India’s fiscal deficit for the April to December period widened to Rs 8.56 lakh crore, or 54.5% of the annual target, according to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts on Friday.
This is lower as compared to the first nine months of the last fiscal year, when the deficit stood at Rs 9.1 lakh crore, or 56.7% of the yearly target.
Net tax collections remains robust, with the cumulative mop-up reaching Rs 19.39 lakh crore, or 68.3%, of the yearly target. In the first eight months, the tax mop up had only reached 49.1%.
The year-ago period had seen a higher tax mop up, on account of higher income tax rates. Also, indirect tax rates were also higher due to multiple GST slabs.
Capital expenditure continued to surge, reaching Rs 7.87 lakh crore or 70.3% of the FY26 target. Till the preceding month, capex stood at Rs 6.58 lakh crore or 58.7% of the yearly target.
The Centre’s revenue deficit in the April-December period narrowed to Rs 1.13 lakh crore from Rs 3.57 lakh crore till November, reaching only 21.8% of the annual target. In the year-ago period, the deficit was sharper at 44.1%.
The total expenditure during the first nine months of this fiscal stood at Rs 33.8 lakh crore, which is 66.7% of the FY26 estimated target, close to the 67% it had reached in the year-ago period.
The government’s total receipts for April-October stood at Rs 25.25 lakh crore, which is 72.2% of the full-year target. In the comparable year-ago period, the mop-up stood at 72.3%.
Revenue receipts which are lead by tax collections reached 72.5% of the annual target in the first nine months as they stood at Rs 24.8 lakh crore.
Notably, in the non-tax collection segment, government has already reached 92.6% of its annual target, of which collection of dividends and profits have surpassed their target.
Collection of dividends and profits by the end of December stood at Rs 3.5 lakh crore. In the comparable period of the last fiscal, the collections had reached 98% of the annual target.
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