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Budget Deficits and Government Debt

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Budget deficits and government debt have significantly increased in many countries around the globe over the past 20 years, and almost all these countries are now faced with the challenge of building back up, their economy. The current problem of budget deficits and public debt has come about mainly because the growth in government spending has exceeded the growth of goods and services. “While the average ratio of tax revenue to GDP in industrial countries increased from 28 percent in 1960 to 44 percent in 1994, the corresponding ratio for government expenditures rose from 28 percent to 50 percent.” (McDermott & Wescott, 1997). Given the high levels to which taxes have risen and the danger of stunting growth by raising taxes further, to say nothing of the political consequences of trying to do so, it is reasonable to say that reducing government spending offers the best means, if not the only means, of eliminating these fiscal monetary inequalities.
Reducing government spending is not as easy as it may sound. According to traditional Keynesian theory, if you manage to reduce the government deficit, you run into another problem: the country might slide into recession. Why is this? Budget deficits, despite their unfavorable reputation, are not always bad. They at sometimes can indicate the government is buying goods and services, is paying wages to its employees, and is making transfers of money to its needy citizens. In doing so, it is putting money into the economy and raising the level of economic activity. If it suddenly puts the brakes on, even in pursuit of a well-intentioned attempt to balance the budget, it will leave many suppliers with blank pages in their order books, throw people out of work, and cut off the flow of a lot of money into the economy.
The deficit can also hinder the growth of the economy as well. We as a government are

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