Government will rationalise subsidies: Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: Government will rationalise subsidies to ensure that only those entitled are benefited and the subsidy bill will be one of the major tasks before the Expenditure Management Commission it intends to set up in the   coming days.    

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley informed Lok Sabha that government should rationalise subsidies to ensure that only the vulnerable sections get its benefits and not those  who are ineligible. He said government plans to set up an Expenditure Management Commission in the coming days and one of its major tasks will be the subsidy bill of the government. He said the proposed commission would give its report by the end of the financial year.    

The minister said that keeping in view the importance of keeping fiscal deficits under control, the government proposes to bring down major subsidies from 2.2 per cent of GDP in 2013-14 (revised estimates) to 2.03 per cent of the GDP in  2014-15 (budget estimates). "With active policy measures/reforms of the government to   contain fiscal deficit and quantum of subsidy bill it is     expected that the subsidy will progressively reduce. It is proposed to keep the subsidy level at 1.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent of GDP in 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively," he said in     his written reply.    

To a supplementary on the need to recover pending taxes and removing tax collections instead of slashing subsidies to improve fiscal deficit, Jaitley said fiscal deficit is a situation, which is reached when government's expenditures go out of control and there is no rise in revenue. He said taxation has to be rationalised to make Indian products competitive. He said better saleability of products would mean increase in growth, which would lead to larger revenue.   

The Finance Minister said the present government is clear that increased taxes lead to sluggish economy.  Responding to another supplementary as to whether   government will pass on to the consumers the hike in urea prices after the price of natural gas is raised, he said the   question is based on a hypothetical premise.

The new government is considering whether to increase gas prices and the decision it takes will be informed to the House. To a supplementary on providing subsidies or free power supply to farmers, he said a government can spend within its means.

If it borrows to spend, the next generation will have to repay the debts. Debts, he said, means more taxes. He said since electricity is a state subject, states which      can afford can give subsidy