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Government debt is typically measured as the gross debt of the general government sector that is in the form of liabilities that are debt instruments. [2]: 207 A debt instrument is a financial claim that requires payment of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor in the future.
For a government that uses accrual accounting (rather than cash accounting) the budget balance is calculated using only spending on current operations, with expenditure on new capital assets excluded. [2]: 114–116 A positive balance is called a government budget surplus, and a negative balance is a government budget deficit.
Most government budgets are calculated on a cash basis, meaning that revenues are recognized when collected and outlays are recognized when paid. Some consider all government liabilities, including future pension payments and payments for goods and services the government has contracted for but not yet paid, as government debt. This approach is ...
The federal government held $1.4 trillion in assets at the end of 2009. This is more than double the assets held by the federal government in 2007 ($686 billion), mainly due to the acquisition of corporate equities, credit market debt, and cash. The federal government held $223 billion in corporate equity at the beginning of 2009; this had ...
Debt held by US government accounts is an asset to those accounts but a liability to the Treasury; they offset each other in the consolidated financial statements. [25] Government receipts and expenditures are normally presented on a cash rather than an accrual basis, although the accrual basis may provide more information on the longer-term ...
The accounting equation relates assets, liabilities, and owner's equity: Assets = Liabilities + Owner's Equity. The accounting equation is the mathematical structure of the balance sheet. Probably the most accepted accounting definition of liability is the one used by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The following is a ...
Understanding current assets can sharpen your personal finances and help you find good investment opportunities. Discover current ratios and how to use them.
When liabilities attached to an asset exceed its value, the difference is called a deficit and the asset is informally said to be "underwater" or "upside-down". In government finance or other non-profit settings, equity is known as "net position" or "net assets".