Expenditure

Actual payment of cash or cash-equivalent for goods or services, or a charge against available funds in settlement of an obligation—as evidenced by an invoice, receipt, voucher, or other such document. A revenue expenditure is cash used in payment for goods and services consumed in a short period. A capital expenditure is cash used in purchase of fixed assets that last one year or more.

expenditure is classified by economists into three main types.Government purchases of goods and services for current use are classed as government consumption. Government purchases of goods and services intended to create future benefits, such as infrastructure investment or research spending, are classed as government investment. Government expenditures that are not purchases of goods and services, and instead just represent transfers of money, such as social security payments, are called transfer payments. Government spending can be financed by seigniorage, taxes, or government borrowing.

The first two types of government spending, namely government consumption and government investment, together constitute one of the major components of gross domestic product.