In News
- A sharp 61.2% sequential rise in capital spending by the Central and State governments lifted fresh investment plans announced in the third quarter (Q3) of 2022-23 to ?7.1 lakh crore.
About Capital expenditure
- It is the money spent by the government or Company on the development of machinery, equipment, building, health facilities, education, etc.Â
- It also includes the expenditure incurred on acquiring fixed assets like land and investment by the government that gives profits or dividends in future.Â
- It is associated with investment or development spending, where expenditure has benefits extending years into the future.
- Importance: It leads to the creation of assets that are long-term in nature and allow the economy to generate revenue for many years by adding or improving production facilities and boosting operational efficiency.Â
- It also increases labour participation, takes stock of the economy and raises its capacity to produce more in future.
- Along with the creation of assets, repayment of loans is also a capital expenditure, as it reduces liability.
How is capital expenditure different from revenue expenditure?
- Â Unlike capital expenditure, which creates assets for the future, revenue expenditure is one that neither creates assets nor reduces any liability of the government.Â
- Salaries of employees, interest payments on past debt, subsidies, pensions, etc, fall under the category of revenue expenditure. It is recurring in nature.
Source: TH
