City’s expenditures to be released

Shanghai officials said this week that the total expenditures from last year's government spending as well as a breakdown of this year's budget will be made public, but failed to mention when they would be released.

Around 60 municipal-level departments in the city will participate in the disclosure of the highly controversial information this year, according to the city's finance reform and development plans released by local government authorities on Monday.

It said that it will publicize the information, which include expenses on overseas business trips, business cars, as well as business receptions.

The budget for this year's expenses has been reported at some 1 billion yuan, half of which will go to the purchasing of cars and transportation costs for official business, the Shanghai Municipal Finance Bureau's official website said.

The announcement follows the release of 61 municipal-level departments' 2011 budgets in September, and marks another step forward in the city's budget transparency as promised last year by Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, said Gou Yannan, director of Fudan University's Center for Public Budgeting and Performance Evaluation.

"It's a chance for the public to get to know their government as the expenses will reveal operational costs," he told the Global Times Tuesday.

The extent of the details released will also be crucial to determining the level of transparency provided, he added.