Budget deficit is a situation where budget receipts are less than budget expenditures. This situation is also known as government deficit. The Indian Government budget refers. The Budget deficit is of four major types.
(1) Revenue Deficit
(2) Budget Deficit
(3) Fiscal Deficit and
(4) Primary Deficit
(1) Revenue Deficit:
(i) It refers to the excess of the government revenue, expenditure over revenue receipt.
(ii) It doesn't consider capital receipts and capital expenditure.
Revenue Deficit (RD) = Total Revenue Expenditure (RE) - Total Revenue Receipts
(2) Budget Deficit:
(i) Budget deficit is the difference between total receipts and total expenditure.
Budget deficit = Total Expenditure - Total Revenue
(3) Fiscal Deficit:
Fiscal Deficit (FD) = Budget deficit + Government's market borrowings and liabilities.
(4) Primary Deficit:
(i) It is equal to fiscal deficit minus interest payments.
(ii) It reflects the borrowing requirement of the government exclusive of interest payments.
Primary Deficit (PO) = Fiscal Deficit (PO) - Interest Payments (IP)

Principle of Independence
(i) A Government should be autonomous and free about the internal financial matters concerned.
(ii) Each Government should have separate sources of revenue, authority to levy taxes, to borrow money and to meet the expenditure.
Principle of Equity
(i) The resources should be distributed among the different states so that each state receives a fair share of revenue.
Principle of Uniformity
(i) Each state should contribute equal tax payments for federal finance.
Principle of Adequacy of Resources
(i) The resources of each Government should be adequate to carry out its functions effectively to meet current and future needs.
(ii) Resources should be elastic to meet the growing needs and unforeseen expenditure.
Principle of Fiscal Access
(i) The Central and State Governments must be able to develop new source of revenue.
Principle of Integration and coordination
(i) There should be perfect coordination among different layers of the financial system.
Principle of Efficiency
(i) The financial system should be well organized and efficiently administered.
(ii) There should be no scope for evasion and fraud.
(iii) Double taxation should be avoided.
Principle of Administrative
Economy
(i) The cost of collection should be at the minimum level and the major portion of revenue should be made available for the other expenditure outlays of the Governments.
Principle of Accountability
(i) Each Government should be accountable to its own legislature for its financial decisions.

(i) Fiscal Policy is implemented through fiscal instruments also called 'fiscal tools' or fiscal levers - Government expenditure, taxation and borrowing are the instruments of fiscal policy.
Taxation:
(i) Taxes transfer income from the people to the Government.
(ii) Taxes are direct or indirect.
(iii) An increase in tax reduces disposable income.
(iv) So tax should be raised to control inflation.
(v) During depression, taxes are to be reduced.
Public Expenditure:
(i) Public expenditure raises wages and salaries of the employees and so aggregate demand for goods rises.
(ii) So, public expenditure is raised during recession and reduced during inflation.
Public debt:
(i) When Government borrows by floating a loan, there is transfer of funds from the public to the Government.
(ii) At the time of interest payment and repayment of public debt, funds are transferred from Government to public.

Introduction:
(i) The process of repaying a public debt is called redemption.
Sinking Fund
(i) The Government establishes a separate fund into which every year a fixed amount of money is credited.
(ii) By the time the debt matures, the fund accumulates enough amount to pay off the principal along with interest.
Conversion
(i) An old loan is converted into a new loan.
(ii) A high interest public debt is converted into a low interest public debt.
Budgetary Surplus
(i) When the Government has a surplus budget, it can be used for repaying the debt.
Terminal Annuity
(i) Government pays off debt on the basis of terminal annuity in equal annual instalments.
Repudiation
(i) Government does not recognise its obligation to repay the loan.
(ii) But in normal case the Government does not do so; if done it will lose its credibility.
Reduction in Rate of Interest
(i) During financial crisis there is compulsory reduction in the rate of interest.
Capital Levy
(i) When Government imposes levy on the capital assets owned by an individual or any institution, it is called capital levy.
(ii) This levy is imposed on capital assets above a minimum limit on a progressive scale.
(iii) The fund so collected can be used by the Government for paying off war time debt.

Wider Coverage
(i) All consumers have to pay indirect taxes, but only 2 % pay direct tax.
Equitable
(i) It satisfies the canon of equity when higher tax is imposed on luxuries used by the rich.
Economical
(i) Cost of collection is less as producers and retailers collect tax and pay to government.
(ii) The traders act as honorary tax collectors.
Checks harmful consumption
(i) Government imposes indirect taxes on goods which are harmful to health e.g. tobacco, liquor.
Convenient
(i) Indirect taxes are levied on goods and services.
(ii) When consumers buy, they pay tax along with the price.
(iii) So, they do not feel the pinch of paying tax.