"This year's "Government Work Report" proposes that governments at all levels must get used to living a tight life. This is a necessary move to deal with the current tight fiscal balance. But this is not a temporary need, and it does not mean that the fiscal environment will be comfortable in the future. There is no need to live a tight life, and it does not mean that only areas with relatively tight finances need to live a tight life, and places with relatively abundant finances do not need to live a tight life." Qiao Baoyun, a professor at the China Institute of Public Finance and Policy at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said that governments at all levels A modern fiscal concept should be fundamentally established. Any expenditure must be necessary and effective, and tight living should become a long-term system.
Since the beginning of this year, various localities have been continuously improving mechanisms to make living a tight life a habit. For example, Shanxi strictly controls "three public services" funds and general expenditures. The provincial "three public service" budgets continue to only reduce but not increase based on 10 consecutive years of reductions. In 2024, Shanxi Province's fiscal allocation for "three public affairs" budget is 326 million yuan, a decrease of 0.01 million yuan or 0.3% compared with the 2023 budget. In addition, Shanxi Finance this year will reduce general expenditures by 5% for administrative units and departments whose 2023 budget implementation progress is less than 80% and problems are found in audits, with a total expenditure reduction of 150 million yuan.
Heilongjiang issued the "Notice on Implementing the Strict Control of General Expenditures Requirements for Tight Living", which clarified 45 control measures from 14 aspects to build and improve the system of party and government agencies accustomed to tight living with higher standards and stricter requirements. , further improve the long-term mechanism and improve management efficiency. Heilongjiang also implements full-process monitoring and early warning prompts for "three public affairs" funds, regularly intercepts over-budget and miscellaneous expenditures, and effectively controls over-budget and unbudgeted payment of "three public affairs" funds. At the same time, we also strictly control single-source procurement and expand the proportion of competitive procurement to reduce procurement costs.
Not long ago, Jiangxi's financial department launched the work of reducing general expenditures of provincial budget units in 2024. This is the sixth consecutive year that Jiangxi has reduced general expenditures in the department budget preparation process, saving a total of 660 million yuan in financial funds. On the basis of ensuring key rigid expenditures and the normal operation of units, Jiangxi carries out reductions in categories and stages. At the same time, we will give full play to the incentive and restraint role of fiscal policies, and on the premise of strict economy, exempt scientific research units and units with a small number of employees from reductions, impose restrictions and punishments on units that handle budget adjustments in violation of regulations, and promote the strict control of general expenditures. in place.
"The next step will be to adhere to the tight living requirements throughout the entire process of budget preparation, implementation, and supervision, strengthen source control, harden execution constraints, tighten assessment rewards and punishments, strengthen post-event supervision and management, and ensure that the annual general expenditure reduction is not in place and the surplus balance is Units with larger transferred funds will have corresponding deductions from next year's budget." said the relevant person in charge of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Finance.
To make living a tight life a habit, what other aspects do you need to work on? Qiao Baoyun suggested that it is necessary to continue to strictly control the "three official" fund management, strictly implement the system regulations in conference travel, asset allocation, government procurement and other aspects, and implement the requirements of living a tight life. At the same time, living a tight life requires addressing both the symptoms and the root causes and conducting further reforms at the institutional level.
"For example, further harden budget constraints, strengthen financial accountability mechanisms, and give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation. Promote public service standardization, establish reliable government service 'standards' through scientific public service standards, and improve government services." The efficiency of the use of funds should be used to do what the government should do well." Qiao Baoyun said that it is necessary to further improve the transparency of government decision-making and use fiscal funds more effectively.
Finance Minister Lan Foan previously stated that this year will strengthen budget constraints, promote the streamlining of unnecessary festivals, forums and exhibitions, etc., promptly recover the surplus and idle funds, and use more real money for critical areas of development and people's livelihood. urgently needed. In addition, we will continue to strengthen supervision and punishment, resolutely put an end to pomp and circumstance, and resolutely prevent "performance projects" and "face projects."
(Economic Daily Dong Bijuan)