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A fundamental difference between cash accounting and accrual accounting is the treatment of capital, such as equipment, buildings and public infrastructure. [ 7 ] : 105 Under accrual accounting in the public sector, expenditure on capital is not included in net operating expense in the year it is purchased.
Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. [1] [2] In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual or collective needs of the community, is classed as government final consumption expenditure.
For a government that uses accrual accounting (rather than cash accounting) the budget balance is calculated using only spending on current operations, with expenditure on new capital assets excluded. [2]: 114–116 A positive balance is called a government budget surplus, and a negative balance is a government budget deficit.
An example is an obligation to pay for goods or services received, where cash is to be paid out in a later accounting period. The amount is deducted from accrued expenses when it is paid. Accrued expenses share characteristics with deferred income (or deferred revenue ), except that deferred income involves cash received from a counterpart ...
The expenditure approach is basically an output accounting method. It focuses on finding the total output of a nation by finding the total amount of money spent. This is acceptable to economists, because, like income, the total value of all goods is equal to the total amount of money spent on goods.
Capital expenditures either create cost basis or add to a preexisting cost basis and cannot be deducted in the year the taxpayer pays or incurs the expenditure. [3] In terms of its accounting treatment, an expense is recorded immediately and impacts directly the income statement of the company, reducing its net profit.
The difference between revenues and expenditures during a year is either a surplus or a deficit. Since making a profit is not the purpose of a government, a significant surplus generally means a choice between tax cuts or spending increases. A significant deficit will result in spending cuts or borrowing.
Accounting standards determine the format for these accounts (SSAP, FRS, IFRS). Financial statements display the income and expenditure for the company and a summary of the assets, liabilities, and shareholders' or owners' equity of the company on the date to which the accounts were prepared.