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What is a vote-on-account?

February 10, 2009

Why is a vote-on-account sometimes presented instead of an interim Budget?

A government typically opts for a vote-on-account, as it is regarded improper for an outgoing government to impose on its successor changes that may or may not be acceptable to the incoming government.

Technically, it is not necessary for a government to present a vote-on-account in an election year. But a full Budget just before the elections makes a mockery of the whole exercise.

Also, when the new government comes into place, it will need a couple of months before it presents its Budget. Until then, one of the first orders of business for the new administration is to get a vote-on-account passed to keep the country's financial wheels running. Can the FM make policy statements during the vote-on-account?

Image: The last vote-on-account was presented when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. | Photograph: Sondeep Shankar/ Saab Press

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