Noun
structural deficit (plural structural deficits)
(economics) That portion of the public sector deficit which exists even when the economy is at potential. Government spending beyond government revenues at times of normal, predictable economic activity, as opposed to a cyclical deficit.
We have a serious structural deficit problem. And it needs to be addressed. The president is trying to address it through reforms of Social Security, but the problem is there with other entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid. John W. Snow
Governments enjoying surpluses have a very strong temptation to splash money around, and while tax cuts are always appealing, cutting taxes at the top of a boom runs the real risk of creating a structural deficit when the boom subsides. Malcolm Turnbull
In New Mexico, I inherited the largest structural deficit in state history, and our legislature is controlled by Democrats. We don't always agree, but we came together in a bipartisan manner and turned that deficit into a surplus. And we did it without raising taxes. Susana Martinez