Fiscal Deficit

Fiscal Consolidation, Budget Deficits and the Macro Economy by Lekha S Chakraborty, Sage, 2016; pp xix +197, ₹ 750.

India’s current fiscal rules target a 3% fiscal deficit for the central and state governments. Though states have largely adhered to their borrowing ceilings, subnational debt is proliferating. A significant reduction in subnational borrowing is required to stabilise the states’ debt around the desired level of 20% of gross domestic product. Symmetry should not be forced on central and state borrowing flows, given their widely divergent levels of debt stocks.

Examining the Centralised Online Real-time Electronic Public Distribution System reforms introduced by the Government of Chhattisgarh to understand the processes and conditions under which such reforms strengthen accountability and affect the delivery of public services, it is found that while earlier reforms have been successful, the contribution of CORE PDS has been useful but limited. A significant finding was that technological fixes for social protection programmes are only feasible insofar as they work within the political logic of the context in question. CORE PDS reforms could not address the issues of power imbalances between shop owners and cardholders which continue to shape interactions between them. Introducing transparency, accountability and quasi-market reforms in this context offered limited possibilities in what they could achieve.

Asian countries will need to cope with much greater complexity in both domestic resource mobilisation and in dealing with international tax issues. Fiscal laws and institutions will therefore acquire much greater importance. Capacity to use information technology in fiscal institutions in general, and tax administration and compliance in particular, will acquire greater urgency. Asian countries will also need to consider a regional forum to discuss tax issues and to share tax information. Indigenous fiscal research capability will also need to be strengthened.