The two basic elements of any budget are the
revenues and
expenses. In the case of the government, revenues are derived primarily from
tax.
Government expenses include spending on current goods and services, which economists call
government consumption;
government investment expenditures such as infrastructure investment or research expenditure; and
transfer payments like unemployment or retirement benefits.
Government revenue Government revenue is the income of the government earned by redistribution of the social products. It is the financial resource necessary for the functionality of the government. The contents of government revenue have undergone multiple changes. Today, it mostly consists of the following: •
Tax revenues: Government income, gained by levying various types of taxes. Taxes typically make the majority of income for most governments. We refer to taxes such as
income tax,
sales tax,
property tax, or
corporate tax. •
Fees and charges: Fees for additional services provided by the government, which can be referred to as
public goods. Such fees include fee on sewage treatment, charges for education, charges for issuing permits or even fines for violating laws. •
Loans: Government may borrow money by issuing
bonds and other
securities, increasing its
debt. • Grants and aid: Grants are given to the government by international organizations to fund specific projects. Aid may come from private entities, other governments or
international organizations. • Sale of assets: Government may sell public assets such as land, buildings or equipment, in order to generate additional income. Such actions can be referred to as
privatization.
Government expenditures Government expenditures refer to how money raised by the government is allocated in order to support a wide range of causes, meet the needs of its citizens and ensure economic growth through various programs. The expenditures can be divided by the Classification of Functions of Government (
COFOG): •
General public services: Funding of services provided for the entire population. Some examples are spendings on executive and legislative organs of the government, fiscal actions,
interest expense on
government debt,
international economic aid, and
funding of science. • Defense: Funds allocated by the government for
military and
civil defense or foreign aid and research. •
Public order and safety: Services provided by the government, to ensure public safety. Unlike defense spending, it concerns only the protection of the public, such as
police or
fire-protection services. • Economic affairs: Funds allocated to different industries of the economy, to ensure economic growth. •
Environmental protection: Governments may spend money on environmental protection, which includes initiatives to tackle
climate change, improve the quality of the air and water, and conserve
wildlife. •
Housing and
community amenities: This type of expenditures refers to
public goods such as
residential development,
water supply or
street lighting. •
Health: These spendings refer to support of
healthcare, including prevention and
research. •
Recreation, culture and religion: Funds allocated to provide
recreational goods and services and for
cultural services. Additionally includes spending on religious activities. •
Education: Funds allocated in order to support the state’s education system. Includes expenses for all levels of education and other types of education. •
Social protection: Additional services offered to specific parts of the population, in an attempt to achieve equity and provide additional
social security. These expenditures mostly consist of
pensions and
unemployment benefits.
Special consideration Government budgets have economic, political and technical basis. Unlike a pure economic budget, they are not entirely designed to allocate
scarce resources for the best economic use. Government budgets also have a political basis wherein different interests push and pull in an attempt to obtain benefits and avoid burdens. The technical element is the forecast of the likely levels of revenues and expenses. == Classification ==