Full text: Report on China's central, local budgets (8)

III. Successfully Implementing the 2014 Budgets

1. Managing public finances in strict accordance with the law and reinforcing the foundation for their management

We will strengthen the legal framework for managing public finances. We will vigorously cooperate with the NPC on revising the Budget Law and deliberating the draft Asset Evaluation Law. We will promote faster legislation for an environmental protection tax and real estate tax, among others. We will continue to incorporate all government revenue and expenditure into budgets, and place revenue and expenditure of local government debt under budgetary management based on type of debt. We will create a stronger system of standards for basic expenditure and project expenditure, refine accounting and auditing standards and the financial management system, and accelerate development of a management system and a system of standards for asset allocation. We will promote digital centralized treasury payment in all provincial-level finance departments, and establish a sound mechanism for centralized treasury payment of central government special transfer payments. We will work hard to promote performance management in key areas and projects, especially special funds and projects, and extend the trials of managing and evaluating performance targets to include all levels of government departments that prepare their own budgets. We will accelerate integration of financial information systems, establish in due course a national financial data center, and improve the Treasury Information Process System and its operation mechanisms, so as to provide technological support for improving management of public finances and making more efficient use of government funds.

2. Improving permanent mechanisms to stringently economize and curb extravagance and waste

We will earnestly implement the Regulations on Practicing Thrift and Opposing Waste in Party and Government Bodies. Regarding official business expenditures, we will establish sound systems of management and criteria, move faster to build an information management platform, and make the management of such spending scientific, standardized and transparent. We will conscientiously implement all the rules and regulations, make arduous efforts in our work, calculate carefully and budget strictly, and practice thrift in everything we do. We will continue to improve mechanisms, consolidate and expand upon our achievements, and honor our promise that spending on official overseas visits, official vehicles, and official hospitality will be reduced rather than increased. We will strengthen oversight and accountability; put an end to extravagance, waste and unrestrained spending; and build upon our achievements in economizing and curbing waste.

3. Strengthening oversight and inspection and tightening up financial discipline

We will strictly enforce relevant financial laws, rules, and regulations, manage special transfer payments in accordance with due procedures, make policy information more transparent, and tighten management of local governments' special accounts. We will optimize the business procedures of public finance, improve operational mechanisms, refine the dynamic system for monitoring budget implementation, and close loopholes in management. We will strengthen oversight and inspection of the entire process of collecting revenue and paying expenditures, with a special emphasis on the funds and projects aimed at improving the people's livelihood, so as to guarantee the implementation of such policies. We will tighten up financial discipline and restore financial order. We will willingly accept the supervision of the NPC, seek comments and suggestions from the CPPCC National Committee members with an open mind, conscientiously make corrections according to comments of the audit authority, and constantly improve our public finance work.

Fellow Deputies,

Successfully implementing the 2014 Budget is of vital importance. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary, we will follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development, put into effect the decision of the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth CPC Central Committee, and implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. We will work diligently, forge ahead, constantly advance financial reforms and development, strive to attain the targets for economic and social development in 2014, and contribute to finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.