<br/>Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said, the fiscal stimulus by the government, greatly helped the country's economy withstand the impact of the slowdown. The Finance Minister said, Central excise has been used as a fiscal tool to cushion the impact of the global recession. Speaking on the ocassion of Central Excise Day, he said, it is reassuring to note that stimulus measures, including reduction in central excise duty, have had a positive impact on the Indian economy. Mr. Mukherjee also said an impressive industrial growth of 16.8 per cent in December suggests the economy will grow by over 7.5 per cent in 2009-10 and over 8 per cent in the next fiscal.<br/><br/>The government had cut excise by 6 per cent and service tax by 2 per cent besides stepping up planned expenditure to provide a 1.86-lakh crore rupees stimulus to the Indian economy.<br/>