Fiscal deficit at 17.9% of full-year target in Q1: CGA data

The central government's fiscal deficit stood at 17.9% of the full-year target at the end of June, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Thursday.

It was at 8.4% of the Budget Estimates (BE) of 2024-25 in the first three months of the previous financial year.

In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit, or gap between the government's expenditure and revenue, was ₹2,80,732 crore in the April-June period of the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The Centre estimates the fiscal deficit during 2025-26 at 4.4% of the GDP, or ₹15.69 lakh crore.

According to the CGA, the Centre's net tax revenue was ₹5.4 lakh crore, or 19% of the corresponding BE 2025-26 of total receipts, up to June 2025. In the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, the net tax revenue was at 21.3% of that year's BE.

The data on monthly accounts showed that the total expenditure during the first quarter was at ₹12.22 lakh crore, or 24.1% of BE. In the year-ago period, it was at 20.1% of BE.