CBSE Class 12 Economics Goverment Budget And The Economy Worksheet Set B

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Giving reasons, classify the following into revenue receipts and capital receipts :
(a) Recovery of loans
(b) Profits of public sector undertakings
(c) Borrowings.
Answer:
(a) It is capital receipt as it reduces assets.
(b) It is revenue receipt as it neither reduces an asset nor creates a liability.
(c) Borrowings is a capital receipt as it creates a liability.

Question. Classify the following into capital receipts and revenue receipts. Give reasons for your answers.
(a) Recovery of loans
(b) Interest received on loans.
Answer: Recovery of Loans : It is a Capital Receipt, it leads to decline in the financial assets of the government. Interest received on Loans : It is a Revenue Receipts because it neither creates a liability nor reduces the assets.

Question. Explain the distinction between Fiscal Deficit and Primary Deficit.
Answer:

S.No.	Fiscal Deficit	Primary Deficit
(i)	It is an excess of all anticipated government expenditure over the anticipated government receipts in the year.	It is the difference between the fiscal deficit and interest payments.
(ii)	It increases the liability of the government in the form of repayment of loans with interest.	It indicates the borrowing requirements of the government to meet fiscal deficit excluding interest payments.
(iii)	Fiscal Deficit = Total expenditure – Revenue receipts – Capital receipts excluding borrowing.	(a) Gross Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit – Interest payment.(b) Net Primary Deficit = Gross Primary Deficit – Interest receipt.

Question. What is the basis of classifying government expenditure into Revenue Expenditure and Capital Expenditure ? Which of these types of expenditure is payment of salaries to government employees and why ?
Answer: Revenue Expenditure : Expenditure that neither creates an assets nor reduces a liability is called Revenue Expenditure. Capital Expenditure : Expenditure that either creates an asset or reduces a liability is called Capital Expenditure.
Expenditure on Payment of Salaries to Government Employees : It is a revenue expenditure as it neither creates any liability nor it reduces the assets.

Question. Giving reason, state whether the following is a Revenue Expenditure or a Capital Expenditure in a government budget : (a) Expenditure on Scholarships. (b) Expenditure on building a bridge.
Answer: (a) Expenditure on Scholarships : It is a revenue expenditure because it neither creates any assets nor reduces liability. 1½ (b) Expenditure on building a bridge : It is a capital expenditure because it leads to creation of assets. 

Question. Is the following a Revenue Expenditure or Capital Expenditure in the context of government budget? Give reasons. (a) Expenditure on collection of taxes. (b) Expenditure on purchasing computers.
Answer: (a) Expenditure on Collection of Taxes : It is a revenue expenditure because it neither creates any assets nor reduces any liability. (b) Expenditure on Purchasing Computers : It is a capital expenditure because it creates assets.

Question. Distinguish between Revenue Deficit and Fiscal Deficit. 
Answer: Difference between Revenue Deficit and Fiscal Deficit 

S.No	Revenue Deficit	Fiscal Deficit
(i)	When revenue receipts are less than the reve-nue expenditures in a government budget, this short fall is termed as Revenue Deficit	The excess of the total expenditure (revenue and capital expenditure) over the total receipts exclud-ing borrowings over a period of one accounting year.
(ii)	Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure — Revenue ReceiptsFiscal	Fiscal deficit = Total Budget Expenditure - Total Budget Receipts (excluding borrowings)

Question. Giving reasons, classify the following as Revenue Expenditure and Capital Expenditure (a) Subsidies (b) Repayment of loans (c) Expenditure on collection of taxes (d) Expenditure on building a bridge
Answer:
(a) Subsidies- Revenue Expenditure, as it neither lead to any reduction in liabilities nor any increase in assets. 
(b) Repayment of Loans- Capital Expenditure, as it leads to reduction in liabilities. 
(c) Expenditure on collection of taxes- Revenue Expenditure, as it neither lead to any reduction in liabilities nor any increase in assets. 
(d) Expenditure on building a bridge- Capital Expenditure, as it leads to creation of an asset.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. What is government budget? Explain its major components.
Answer: Government Budget is defined as a statement of planned receipts and planned expenditure of the government during a fiscal year. Its major components are: (a) Revenue Receipts: the receipts which neither create a liability not lead to reduction in assets. (b) Capital Receipts: the receipts which either create a liability or lead to reduction in assets. (c) Revenue Expenditures: the expenditure which does not lead to any creation of assets or reduction in liabilities. (d) Capital expenditures: the expenditure which leads to creation of assets or reduction in liabilities.

Question. What is Government Budget? Explain how taxes and subsidies can be used to influence allocation of resources.
OR
What is Government Budget ? Explain the role of government budget in influencing allocation of resources in the economy.
Answer: Government Budget is an annual statement, showing item-wise estimates of receipts and expenditures during a fiscal year. Reallocation of Resources : (a) The government aims to reallocate resources according to economic and social priorities through its budgetary policy. (b) Government encourages the production of certain commodities by giving subsidies or tax reliefs. For e.g. government encourages the use of ‘khadi products’ by providing subsidies. (c) Government can discourage the production of harmful goods like liquor or cigarettes, by imposing heavy excise duties or taxes. In India, we use progressive taxation, i.e., higher taxes from rich people and distribute these receipts through various welfare activities.

Question. Explain how the allocation of resources can be influenced in the government budget through taxes, expenditure and subsidies.
Answer: Through the budgetary policy, Government aims to reallocate resources in accordance with the economic (profit maximisation) and social (public welfare) priorities of the country. Government can influence allocation of resources through:
(a) Tax concessions or subsidies : To encourage investment, government can give tax concession, subsidies etc. to the producers. For example, Government discourages the production of harmful consumption goods (like liquor, cigarettes etc.) through heavy taxes and encourages the use of ‘Khaki products’ by providing subsidies.
(b) Directly producing goods and services : If private sector does not take interest, government can directly undertake the production.

Question. Explain how the government can use the budgetary policy to reduce inequalities in incomes.
OR
Explain the need for reduction in inequalities of income and wealth. Explain any two budgetary measures by which it can be done.
Answer: Reducing inequality and poverty and promoting equity are important macroeconomic objectives. The widening income gap between the rich and poor has highlighted the need to understand the causes of relative inequality and poverty and to construct suitable policies to reduce poverty and the income gap narrow. The budgetary measures by which it can be reduced are :
(a) Progressive taxation.
(b) Increasing government’s expenditure. 
(a) Progressive Taxation : Government can intervene to promote equity and reduce inequality and poverty, through the tax and benefits system, progressive tax system means more tax from those on higher levels of income and redistributes welfare benefits to those on lower incomes.
(b) Increasing Government’s Expenditure : Government increases its expenditure by spending on development projects like on health and education. By doing this, the government reduces the gap between rich and poor.

Question. Define Revenue Receipts in a government budget. Explain how government budget can be used to bring in price stability in the economy.
OR
What are Revenue Receipts ? Explain the role of government budget in bringing stability in the economy.
OR
Explain how the economic stabilization objective can be fulfilled through government budget.
Answer: Revenue Receipts refer to those receipts which neither create any liability nor cause reduction in the assets of the government. Revenue Receipts are classified under two heads,
(a) Tax Revenue,
(b) Non-Tax Revenue. Government budget can be used to bring in price stability in the economy are :
(a) Government budget is used to prevent business fluctuations and to maintain economic stability.
(b) During excess demand, the government imposes higher taxes and reduces its expenditure to correct excess demand. This implies that government follows the policy of surplus budget during inflation.
(c) During deficient demand, the government increases its expenditure and reduces taxes. This implies that the government follows the policy of deficit budget during deflation. Thus, the government through its budgetary policy tries to achieve price stability in the economy.

Question. Explain the budgetary measures for achieving following objectives.
(a) Setting up of production units in backward regions.
(b) Reducing inequalities of income and wealth.
Answer:
(a) Government can start units in the public sector. It can give tax concessions to private producers. It can also give subsidies or any other incentives. 
(b) Government can collect tax the rich and exempt the poor from income tax. Money so collected from the rich can be spent on providing free services to the poor. It will reduce disposable income of the rich and increase that of the poor.
(a) Setting up production units in Backward Areas : Government may provide the following facilities through budget : (a) Tax Holiday : Government may adopt the policy of Tax Holiday. The government has adopted this policy is case of Daman, etc. (b) Economic Subsidy : The government may provide economic subsidy when production units are established in backward areas.

Question. Explain the basis of classifying taxes into direct and indirect tax. Give two examples of each.
Answer: A tax is a legally compulsory payment imposed by the government. The basis of classifying taxes into direct and indirect tax are as follows : (a) Final Burden : Direct taxes are those taxes the final burden of which falls on that very person who makes the payment to the government. On the other hand, indirect taxes are those which are paid to the government by one person but their burden is borne by another person. (b) Shifting of Tax : Direct taxes cannot be shifted to other persons whereas the indirect taxes can be shifted. (c) Progressiveness : Direct taxes are generally progressive. Their real burden is more on the rich. On the other hand, indirect taxes are generally regressive. Their real burden is more on the poor. Example : A shopkeeper pays GST to the government but usually recovers it from the customers as a part of price of the commodity sold. So, impact of GST (an indirect tax) is ultimately shifted to the consumers. But the impact of income tax is to be finally borne by the tax payer himself. He cannot shift its burden onto others. Direct Tax : Income Tax, Corporate Tax. Indirect Tax : Service Tax, Excise Duty.

Question. Classify the following taxes into Direct and Indirect tax. Give reasons for your answer. (a) Corporation tax (b) Entertainment tax (c) Excise duty (d) Income tax.
Answer: (a) It is direct tax as its impact and incidence is on the same person. (b) It is indirect tax as its impact and incidence are on different persons. (c) It is indirect tax as its impact and incidence are on different persons. (d) It is a direct tax as its impact and incidence are on the same person.

Question. Distinguish between the following. Also give an example of each. (a) Direct tax and Indirect tax (b) Revenue Expenditure and Capital Expenditure.
Answer: (a) An expenditure that neither creates an asset nor reduces a liability is a revenue expenditure and an expenditure that either creates an assets or reduces a liability is called capital expenditure. (b) A tax whose impact and incidence is on same person is a direct tax and tax whose impact and incident can be on a different person is an indirect tax.

Question. (a) “Fiscal deficit is necessarily inflationary in nature”. Do you agree? Support your answer with valid reasons. (b) Elaborate ‘Economic Growth’ as an objective of government budget.
Answer: (a) The term fiscal deficit is the difference between the government’s total expenditure and its total receipts (excluding borrowing). Such borrowings are generally financed by issuing new currency which may lead to inflation. However, if the borrowings are for infrastructural development this may lead to capacity building and may not be inflationary. (b) The term ‘Economic Growth’ refers to a sustained increase in the real GDP of the economy OR an absolute/net increase in the total volume of goods and services produced by an economy. This is an essential objective of the government budget as the budget can be a very effective instrument for targeting the economic growth. This can be achieved by providing tax rebates, infrastructural stimulation etc.

Question. Explain the meaning of the following: (a) Revenue deficit (b) Fiscal deficit (c) Primary deficit
Answer: (a) Revenue Deficit refers to the excess of total revenue expenditure over total revenue receipts. It means that govt. will not be able to meet its revenue expenditure from its revenue receipts. 2 (b) Fiscal Deficit refers to the excess o ftotal expenditure over total receipts excluding borrowings. It indicates borrowing requirements of the government. 2 (c) Primary Deficit is defined as fiscal deficit less interest payments. It indicates borrowing requirements of the govt. to meet fiscal deficit net of interest payments.

Question. What is the difference between Revenue Expenditure and Capital Expenditure ? Explain how taxes and government expenditure can be used to influence distribution of income in the society.
Answer: Revenue Expenditure refers to the expenditure which neither creates any asset nor causes reduction in any liability of the government. For example, payment of salaries.
On the other hand, capital expenditure, refers to the expenditure which either creates an asset or causes a reduction in the liabilities of the government. For example, construction of Metro etc. Influence of Taxes and Government Expenditure on distribution of Income.

Question. Distinguish between : (a) Direct tax and Indirect tax (b) Primary deficit and Revenue deficit.
Answer: (a) (a) Direct Tax : A tax which is paid by the same person on whom it has been levied is termed as Direct Tax. In case of direct tax, burden can not be shifted on other party, e.g., Income Tax. 1½ (b) Indirect Tax : It is a tax which is paid by one person and levied on other person. In case of indirect tax, burden is generally shifted on other party, e.g., Excise Duty. 1½ (b) (a) Primary Deficit : The difference between the fiscal deficit and interest payment is termed as Primary Deficit. Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit – Interest Payments. 1½ (b) Revenue Deficit : When revenue receipts are less than the revenue expenditures in a government budget, this short fall is termed as Revenue Deficit. Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure – Revenue Receipts.

Question. “Governments across nations are too much worried about the term fiscal deficit”. Do you think that fiscal deficit is necessarily inflationary in nature ? Support your answer with valid reasons.
Answer: Fiscal deficits are not necessarily inflationary; though they are generally regarded as inflationary. When the government expenditure increases and tax reduces, there is a government deficit and there will be a corresponding increase in the Aggregate Demand. However, the firms might not be able to meet the growing demands, forcing the price to rise. Hence, fiscal deficits are inflationary in this sense. 3 But on the other hand, initially, if the resources are under utilized (due to insufficient demand) and output is below full employment level, then with the increase in government expenditure, more factor resources will be employed to cater to the increasing demand without exerting much pressure on price to rise. In this situation, a high fiscal deficit is accompanied by high demand, greater output level and lesser inflationary situation. Hence, whether the fiscal deficits are inflationary or not depends on how close is the original output level to the full employment level.

 

 

 

In a mixed economy, apart from the private sector, there is the government which plays three distinct functions that operate through the revenue and expenditure measures of the government budget.

 

 

1) Allocation Function: Certain goods, referred to as public goods (such as national defence, roads, government administration), as different from private goods (like clothes, cars, food items), cannot be provided through the market mechanism and must be provided by the government.

 

2) Distribution Function: the government attempts to bring about a ‘fair’ distribution of income through its tax and expenditure policy. The government changes the personal disposable income of households by making transfer payments and collecting taxes to adjust the income distribution.

3) Stabilization Function: The economy has a tendency to be affected by market fluctuations and may suffer from extended periods of unemployment or inflation. The overall level of employment and prices in the economy depends upon the level of aggregate demand which is a function of the spending decisions of millions of households and the government. In any period, the level of expenditures may not be sufficient for full utilisation of labour and other resources. Wages, prices and employment cannot be restored automatically. There is a need to raise aggregate demand. On the other hand, there may be times when expenditures exceed the available output under conditions of high employment and thus may cause inflation. In such situations, budgetary policy stabilises the economy. To understand why government has to provide public goods, it is necessary to distinguishes them from private goods. There are two major differences.

 

1) Private Goods: Goods which benefit only those who pay for it are private goods. Only the person paying for the food enjoys the benefits of private goods. This private consumption stands as a rival relationship to the consumption of others for the same good. The person consuming a private good can deny the consumption of the same good by others as the person has paid for the good and has ownership right over the good.

 

2) Public Goods: Any person can enjoy the benefits of public goods without reducing the benefits to others. It is impossible to exclude anyone who does not pay for the good can and from enjoying its benefits. Consumption of public goods is not ‘rivalrous’ as there is no possible way of excluding anyone from enjoying the benefits of public good.

 

3) Free Rider Problem: It is difficult or impossible to collect money for public good. These goods are provided or are made available free of cost using finance from government budget. This is called the ‘free-rider’ problem.

In a free rider problem, the link between the producer and the consumer is broken and the government must step in to provide for such goods. Public provision means that they are financed through the government budget and made available free of cost to public.

 

 

The budget impacts an economy at three levels:

1) Aggregate fiscal discipline level: Fiscal disciplines mean having control over expenditure and maintain a best balance between revenues and expenditures of the government. There must be control on expenditures since revenues of the government are limited.

2) Allocation of resources: Government through its two important budgetary instruments of taxation and subsidies will allocate resources to those areas where society's welfare is maximum.Effective and efficient provision of programmes: Effectiveness measures the extent to which government achieves its targets. Efficiency refers to the minimum cost per unit of goods and services provided.

 

 

The Government budget is a statement of estimated receipts and expenditures of the government in respect of every financial year. The budget distinguishes expenditure on the revenue account from other expenditures. Therefore, the budget comprises of:

 

(a) Revenue Budget: The Revenue Budget shows the current receipts of the government and the expenditure that can be met from these receipts.

(b) Capital Budget: The Capital Budget is an account of the assets as well as liabilities of the central government, which takes into consideration changes in capital. It consists of capital receipts and capital expenditure of the government.

 

 

 

Definition: This receipt does not either create a liability or lead to reduction in assets. Revenue budget takes care of the current receipts and running expenses like interest, dividends and profits. Revenue receipts

are receipts under revenue account. Revenue receipts can be divided into tax-revenue and non-tax revenue.

 

1. Receipts from Tax Revenue: A tax is a legally compulsory payment imposed by the government.Government imposes tax on income, manufacturing, sales, transportation, wealth, gifts, properties,exports, imports, etc. Tax revenues consist of the proceeds of taxes and other duties levied by the central government. There are two types of taxes:

 

i) Direct Tax. When the liability to pay a tax and the burden of that tax fall on the same person, it is called a direct tax. For example, income tax is a direct tax because the liability of paying this tax is of the person on whose income it is levied and its burden also falls on him. The burden of this tax cannot be shifted on to others. Some other examples of direct tax are gift tax, wealth tax, corporation tax, etc.

 

ii) Indirect Tax. When the liability to pay a tax and the burden of that tax can be on different persons, it is called an indirect tax. For example, sales tax is an indirect tax because the liability to pay sales tax is that of the shopkeeper but he shifts the burden of this tax on the customers. Some other examples are entertainment tax, tax on services, excise duty, etc.

 

2. Receipts from Non-Tax Revenue: Non-tax revenue refers to the revenue receipts of the government from sources other than the tax. They are of following types:

(a) Commercial Revenue. It is revenue received by the government by selling the goods and services produced by the government agencies. Examples: Payments for postage, toll and interest on funds borrowed from government creditcorporations, etc. It also includes interest and dividend on investments made by the government.

(b) Administrative Revenue: It is revenue that arises from administrative function of the government. Examples:

 

a. Fees: A payment to defray the cost of each recurring service undertake" by the government. It gives a special advantage to the fee payer, e.g. college fees, registration fees, etc.

b. Fines and Penalties: A payment for infringement of Law

c. Forfeitures: A penalty imposed by the court for non-compliance with orders.

d. Escheat: A claim of the government on the property of a person who dies without having any legal heirs or without leaving a will

 

The redistribution objective is sought to be achieved through progressive income taxation, in which higher the income, higher is the tax rate. Firms are taxed on a proportional basis, where the tax rate is a particular proportion of profits. With respect to excise taxes, necessities of life are exempted or taxed at low rates, comforts and semi-luxuries are moderately taxed, and luxuries, tobacco and petroleum products are taxed heavily.

 

 

Definition: Capital budget covers the creation and disposal of assets and liabilities. Capital receipts are receipts under capital account. Capital receipts include market borrowings, external loans, recoveries of loans and advances made by the government and provident fund. Capital receipt either creates a liability or leads to reduction in assets. In the budget, capital receipts are classified as:

 

1) Recoveries of Loans. It includes recovery of loans granted by central government to state and union territory governments and other parties. It is a capital receipts because it reduces financial assets of the government.

2) Borrowings and other Liabilities. Borrowing creates a liability. Therefore, funds raised from borrowings are treated as capital receipt. Government raises loans from the market, Reserve Bank of India, foreign governments and other bodies.

 

3) Other Receipts. Other receipts include capital receipts other than the recovery of loans and borrowing.Funds raised from 'disinvestment' one such receipt. Disinvestment means selling a part or whole of the shares (i.e., equity) of the public sector enterprises held by government. It defined as with drawl of investment in a company. It is called capital receipt because it reduces the assets of the government.

 

 

Definition: Budget expenditure is the expense which the government incurs for its maintenance, for the society and the economy as a whole. Budget expenditure is defined as the expenditure of the central, state and governments on various social, economic and political activities in the country. The objective of such expenditure is to promote public welfare. Budget expenditure is mainly on such areas which help in achieving the objectives of fiscal policy.

 

The two components of budget expenditure are:

 

 

(a) Plan Expenditure: It is the expenditure to be incurred during the year on the programmes under the current five year plan. It is incurred on financing the central plan relating to different sectors of an economy. For example, the assistance provided by the Central Government for the plans of States and Union Territories is plan expenditure.

 

(b) Non-Plan Expenditure: Expenditure other than the expenditure related to the current Five-Year Plan is treated as non-plan expenditure. Example: It is necessary to ensure that the capital stock created (example, building) does not become unusable. Thus, the expenditure on maintenance is non-plan expenditure. Both plan and non-plan expenditures are further subdivided into revenue and capital expenditures:

 

 

(a) Revenue Expenditure. An expenditure which does not result in creation of assets or reduction of liability is treated as revenue expenditure. Such expenditures are incurred for the normal running of government departments and maintenance of services. For example: salaries, pensions, interest payments, subsidies, grants, etc.