‘Do not favour the idea of any concealed fiscal deficit’: Arun Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the Centre does not support any move to conceal fiscal deficit in an economy.

“I do not favour the idea of there have been any concealed fiscal deficit, there is a lot of mess left behind on the table,” Jaitley said during an address to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) summit in Chennai.

Jaitley also said it is important that economic decisions are consistent and transparent, and remain so.

“It’s extremely important that our economic decisions are not merely consistent but also transparent. People don’t like to invest in an economy where there are hidden costs of production,” he said.

Referring to reports of the incumbent government being hasty in decision-making, Jaitley said, “The last government was being criticized for being too slow and for not taking decisions, the best criticism of our government has been that why are you doing it so fast.”