imbalance is common worldwide, which can also be referred to as Account deficit or Balance deficit. High budget deficits occur when the capital expenditure exceeds its expected limit on purchasing long-term assets or providing financial assistance to the farmers, labourers, and other vulnerable sections of the society. It differentiates between the government’s expenditure and the revenue collected by the government. The causes of the budget deficit are mentioned below.
Causes of High Fiscal Deficit
India has a sizable poor population with a low per capita income compared to other economies. The regular spending of the government on subsidies and aiding the economically backward and the tax rampant is also a cause for the high fiscal deficits. The Central Government can keep the fiscal deficit in check by raising the taxes or decreasing the expenditures.
The GDP can increase when the country faces a slowdown and unemployment by lowering the taxes, increasing capital expenditure, and supporting business firms to provide employment. The rise of taxes to reduce the fiscal deficits can slow down the economy where the raised taxes may lead the business firms to curtail the production to avoid higher payouts in taxes.
Consumers spend less to avoid indirect taxes to save more which hits the healthy demand-supply equation. When the economy is at its lower pace, unemployment creeps in and damages the fiscal deficits further. Many vital resources are required to balance and rebalance this shaking economy for developing countries like India. A lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) profit leads to low revenue taxes. High spending on programs like medicare, social security, and the military, when unnecessary, also can be the cause of a high budget deficit.
Governments on Reducing a Budget Deficit
A lower fiscal deficit would be the government’s expectation when the deficit is high. A budget deficit can only be moderate if spending is decreased and the amount of revenue is increased. Some common floated federal budget deficit solutions are as follows:
Increase taxes
- Increasing taxes can increase the federal revenue to offset the deficit.
- Tax increases have downsides for politicians and also can be a political disorder.
Increase growth
- Stimulating growth in the economy can be achieved by increasing tax revenue.
- Increased growth in the economy refers to increased money income where the government’s total revenue can be increased.
Cut spending
- Suggestions for cutting the spending can be done through social programs like Medicaid, Social security, and aid for state-based programs.
Guarding against Budget Deficit
A budget deficit can happen when the financial expenses or transactions increase beyond the prescribed limit. This method helps in indicating the overall financial condition of any country. This term is used when we want to state the spending amount of businesses or companies.
Know the monthly income
- One should know the approximate amount of money they earn.
- This especially helps the people who work on multiple jobs perform a contract or freelance labour or receive grants.
Know the monthly expense
- Knowing the expense of the money is as important as knowing the income of the money.
- One should figure out their unnecessary expenses and curb them to protect them from the budget deficit.
Plan the expenditure according to the income
- Plan the expenditure rate according to the income earned once the money in and out statement is clear.
- This may prevent people from falling into debt or a budget deficit.
Conclusion
A high fiscal deficit is a negative balance of the government’s money on its expenditure and revenue, which arises during a fiscal year. It occurs when the capital expenditure exceeds the purchase of a long-term program. The rise in taxes and cutting the expenditures can be a solution to curtail the high budget deficits. The government can cut down its expenditures on unnecessary programs and provide the best aid to abolish unemployment.