Fiscal Federalism and Indian Constitution

The book titled Fiscal Federalism and Indian Constitution deals with complexity of federal provincial fiscal relations. Constitutional provisions relating to division of expenditures and resources between Union and States, working of Finance Commission from its inception till now have been discussed and analysed in this work. The book depicts how vertical and horizontal imbalances in Indian federal fiscal sphere are still present even after seven decades of Indian independence. The constitution of successive Finance Commissions, working of Finance Commission, the formula used by successive Finance Commissions for devolution of taxes and grants has been discussed in details. The role played by Finance Commission in correcting vertical and horizontal imbalances and the alleged bias in the devolution of resources by the Finance Commission are analysed in this work. Book depicts the present scenario where there is simmering and open conflicts between the Union and States regarding the role of the Union in augmenting its own resources at the cost of the States’ resources. Book also details the devolution of resources through Planning Commission and the working of Planning Commission. This apart, the establishment of NITI Aayog as a successor to Planning Commission has also been discussed in the book. The constitutional scheme of Local Governments and the fiscal position of local governments has also been analysed along with the role of State Finance Commission in State-Local financial relations. In addition, analysis of federal fiscal relations in Australia and Canada has also been made to have a comparative study of federal provincial fiscal relations in other countries.