Question 29
HardOriginal questionThe fiscal deficit is the excess of total expenditure over which quantity?
Show the answer and explanation
CorrectNot quiteAnswer A
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The fiscal deficit is total expenditure minus total receipts other than borrowings.
It therefore measures exactly how much the government must borrow in the year.
Counting borrowings as receipts would make the figure zero by construction, which is why they are excluded.
Worth noting
The primary deficit is the fiscal deficit minus interest payments — what the government would still be borrowing if it owed nothing from the past.
- Concept
- What the fiscal deficit measures
- Typical timeTypical
- 45 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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