USE
OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Generally the government utilizes
its resources for social benefits. However, individuals generally allocate
their resources under the law of equi-marginal utility.
SOURCES
OF GOVERNMENT REVENUE:
Government revenue is obtained by such as (i)
Tax revenue (ii) Non tax revenue. Tax revenue is obtained from the taxes itself
i.e. direct and indirect taxes. Non-tax revenues are those sources of revenue
such as free, special assessment, royalty etc., as we shall briefly discuss following
this introduction.
1. TAXES: This
is the most important source of government revenue. An economist has defined
taxes as “taxes are general compulsory contributions of wealth levied upon
persons, natural or corporate, to defray the expenses incurred in conferring
common benefit upon the residents of the state”. Generally speaking taxes are
being paid for the social welfare of the people. The governments use the tax
revenue to create facilities and other necessary environment for the people.
2. FEE;
A fee is a form of compulsory payment made by a person for a return of service.
A classic example would be education fees. Generally the fee is part of the cost
of service. It is charged for a specific service rendered primarily in public
interest. There is a distinction between fee and price. The former is paid in
public interest whereas a price is a compulsory form of payment for a service of
business character.
3. PRICE:
This is a compulsory payment for goods provided by the government. For example,
the government lunches public enterprises when the private sector is unable or
is unwilling to do so for some reason or the other. Such enterprises are e.g.
multipurpose projects, water works etc. the government in turn charges a
certain price for the goods and services used by people in general.
4. SPECIAL ASSESSMENT:
This kind of payment is said to be a special form of tax as it only affects a
particular locality or area. e.g. the government builds a bridge connecting
mainland and the island. Generally the bridge is for the benefit of the island occupants.
Thus, these inhabitants will be paying a toll.
5. ROYALITY:
Let us take a hypothetical example. Supposing (A) gets a piece of land from the
government and makes a profit of say 100 billion. Assuming that 20% of this
profit is to be paid to the government. This 20% constitutes the royalty of the
land and becomes a source of revenue for the government.
6. INCOME FROM GOVERNMENT PROPERTY:
Sometime it sells its property to obtain revenue e.g. the government property
may be in the forestry sector or any other wide piece of land.
7. INCOME FROM GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISES:
Government bodies or government enterprises such as the national airlines, insurance
agencies’ commercial banks etc. earn a substantial amount of profit annually.
These bodies surplus income or profit becomes part of the government revenue.
8. INTEREST INCOME:
This form of revenue is obtained by the government through the loans being
given by it to the respective persons. Such loans may be for business
transactions on behalf of commercial banks.
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