Debt repayment of local government 25 states in the state of lack of reserve December 14, 11:53

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is in a state where funds are effectively insufficient in 25 prefectures over the debts of local governments to which funds for repayment are issued from the government, "temporary financial measures bonds" I understood from the investigation. Experts pointed out, "If it is time to repay the situation, it will put pressure on the finances and may affect the lives of the residents."

The “Temporary Financial Measures Bond” was introduced in fiscal 2001 as a system in which local governments temporarily borrowed in lieu of the country in response to a shortage of local financial resources.

The funds for repayment are divided from 20 to 30 years and are issued from the country every year, and many local governments will enter full-fledged repayment time in the future.

The government considers that it is appropriate for the local governments to systematically reserve funds for the repayment date, but the usage is not restricted by the system.

Under these circumstances, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications examined, as of the end of 2017, there were virtually no funds available, such as using a part of the funds for other purposes in 25 prefectures, more than half of the prefectures nationwide. I understood that it was in a state.

The shortage amount is Hokkaido with the largest amount of 78.5 billion yen, followed by Chiba Prefecture with 66.0 billion yen and Fukuoka Prefecture with 60.7 billion yen.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says, “The repayment plan is to be made at the discretion of the local government, so I want you to respond responsibly.”

Professor Mitsumi Sato of Hitotsubashi University's Graduate School of Economics, who is familiar with local finances, said, “If you come to repayment due to insufficient funding, you will have to search for other financial resources, and this will put pressure on your finances and will affect your lives No, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications needs to consider measures such as having the local government submit a repayment plan. "

25 Prefecture reserves shortage

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of the end of 2017, the amount of funds that the local governments have accumulated for repayment is actually smaller than the total amount of funds issued by the government for repayment of “temporary financial measures bonds”. The following 25 prefectures are in a state of insufficient storage.

In order of increasing shortage,
Hokkaido is 78.5 billion yen,
Chiba Prefecture has 66 billion yen,
Fukuoka Prefecture has 60.7 billion yen,
Shizuoka Prefecture is 53.1 billion yen,
Miyagi Prefecture has 44.1 billion yen,
Iwate Prefecture has 43.6 billion yen,
Akita Prefecture is 39.3 billion yen,
Hyogo Prefecture has 33.4 billion yen,
Hiroshima Prefecture is 31.6 billion yen,
Yamagata Prefecture is 30.8 billion yen,
Nara Prefecture has ¥ 30.5 billion
Gifu Prefecture has 29.5 billion yen,
Ibaraki Prefecture has 29.3 billion yen,
Ehime Prefecture has 18.7 billion yen,
Yamaguchi Prefecture has 16.6 billion yen,
Kagawa Prefecture is ¥ 15.1 billion,
Nagasaki Prefecture has 14.3 billion yen,
Kumamoto Prefecture is 13.7 billion yen,
Niigata Prefecture has 11.9 billion yen,
Toyama Prefecture has 5.6 billion yen,
Wakayama Prefecture is 2.4 billion yen,
Kyoto Prefecture is 2.4 billion yen,
Oita Prefecture has 2.4 billion yen,
Saitama prefecture is 1 billion yen,
Kagoshima Prefecture is 200 million yen.

Hokkaido “As planned, no problem”

In Hokkaido, where the amount of shortage is the largest, the total amount that was distributed from the country as a repayment amount was 648.8 billion yen as of the end of 2017, but it was saved in a dedicated fund. Is 57.3 billion yen, and 78.5 billion yen is in short supply.

The person in charge in Hokkaido said, “The use of subsidies from the country can be decided freely by the local government, so it is used to advance the necessary policies every fiscal year. "I do not see any financial problems after the repayment date."

Six ordinance-designated cities are insufficient

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, even in 20 government-designated cities nationwide, as of the end of 2017, funds for repayment of “temporary financial measures bonds” are in a state of insufficient funding. about it.

In order of increasing shortage,
Kyoto City is ¥ 34.9 billion
Hiroshima City is ¥ 18.1 billion,
Chiba City is ¥ 3.5 billion,
Sagamihara City is 1.4 billion yen,
Niigata City is ¥ 1.2 billion,
Kumamoto City is 1.1 billion yen.

Requests for abolition of financial bonds and system

The “Temporary Fiscal Measure Bonds” system started as a measure limited to three years in 2001, but has been renewed due to the lack of financial resources of the country with local allocation tax.

Each year, the national government determines the amount of local allocation tax to be paid according to the financial situation of each local government, and notifies the amount of “temporary financial measures bonds” that are allowed to be issued to each local government.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the ratio of extraordinary financial measures bonds to the total debt made by local governments is 31% in FY2017.

Although the repayment funds are divided and issued from the national government, it is still a debt for the local government, and the national governor's association is requesting to abolish the system and issue it as a local allocation tax.

Regarding this, Professor Satomitsu Sato said, “As the name suggests, the extraordinary financial bond started as an extraordinary measure. It is hard to say that the increase in the amount of issuance is healthy. It is necessary to take measures to solve the shortage of financial resources and resolve the system as soon as possible. "