The Gross Tax Receipts are estimated at Rs 9,32,440 crore which is an increase of 24.9 per cent over the Budget Estimates for 2010-11. After devolution to States, the net tax to Centre in 2011-12 is Rs 6,64,457 crore. The Non Tax Revenue Receipts for 2011-12 are estimated at Rs 1,25,435 crore.

The total expenditure proposed for 2011-12 is Rs 12,57,729 crore, which is an increase of 13.4 per cent over the Budget Estimates for 2010-11. The Plan Expenditure at Rs 4,41,547 crore marks an increase of 18.3 per cent and the Non Plan Expenditure at Rs 8,16,182 crore is an increase of 10.9 per cent over BE 2010-11. As 2011-12 is the last year of the Eleventh Plan, I am happy to share that Eleventh Plan expenditure in nominal terms is more than 100 per cent of the expenditure envisaged for the Plan period.

The total plan and non-plan transfers of Rs 2,01,733 crore to States and UT Governments in 2011-12 have increased by 23 per cent over the Budget Estimates 2010-11. This includes grants of Rs 13,713 crore in 2011-12 to local bodies as per the recommendation of the Thirteenth Finance Commission.

In the course of 2010-11, I had the opportunity to effect a further improvement in the fiscal balance, due to the higher than anticipated non-tax revenues from 3G spectrum auctions. I chose to do that and much more. While I provided additional resources of about Rs 50,000 crore to critical infrastructure and social sectors and also to meet the expenditure on subsidies, I have brought down the fiscal deficit from 5.5 per cent to 5.1 per cent of the GDP for 2010-11. For 2011-12, I have kept it at 4.6 per cent of GDP, which improves upon my own target for 2011-12 indicated in the fiscal road map presented in the last Budget. In the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement being presented to the House today, the rolling targets for fiscal deficit are placed at 4.1 per cent for 2012-13, and 3.5 per cent for 2013-14.

There has been some concern expressed regarding the stickiness of Government's revenue deficit in the post-global crisis phase of the economy. For 2010-11 as against a target of 4 per cent, the revenue deficit is estimated at 3.4 per cent of GDP. In the past few years the transfers to States and other developmental expenditure have grown significantly. These are classified as revenue expenditure even though a considerable part of the expenditure from these transfers is in the nature of capital expenditure. In 2010-11, Rs 90,792 crore from such revenue expenditures were in the nature of capital expenditure. Similarly, in 2011-12 grants-in-aid for creation of capital assets, which are now shown separately in the Budget documents, are about Rs 1.47 lakh crore. Taking these budget provisions into account, the “effective revenue deficit” is estimated at 2.3 per cent in the Revised Estimates for 2010-11 and 1.8 per cent for 2011-12.

In my last Budget, I had stated that Government would avoid issuing bonds in lieu of subsidies to oil and fertiliser companies. I have adhered to this decision, thereby bringing all subsidy related liabilities into our fiscal accounting.

The fiscal deficit of 4.6 per cent of GDP in 2011-12 works out to Rs 4,12,817 crore. Taking into account the various other financing items for fiscal deficit, the net market borrowing of the Government in 2011-12 would be Rs 3.43 lakh crore. In addition, Rs 15,000 crore is proposed to be financed through Treasury Bills. Accordingly, the Central Government debt as a proportion of GDP is estimated at 44.2 per cent for 2011-12 as against 52.5 per cent recommended by the 13th Finance Commission.

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