Minister critical of county spending
Source: Xinhua |
August 30, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
COUNTY-LEVEL governments are facing financial challenges in the form of revenue shortages and poorly managed expenditures, Minister of Finance Xie Xuren said yesterday.
Tougher reforms are needed to increase county government revenues, Xie said while delivering a report to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
County governments in some places had hired new staff too quickly and were not spending enough on public services, Xie said.
He said that general budget revenue reached 2.43 trillion yuan (US$382.5 billion) in 2011, 1.7 times that of 2009, with an average annual increase of 30.4 percent.
The finance minister said the general budget revenue in 819 poor counties, as classified by the finance ministry, reached 312.4 billion yuan in 2011, 133.2 billion yuan more than that of 2009, with an average annual increase of 32 percent.
The number of counties below the poverty line had dropped to 113 by the end of 2011 from 819 in 2009, and the funds they needed fell to 9.3 billion yuan from 89.4 billion yuan during the same period, Xie said.
Last year, money provided by central government to county-level governments reached 2.63 trillion yuan, 1.53 times that of 2009.
"In the past three years, the central authorities have largely enhanced support for county-level finances, giving subsidies of 107.5 billion yuan in 2012, 60 billion more than in 2010," Xie said.
He said China would deepen financial system reform and make rational divisions of power and expenditure responsibility among governments. On that basis, the division of revenues will be further clarified and the payment system improved.
China will also strictly control the scale of special transfer payments and standardize all kinds of related policies, he said, adding that a guaranteeing mechanism will be established to ensure the responsibility of governments below county level.
Xie said more targeted measures would be introduced to help county-level governments improve their finances and enhance their support capacity through optimizing development zones and scientific economy development.
"Financial departments will also further financial management at county level, guiding them to reinforce revenue collection in accordance with laws and set up a performance accountability system," he added.
Tougher reforms are needed to increase county government revenues, Xie said while delivering a report to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
County governments in some places had hired new staff too quickly and were not spending enough on public services, Xie said.
He said that general budget revenue reached 2.43 trillion yuan (US$382.5 billion) in 2011, 1.7 times that of 2009, with an average annual increase of 30.4 percent.
The finance minister said the general budget revenue in 819 poor counties, as classified by the finance ministry, reached 312.4 billion yuan in 2011, 133.2 billion yuan more than that of 2009, with an average annual increase of 32 percent.
The number of counties below the poverty line had dropped to 113 by the end of 2011 from 819 in 2009, and the funds they needed fell to 9.3 billion yuan from 89.4 billion yuan during the same period, Xie said.
Last year, money provided by central government to county-level governments reached 2.63 trillion yuan, 1.53 times that of 2009.
"In the past three years, the central authorities have largely enhanced support for county-level finances, giving subsidies of 107.5 billion yuan in 2012, 60 billion more than in 2010," Xie said.
He said China would deepen financial system reform and make rational divisions of power and expenditure responsibility among governments. On that basis, the division of revenues will be further clarified and the payment system improved.
China will also strictly control the scale of special transfer payments and standardize all kinds of related policies, he said, adding that a guaranteeing mechanism will be established to ensure the responsibility of governments below county level.
Xie said more targeted measures would be introduced to help county-level governments improve their finances and enhance their support capacity through optimizing development zones and scientific economy development.
"Financial departments will also further financial management at county level, guiding them to reinforce revenue collection in accordance with laws and set up a performance accountability system," he added.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
