WHAT IS A FISCAL POLICY?

A government uses fiscal policy to adjust its spending and tax rates to monitor and influence the performance of the country. The
fiscal policy is based on Keynesian economics, which is a theory by economist John Maynard Keynes. As per the theory, a
government can play a major role in influencing productivity levels in an economy by adjusting the tax rates and public spending.
So, the fiscal policy helps in controlling inflation, addressing unemployment along with ensuring the health of the currency in the
international market. Now that we know what is fiscal policy, let’s understand its objectives and types.

OBJECTIVES OF FISCAL POLICY

 Boosting employment levels
 Maintain or stabilize the economy’s growth rate
 Maintain or stabilize the price levels
 Encourage economic development
 Raising the standard of living
 Maintaining equilibrium in Balance of Payments.
What is Fiscal Policy, Its Objectives, Tools And Types?
Fiscal policy is an essential tool at the disposable of the government to influence a nation’s economic growth. The fiscal policy is
used in coordination with the monetary policy, which a central bank uses to manage the money supply in a country. The meaning,
types, objectives, and tools are discussed in detail below.
WHAT IS A FISCAL POLICY?
A government uses fiscal policy to adjust its spending and tax rates to monitor and influence the performance of the country. The
fiscal policy is based on Keynesian economics, which is a theory by economist John Maynard Keynes. As per the theory, a
government can play a major role in influencing productivity levels in an economy by adjusting the tax rates and public spending.
So, the fiscal policy helps in controlling inflation, addressing unemployment along with ensuring the health of the currency in the
international market. Now that we know what is fiscal policy, let’s understand its objectives and types.

OBJECTIVES OF FISCAL POLICY

 Boosting employment levels
 Maintain or stabilize the economy’s growth rate
 Maintain or stabilize the price levels
 Encourage economic development
 Raising the standard of living
 Maintaining equilibrium in Balance of Payments.

FISCAL POLICY TOOLS

A government has two tools at its disposal under the fiscal policy – taxation and public spending.

Taxation includes taxes on income, property, sales, and investments. On the one hand, more taxes means more income for the
government, but it also results in less income in the hand of the people.
Public spending includes subsidies, transfer payments, like salaries to a govt. employee, welfare programs, and public works projects. Those who
get the funds have more money to spend.

TYPES OF FISCAL POLICY

There are two types of fiscal policy – expansionary and contractionary fiscal policy.

EXPANSIONARY FISCAL POLICY

A government uses this type of policy to stimulate economic growth by increasing spending or lowering taxes or both. The objective
of this policy is to ensure more money in the hands of the citizens so that they spend more. More spending, in turn, leads to more
income and more job creation as well.
There have been debates over which is more effective – tax cuts or spending. Some say that spending in the form of public projects
ensures that the money reaches the consumers. Those in favor of the tax argue that tax cuts allow businesses to hire more staff.
Though there is no consensus on which of the two is better, the government uses a combination of both the tools to boost economic
growth.
CONTRACTIONARY FISCAL POLICY
A government rarely uses this policy as it aims to slow economic growth. You must be thinking why any government will want to do
that, the answer is to curtail inflation. Too much inflation has the potential to damage the economy in the long-term. So, the
government has to step in to control inflation.

Here also, the government has the same tools at its disposal – spending and tax cuts. But, they are used differently – taxes are raised while the
spending is reduced. One can easily imagine how unpopular such measures will be among the voters.
A BALANCED APPROACH
A government always faces a risk that more spending and lower tax rates could fuel inflation. This happens because more money in
the economy pushes the consumer demand up, eventually leading to a fall in the value of money. This means that it now takes more
money to buy a product or service, whose value is not changed.

So, it is very important for a government to monitor its fiscal policy constantly. And, if there are any signs of inflation going out of
control, the government must address it accordingly.

WHO ALL ARE AFFECTED?

Fiscal policy may not benefit all the citizens in the same way. The scope of the policy depends on the goals that the policymakers
aim to achieve. For example, if the government spends more on defense projects, it would benefit only a few. But, if the spending is
on the construction of dams, the benefit would reach to a larger group. Similarly, changes to a particular tax slab would affect only
the people falling in that category.
FISCAL SURPLUS AND FISCAL DEFICIT
Both of these terms are important concepts of the fiscal policy. If a govt. spends more than what it earns, it leads to the deficit. The
government then needs to borrow the funds from external sources to maintain the balance.
If the govt. spends less than what it earns, it creates a fiscal surplus. Though the concept sounds great, it’s very rare you will hear a
country getting surplus.
MONETARY POLICY – HOW IT’S DIFFERENT?
The monetary policy helps in controlling the money supply. There are many tools under the monetary policy, but the authorities
mainly rely on raising or lowering the fed funds rate. Monetary policy works faster than the fiscal policy. To ensure that an economy
remains efficient, policymakers should coordinate both fiscal and monetary policies.