Finance
What to expect from the Sixteenth Finance Commission?
NEW DELHI
:
The government on Sunday named former vice chairman of Niti Aayog and Columbia University professor Arvind Panagariya as the chairman of the Sixteenth Finance Commission (SFC), a constitutional body. Mint takes a look at what to expect from the SFC.
What is the role of finance commissions?
Finance commissions are independent constitutional bodies with a key role to play in the division of the Centre’s net tax proceeds between Central and state governments keeping in mind the fiscal needs of the states. All central taxes other than those meant for states and the specific surcharges and cesses levied by the Centre form part of this divisible pool of tax revenue. The finance commissions decide the extent of the Centre’s revenue to be shared with the states and the formula for dividing it among states. The commission is a key pillar of fiscal federalism.
Why were some states unhappy?
Revenue sharing among states is a controversial subject as resources are finite. The parameters have to accommodate the interests of all states while factoring in their various stages of development. When the Fifteenth Finance Commission was set up, one of the terms of reference was to use the population data of the 2011 census. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu complained saying that would reduce allocations for them as they had been successful in their population stabilisation initiatives. The panel then gave weight to population and ‘population performance’ for an equitable allocation.
What has the Centre asked the SFC to do?
The Centre has kept the terms of reference of the SFC short and direct rather than prescriptive. The panel has been asked to also suggest ways to augment the consolidated funds of states to supplement the resources of local bodies such as panchayats. In addition, the SFC may lay down the principles for grants-in-aid.
What issues does the SFC need to address?
Panagariya is expected to address sustainability of debt at the Central and state levels. The Centre maintains it is on track to achieve its target of fiscal deficit below 4.5% of GDP by FY26, and that general government debt will decline in the medium to long term. The SFC is expected to look into this as well as revenue trends and expenditure obligations at the Central and state levels to make recommendations. Another key area that the panel is expected to look into is expenditure reforms at the state level.
What does the common man get?
Finance panels tend to recommend a higher share of devolved funds to states with low per capita income so those states can deliver public goods at levels comparable to that in other states. It also incentivises the fiscal performance of states, benefiting their citizens. The panel is also expected to look into the unfinished agenda of GST rate revision of some items that are now on the backburner due to high inflation. The SFC may also take into account the next central pay panel decisions.
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Finance
World Bank drops climate finance target amid US pressure
The World Bank is ditching its commitment to steer 45 percent of its spending toward projects with climate benefits, after facing pressure from the Trump administration.
The move, announced Monday following a meeting of the bank’s board of directors last week, marks a victory in President Donald Trump’s effort to purge climate policies from U.S. foreign policy. His administration has described the target as “distortionary” and “nonsensical.”
The bank preserved its broader Climate Change Action Plan — of which the 45 percent target was a key metric — just days before it was set to expire at the end of June. In addition to directing money toward climate projects, the plan provides technical support for helping countries reduce their greenhouse gas pollution and adapt to rising temperatures.
“We will retire the 45% climate co-benefits target,” the World Bank Group said in a statement, noting that it had “done significant work in answering client demand and needs.”
The bank’s work on climate “is and will remain firmly client driven, supporting them in delivering on their own ambitions as set out in their national plans and NDCs,” the statement added, referring to the nationally determined contributions countries submit under the Paris Agreement.
The decision to drop the climate finance target follows months of pressure from the Trump administration. People with knowledge of the negotiations said the U.S. was firm that the target must go despite other countries indicating their support for the bank’s climate goal. The U.S. has sway over the bank’s decisions as its largest shareholder.
Beyond the finance target, the Climate Change Action Plan also provides diagnostic reports on countries’ climate and development goals and aims to align lending with the Paris Agreement, which calls for preventing temperature rise from surpassing 2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution.
The bank said it would honor a board request to undertake an independent evaluation of the climate plan to determine if it’s helping countries grapple with rising temperatures. The decision effectively extends the plan beyond its expiration at the end of June.
The climate target was supported by many of the bank’s shareholders. It’s also been a prominent signal of the bank’s support for climate action at a time when the impacts of rising temperatures are accelerating.
“This is way, way away from where we should be for a responsible financial architecture,” said one official from a developed country who was directly involved in the negotiations and was granted anonymity to describe internal discussions.
The bank will continue to track and report on the amount of money going to projects with climate co-benefits. It exceeded its own target last year by directing 48 percent of its financing to climate-related projects.
Other climate targets embedded in agreements that govern different arms of the bank will remain, including one for the International Development Association, the bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
Multilateral development banks play a key role in global climate negotiations, where wealthy countries have committed to helping provide $300 billion a year for poorer countries by 2035. That no longer includes the United States, which has left the Paris Agreement and will exit the underlying United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change early next year.
“Targets send enormous signals about an institution’s direction of travel,” said Clemence Landers, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. “At the same time, it’s a sign of the times and the World Bank is doing its level best to not rankle its largest shareholder.”
She believes the bank will continue financing renewable energy projects in countries that want them, despite having dropped its climate target.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if the bank continued to have an extremely robust clean pipeline with or without this target,” said Landers.
The bank says retiring the 45 percent target is part of its shift from a focus on “inputs to outcomes.” It will continue to monitor and report net greenhouse gas emissions across its projects and countries’ ability to withstand climate risks.
“We will continue to report to the Board on progress, including on climate co-benefits, and to contribute to our related joint MDB efforts,” the statement said, referring to its role as a multilateral development bank. “We will explore and discuss ways to better structure our engagement on adaptation, nature and pollution.”
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