GDP, output and expenditures; value, Quarterly National Accounts

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Description topics

Additional details

The additional details of some variables in the previous parts of this table are being given in this section.

Final consumption expenditure

Expenditure on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual or collective needs. Expenses may be made at home or abroad, but they are always made by resident institutional units, that is households or institutions residing in the Netherlands. By definition only households, non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) and government institutions consume. Enterprises do not: expenses they make on goods and services are thought to serve production and are therefore classified as intermediate consumption of fixed capital formation. The general government is a special case. The government also has intermediate consumption, just like enterprises. But the output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the general government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. It also contains social transfers in kind. In the Netherlands this mainly concerns health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

Expenditure classification

This classification focuses on the expenses for consumption goods and services. The total final consumptions is divided to sectors which actually financed the consumption expenditures.

General government

Consumption expenditure by the general government sector. The output delivered by the government which is not directly paid for, non-market output (like safety), is classified as consumption by the government. It is said that the government 'consumes its own production'. The system of national accounts demands that all that is produced is also consumed (or serves as an investment). By convention, government output is consumed by the government itself. This is not the only consumption by the general government. Purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are supplied to households as social transfers in kind are part of government consumption as well. Examples of this in the Netherlands are health care bills paid for by the government and an allowance for the rent.

Government output consumed by the government is classified into collective consumption and individual consumption. Collective consumption by the government consists of services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community. Examples of this are expenses on defense, environmental health or public governance. Individual consumption is made up of expenses that serve only part of the community. This concerns mainly education.

Collective consumption by government

Collective services are services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community or all members of a particular section of the community, such as all households living in a particular region. Collective services have the following characteristics:
- they can be delivered simultaneously to every member of the community or to particular sections of the community, such as those in a particular region or locality;
- the use of such services is usually passive and does not require the agreement or active participation of all the individuals concerned;
- the provision of a collective service to one individual does not reduce the amount available to other in the same community or section of the community.

Acquisition classification

This classification focuses on the acquisition of consumption goods and services. The total final consumption is divided to groups which have acquired the consumption goods and services: individuals or the collective.

Actual collective final consumption

Collective services are services for collective consumption that are provided simultaneously to all members of the community or all members of a particular section of the community, such as all households living in a particular region. Collective services have the following characteristics:
- they can be delivered simultaneously to every member of the community or to particular sections of the community, such as those in a particular region or locality;
- the use of such services is usually passive and does not require the agreement or active participation of all the individuals concerned;
- the provision of a collective service to one individual does not reduce the amount available to other in the same community or section of the community.