Q. Interest receipts and dividends come under which category of Government’s revenue?

Answer: Non Tax revenue
Notes: Non Tax Revenue Receipts are those revenue receipts which are not generated by Taxing the public.

• Money which the Government earns as “Dividends and profits” from its profit making public enterprises (PSUs).
• Interest which the Government earns on the money lent by it to external or internal borrowers. Thus this revenue receipts may be in foreign currency as well as Indian Rupees.
• The money which the government receives out of its fiscal services such as stamp printing, currency printing, medal printing etc.
• Money which the Government earns from its “General Services” such as power distribution, irrigation, banking services, insurance, and community services etc. which make the part of the Government business.
• Money which the government accrues as fees, fines, penalties etc.
• Grants the Government of India receives from the external sources. In case of the state Governments, it may be the internal grant from the central Government.

In recent times, spectrum auctions have been one of the major sources of non-tax revenues for the government. We note here, that despite it looks that spectrum amount should be a capital receipt, it is shown as a non-tax revenue receipt in budget documents as one time spectrum charges levied on telecom players.