The Centre’s fiscal deficit at the end of the first five months of the current fiscal touched 27 per cent of the full-year target, government data showed on Monday.

In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit — the gap between expenditure and revenue — was at Rs 4,35,176 crore as of August-end, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).

The deficit stood at 36 per cent of the Budget Estimates (BE) in the corresponding period of 2023-24.

In the Union Budget, the government projected to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.9 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the current 2024-25 financial year. The deficit was 5.6 per cent of the GDP in 2023-24.

In absolute terms, the government aims to contain the fiscal deficit at Rs 16,13,312 crore during the current fiscal.

Unveiling the revenue-expenditure data of the Union government for the first five months of 2024-25, CGA said the net tax revenue was Rs 8.7 lakh crore or 33.8 per cent of the BE for the current fiscal.

The net tax revenue collection was 34.5 per cent at July-end 2023.

The central government’s total expenditure in the four months through August stood at Rs 16.5 lakh crore or 34.3 per cent of BE. The expenditure was 37.1 per cent of the BE in the year-ago period.

Of the total expenditure, Rs 13,51,367 crore was in the revenue account and Rs 3,00,987 crore was in the capital account.

Out of the total revenue expenditure, Rs 4,00,160 crore was towards interest payments.

Fiscal deficit is the difference between the total expenditure and revenue of the government. It is an indication of the total borrowing that is needed by the government.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)