BUDGET HUB 2026

You can begin in two ways:

• By using the top graph, which shows the overall Union Budget and allows you to compare individual budget components against total Budget size.
• By selecting one of the Key Indicators listed below the graph to focus on a specific fiscal metric.

The top graph provides a high-level view of the Union Budget. It allows you to compare selected budget items—such as expenditure or revenue—against the total Budget of the government, helping you understand their relative importance and scale within overall government finances.

The Key Indicators section highlights major fiscal numbers such as tax revenue, fiscal deficit, and market borrowing. Each indicator acts as an entry point for deeper analysis.

When you click on a Key Indicator, the Hub updates the visualisation to compare that indicator with other relevant budget data across years. This allows you to see trends, shifts in fiscal priorities, and how that particular metric has evolved over time.

Yes. The Budget Hub is designed for year-on-year comparison, making it easy to track how key fiscal variables have changed across Budgets and economic cycles.

Comparing indicators either with the total Budget or with other budget components helps put individual numbers in context. It allows users to judge whether changes reflect genuine policy shifts or are simply a result of a growing economy or inflation.

The Hub is designed for a wide audience—investors, analysts, students, policymakers, and informed readers—who want a data-driven, contextual understanding of the Union Budget.

The Union Budget is a financial plan presented by the government every year for the upcoming fiscal year. It projects the expected government revenue and expenditure. Budget is important because it sets the direction for the country's economic policies, taxation and government spending.

The annual Economic Survey is usually presented a day before the presentation of the annual budget and it serves as the official report of the economy. The survey’s outlook serves as a marker about future policy moves. The Economic Survey is authored by the Chief Economic Adviser in the finance ministry and his team. The government isn’t bound to follow these recommendations and it only serves as a policy guide.

The government’s main earnings are from taxes—both direct and indirect. Direct taxes are the one that fall directly on individuals and corporations. Personal income tax, and corporate tax are the main heads of direct taxes. Indirect taxes are imposed on goods and services and they are paid by consumers when they buy goods and services. Customs duty is the charge levied when goods are imported into the country.

Finance Bill is a Money Bill, as defined in Article 110 of the Constitution and is introduced every year to give a legislative backing to proposals made in the Union Budget. Once the Speaker has certified a Bill as a Money Bill, its nature cannot be questioned in a court of law, in the Houses of Parliament, or even by the President.

Fiscal deficit broadly represents the amount of money that the government has to borrow every year to meet its expenses. In budget accounting parlance, it represents the difference between government’s total revenue receipts (tax and non-tax) and capital receipts such as recoveries and interests earned on loans given to state governments.

The Union Budget is prepared by the Finance Ministry of India, with the Finance Minister leading the process. It involves extensive consultations with various ministries, economic experts, and stakeholders before being finalised.

The Union Budget can impact individuals through changes in taxes, subsidies, and social welfare programs. For businesses, it may influence policies like corporate tax rates, subsidies, regulatory changes and initiatives for growth and innovation.