Central departments centrally disclose their 2024 departmental budgets and strictly control expenditures

Central departments centrally disclose departmental budgets for 2024

Strictly control expenditures and strengthen performance management (Economic Focus)

　　Reporter Qu Zhehan

　　core reading

　　Budget disclosure is an important part of deepening the reform of the fiscal and taxation systems and improving the modern budget system. This year, all departments of the central government have published nine statements, including the general statement of departmental revenue and expenditure and the general statement of fiscal appropriation revenue and expenditure, to comprehensively and truly reflect the overall situation of departmental revenue and expenditure and financial appropriation revenue and expenditure. The budget arrangement of each department reflects the guiding principle of "getting used to tight living" as a budget management guideline.

　　In order to improve the efficiency of the use of fiscal funds, the Ministry of Finance continues to strengthen budget performance management, guides and urges central departments to scientifically and reasonably set performance targets, strictly review performance targets, and make performance targets public.

　　This year’s fiscal budget report proposes, “Implement the requirements of party and government agencies to get used to living a tight life, strictly control general expenditures, save money that can be saved, and not spend a penny of money that should not be spent, and resolutely prevent extravagant spending. Money, extravagance.”

　　On March 26, central departments released their 2024 department budgets. What are the characteristics of this year’s budget disclosure? The reporter interviewed relevant departments and experts.

　　Continuously improve the system and promote disclosure in an orderly manner

　　Budget disclosure is an important part of deepening the reform of the fiscal and taxation systems and improving the modern budget system. It is an important measure to strengthen budget management, optimize resource allocation, harden budget constraints, and strengthen financial supervision. It is an institutional arrangement to protect the public's right to know and strengthen external supervision. It is of great significance to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities.

　　The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance said that in recent years, the Ministry of Finance has conscientiously implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and continued to promote new progress in my country's budget disclosure. On the one hand, we continue to strengthen top-level design and improve the budget disclosure system framework. On the other hand, we will continue to intensify our efforts and advance the budget disclosure work in an orderly manner. By refining requirements, improving mechanisms, strengthening assessments, etc., we will organize central budget disclosure, and at the same time actively guide and urge local governments to do a good job in budget disclosure. "At present, local governments and departments at all levels have basically achieved 'disclosure should be made public'." The person in charge introduced that the disclosure rate of local governments at all levels in 2023 budget and 2022 final accounts is 100%, and provincial, municipal and county-level departments The disclosure rate of the 2023 budget and the 2022 final accounts has reached more than 99%.

　　This year, all departments of the central government have disclosed the general statement of departmental revenue and expenditure, the general statement of departmental income, the general statement of departmental expenditure, the general statement of fiscal appropriation revenue and expenditure, the general public budget expenditure statement, the general public budget basic expenditure statement, and the government fund budget expenditure statement. , state-owned capital operation budget expenditure table, fiscal appropriation budget "three public" expenditure table and other 9 statements. In addition, each department also explained the changes in budget revenue and expenditure, agency operation funding arrangements, "three public" funds, government procurement, etc., and explained more professional terms.

　　In order to enable the public to find, understand and supervise, the departmental budgets of each department, in addition to being disclosed on the department's website, will continue to be displayed collectively on the "Central Budget and Final Account Disclosure Platform" established on the website of the Ministry of Finance to facilitate the people to supervise the government's financial work. .

　　Implement tight living requirements and improve budget accuracy

　　"Get used to living a tight life" as a guideline for budget management is reflected in this year's budget arrangements for central departments.

　　Concentrate financial resources to ensure the country's major strategic tasks, and be "generous with big money and stingy with small money." In 2024, the general public budget expenditures at the central level will increase by 8.6%, and will only increase by 0.3% after deducting key support expenditures, including key support expenditures such as defense and armed police expenditures, science and technology education expenditures, central reserve expenditures, and interest payments on government bond issuances. At the same time, we will strictly control general expenditures, reduce central department expenditures as much as possible, vigorously promote various departments to adjust and optimize the expenditure structure, and use funds where possible.

　　We will do a good job in ensuring the funds for department performance, insist on pressure and guarantee, and improve the accuracy of budgets. For example, the 2024 budget for the administrative operation funds of the General Office of the CPPCC National Committee is 6.7496 million yuan lower than the 2023 execution amount, a decrease of 4.8%; the 2024 budget for the administrative operation funds of the Ministry of Finance is 18.2128 million yuan less than the 2023 execution amount, a decrease 3.94%.

　　"For expenditures such as salaries of central unit personnel, the salary policy and headcount arrangements shall be strictly followed in accordance with the requirements of quota management; for necessary water, electricity, property, heating and other expenses, physical quota standards for public funds shall be formulated and improved to ensure that relevant expenditures are within a reasonable range. "The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance said.

　　Strengthen budget constraints to prevent extravagance and waste. Promote central departments to streamline unnecessary festivals, forums and exhibitions, and hold meetings, training and research more economically and efficiently. Strictly implement expense standards for conference travel and other expenses, and strive to reduce administrative operating costs. For example, the 2024 budget for the Audit Office’s further education and training expenditures is 220,000 yuan less than the 2023 implementation figure, a reduction of 1.2%.

　　"Seek truth from facts to ensure reasonable needs, but we must also prevent extravagant spending. At the same time, we must actively revitalize existing assets and prevent assets from being idle and wasted." The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance said that the tight living situation of central departments has been assessed on a quarterly basis and the assessment results will be combined with the budget. Arrange hooks.

　　"At present, the contradiction between fiscal revenue and expenditure is still quite prominent. Implementing the requirements of tight living standards and strengthening the management of 'three public funds' funds can reduce the operating costs of government departments and improve the efficiency of the use of fiscal funds. This is the due course of active fiscal policies to 'improve quality and increase efficiency' Bai Jingming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences, said that strengthening the "three public" fund management can move the key to promoting integrity, while improving the input-output rate of public products, responding to public concerns, and enhancing the government's credibility.

　　Strengthen budget performance management and improve the efficiency of the use of fiscal funds

　　Spend money and get results. In recent years, in order to improve the efficiency of the use of fiscal funds, the Ministry of Finance has continuously strengthened budget performance management, guided and urged central departments to scientifically and reasonably set performance targets, strictly review performance targets, and make performance targets public. Central departments that disclose departmental budgets in 2024 should, in principle, disclose to the public the performance target tables of first-level general public budget items, government fund budget items, and state-owned capital operating budget items at a ratio of no less than 60% of the number of projects.

　　According to the requirements, project performance objectives must cover the main content of policies and expenditures, and reflect the main output and core effects of the project. At the same time, performance target review is embedded in the budget preparation process of central departments. While reviewing the completeness of the performance target form, it also strengthens the review of the relevance, appropriateness, and feasibility of the content.

　　For example, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has disclosed the 2024 performance target list for 14 projects, including information operation and maintenance, donations to international organizations, and special laboratory funds. How to embody the pursuit of "performance" and "efficiency"? Taking the laboratory special funds as an example, the performance target table lists the annual overall goals and performance indicators of the project. The annual overall goals are described in words, and the performance indicators are specifically quantified into output indicators and benefit indicators; the output indicators The quantitative indicators for subdivided items require "published articles, patents, monographs ≥ 55", "apply for 1 scientific research project", etc. The quality indicators for subdivided items require "acceptance rate of results ≥ 90%".

　　"Budget performance management can ensure that funds are released for people's livelihood from an institutional perspective and promote the overall budget reform to advance in depth." Bai Jingming said that practice has fully proved that budget performance management effectively supervises central departments to use fiscal funds accurately and well, and also Enable the public to better supervise the use of fiscal funds and promote improvement in governance efficiency.

　　"In the next step, the Ministry of Finance will continue to do a solid job in performance target management, consolidate the main responsibilities of departments and units, strengthen the review of performance targets, and promote the further improvement of the quality of performance targets." said the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance. (People's Daily)