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Published on:
January 30, 2023
By
Swathi v prabhu

Fiscal Policy- Objectives, Importance and Types

The government wields fiscal policy, their time-tested spending strategy, to smoothly operate the economy year after year. This guiding force determines the budget's allocation to foster sustainable growth. Fiscal and monetary policy constitute the twin pillars supporting India's economic expansion. The rapid advancement of the nation's prosperity comprises one pivotal aim of the formulations. When fiscal and monetary stewardship align efficiently, the economy can blossom vibrantly. Nonetheless, endless modification tests the measures; persistently reshaping mechanisms to unprecedented pressures or transforming needs maintains vigorousness.

Main Objectives of Fiscal Policy:

To ensure continual growth in the economy, certain objectives guide fiscal policy making.

1. Economic Growth:

Economic expansion forms the cornerstone, for without growth, an economy soon falters. Maintaining momentum and achieving domestic and global goals showcase prudent stewardship. However, unrestrained initiatives can foster inflation, weakening purchasing power and future stability. Therefore, nuanced maneuvers balanced multiple demands, from spurring activity to preserving living standards over the long haul.

2. Price Stability:

Price stability remains a vital target, as unchecked cost increases undermine prosperity. If inflation spirals out of control, economic participants from companies to citizens suffer reduced welfare. Thus, fiscal decisions consider how best to anchor price expectations while retaining functionality. But excess rigidity also threatens, so discretion monitors economic and financial signals to nimbly adapt the approach as circumstances warrant. Together, growth and stability under fiscal guidance facilitate sustainable allocation of resources and general welfare.

3. Full Employment:

A good level of employment within a nation demonstrates advancement with an energetic populace. Considerable work prospects arouse greater economic movement, sparking more profound development overall. Savvy budgetary arrangements can elevate occupation rates, kindling the motors of progress as increasingly employed residents spend more, beginning a constructive cycle. In some cases, short-term or complex jobs are produced to give brief answers for those looking. While not lasting arrangements, they give some help until regular open doors commence once more.

Types of Fiscal Approaches

Neutral Approach

The first fiscal approach involves maintaining equilibrium, also called a balanced budget. Under this method, taxation revenue matches expenditures. Put otherwise, the government outlays equal receipts.

Expansive Fiscal Approach

An expansive fiscal approach occurs when spending exceeds taxes. This can take the form of lowered levies, augmented outlays, or a blend thereof. Consequently, it produces what is known as a budgetary or fiscal shortfall.

However, neutral policies do not always stimulate sluggish economies. At times, temporary deficits can boost demand and production through expanded public works. Still, sustained deficits risk inflation and higher interest rates. Overall, well-timed variation in approaches aim to stabilize booms and soften downturns, benefiting people in both good and challenging economic climates.

Contractionary Fiscal Policy

The government aims to thwart rising prices through contractionary fiscal measures. By extracting more taxation than expenditures, aggregate demand weakens as disposables shrink for spenders. While less purchasing seems detrimental, it serves to stymie inflation. Alternatively, the funds could finance projects stimulating other sectors, offsetting the damping effects. A balanced approach calibrates how much is removed from versus added to the economy via the public purse. Simply draining demand risks recession, so discretion is paramount. Though unpopular in the short-term, judicious application can safeguard broader stability.

Importance of Fiscal Policy in India

1. In a diverse nation such as ours, fiscal policy plays a pivotal role in uplifting the pace of capital accumulation both in the public and private realms.

2. Through taxation, fiscal policy aids in mobilizing a substantial sum of resources for financing its manifold initiatives. Simultaneously, it stimulates savings to further capitalize ventures.

3.The policy stimulates investment and spurs productivity by incentivizing risk-taking in business. Lengthier tax holidays and deductions promote private sector expansion into rural regions.

4. It aims to balance revenue collection with prudent public spending to maximize growth while minimizing debt. Strategic allocation of funds can help reduce disparities across states.

5. By moderating aggregate demand, the policy moderates inflation and the trade deficit, ensuring sustained growth. It provides a stabilizing influence on the economy during periods of global uncertainty.

Difference Between Fiscal and Monetary Policy

The complex relationship between these two powerful economic tools is not always clear. Both are used by governments worldwide to impact their country's financial health. The central monetary authority, like India's Reserve Bank, controls factors involving money flows, bank rates, and the all-important interest level. Longer-term, the administration employs taxation and public outlays to influence demand. 

Sometimes their aims align but occasionally diverge, necessitating deft coordination. A deeper examination of their domains reveals fiscal strategy mainly involves receipts and expenditures by the state. Alternatively, monetary mechanisms, predominantly interest rate management, impact the cost and availability of funds. While targets overlap, their implementation contrasts; one controls budgets and receipts, one tweaks rates affecting liquidity. Together, properly deployed, they aim to optimize growth, jobs, and stability.

FAQs

Q- What criticisms can be leveled against Fiscal policy?

Ans- Keynesian theory advocates that when recession strikes, it is prudent for governments to spend more than is brought in through taxation. By doing so, public debt inevitably rises which can create substantial difficulties down the road. While necessary to stabilize economies in the short term, skeptics point to long-term challenges that accumulating debt burdens may breed.

Q- What are the principal varieties of fiscal policy?

Ans- There are three fundamental classifications of fiscal policy approaches: neutral, expansionary, and contractionary. A neutral stance neither stimulates nor constrains economic activity. Expansionary strategies aim to stimulate demand and growth through deficit spending or tax cuts. Contractionary stances endeavor to rein in spending and slow growth to manage inflation through surplus budgets or tax hikes.

Q- Which body determines a nation's Fiscal Policy?

Ans- The central authority of a country's government is solely responsible for establishing its fiscal policy approach. Monetary policy, conversely, falls under the purview of the independent central bank rather than elected leaders or bureaucrats. Fiscal matters like budgets, spending, deficits, debt levels and tax codes are political choices made by a nation's executive and legislative branches.

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Updated on:
March 16, 2024