Fiscal Policy Developments in India

Fiscal policy is an important instrument of the general economic policy of a government. It is concerned with the use of a government's taxation and expenditure powers to influence economic activities in an economy at the aggregate level. Through the medium of budget, fiscal policy determines the level of taxation, public expenditure, borrowings and the issue of additional currency by a government. The external payments crisis of 1991 in India, which led to the initiation of economic reforms, was the result of deteriorating fiscal situation during the latter half of 1980s. Fiscal imbalance was identified as the underlying cause of the twin problems of inflation and the difficult balance of payments position. This book provides an exhaustive and analytical account of fiscal developments in India since Independence in 1947 with focus on post-1991 reforms. The book is organised into 10 parts, each part containing chapters/information dealing with some aspect of fiscal policy in India.