New tax regime to fiscal deficit target — Highlights from Sitharaman’s Budget 2023 speech

Modi govt will target a budget deficit of 5.9% of GDP for 2023/24, Finance Minister said in her speech, compared to 6.4% for the current fiscal year.

People watch the television as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents her Union Budget 2023 speech in parliament, on 1 February 2023 | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: The Indian government on Wednesday unveiled a 45 trillion rupees ($550.7 billion) spending budget for the next fiscal year starting April to boost economic growth, while aiming to lower fiscal deficit before elections due next year.

The aim is to have strong public finances and a robust financial sector for the benefit of all sections of society, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Here are the highlights of the budget:

GDP growth/deficit

*Nominal GDP for 2023/24, which includes real GDP and inflation, estimated to grow 10.5% year-on-year to 301.75 trillion rupees ($3.69 trillion) in 2023/24

*India’s federal government will target a budget deficit of 5.9% of GDP for 2023/24 compared to 6.4% for the current fiscal year

*Aims to achieve fiscal deficit of 4.5% of GDP by 2025/26

*India is expecting 6-6.8% economic growth in 2023/24, slightly lower than the 7% expected in the current fiscal year

Spending

* Total federal budget spending target raised 7.5% to 45.03 trillion rupees for 2023/24 vs revised 41.87 trillion rupees for current fiscal year

*Spending in real terms will rise less than 3% considering estimated around 5% retail inflation for next fiscal year.

*Capital spending seen to rise 33% to 10 trillion rupees for 2023/24

* Proposes 2.4 trillion rupees capital outlay for railways in 2023/24

* Education budget raised to 1.13 trillion rupees for 2023/24 vs 999 bln rupees in 2022/23

* Health budget raised to 889.5 bln rupees for 2023/24 vs 709.4 bln rupees in 2022/23

* Allocations for rural job guarantee programme cut to 600 bln rupees vs revised 894 bln rupees outlays for 2022/23

* Total defence outlays raised to 5.94 trillion rupees vs revised 5.85 trillion rupees for 2022/23

* Increases budget allocations to 790 billion rupees for affordable housing in 2023/24

* To provide 350 billion rupees for energy transition

Receipts/govt Borrowings

* Total revenue receipts seen at 26.32 trillion rupees in 2023/24 vs revised 23.48 trillion rupees in 2022/23

* Total tax receipts seen up 12% to 23.3 trillion rupees in 2023/24 from revised 23.48 trillion rupees

* Govt targets gross borrowing of 15.43 trillion rupees in 2023/24

* Net market borrowings seen at 11.8 trillion rupees

Individuals tax proposals 

* Proposes to promote new income tax regime with higher threshold limit

* Proposes to cut highest surcharge rate to 25% from 37.5% under new income tax regime

* Proposes to raise rebate limit to 700,000 rupees under personal income taxes

Tax proposals for industry

* To consider a cut in customs duty on lab-grown diamonds

* Propose higher import duties on silver dores

* To increase duties on items made from gold, platinum

* Customs duties on compounded rubber being raised.

* Custom duty exemption extended to EV batteries

For experts’ reaction to the budget, click here.

($1 = 81.7620 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Janane Venkatraman, Nivedita Bhattacharjee)

Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.