New issues in Indian macro policy.



How might this further reduction of the fiscal deficit come about? Looking back, the
consolidated deficit dropped by 3.27 percentage points from 2001-02 to 2006-07, an im-
provement of 0.65 percent of GDP per year. How might we go forward, and obtain an
additional reduction in the consolidated deficit of roughly five
15 percentage points? Two
elements of a fiscal strategy are visible. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) can lead to an improvement of the tax-GDP ratio of roughly two percentage of GDP.
The deployment of information technology for the purpose of delivering cash subsidies to
poor people could support a large reorganisation of government expenditures, yielding a
reduction in expenditure of three percent of GDP. Put together, these two strategies offer
the prospect of obtaining the required gain.

15Roughly speaking, what is required is going from a consolidated deficit of 6.36% in 2006-07 to a value
like 1% of GDP under buoyant business cycle conditions.

23



More intriguing information

1. Inflation Targeting and Nonlinear Policy Rules: The Case of Asymmetric Preferences (new title: The Fed's monetary policy rule and U.S. inflation: The case of asymmetric preferences)
2. The name is absent
3. Self-Help Groups and Income Generation in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi
4. Ability grouping in the secondary school: attitudes of teachers of practically based subjects
5. Parent child interaction in Nigerian families: conversation analysis, context and culture
6. The name is absent
7. The Employment Impact of Differences in Dmand and Production
8. Telecommuting and environmental policy - lessons from the Ecommute program
9. The name is absent
10. PACKAGING: A KEY ELEMENT IN ADDED VALUE