Consider the following statements : 1. Tax revenue as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last decade. 2. Fiscal deficit as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last decade. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: Tax revenue as a percent of GDP in India has not steadily increased over the last decade. It has fluctuated — for instance, it rose during periods of strong economic growth but fell during years like 2019–20 and 2020–21 (due to slowdown and the pandemic). Hence, the trend is not steadily upward.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Fiscal deficit as a percent of GDP has also not steadily increased. It narrowed from around 4.5% in 2013–14 to about 3.4% in 2018–19, then spiked during the COVID-19 years (to around 9.2% in 2020–21) and has gradually declined since. Thus, there has been no steady increase over the decade.