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Participation of other stakeholders beyond core direct stakeholders, especially in budget
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Participation of other stakeholders beyond core direct stakeholders, especially in budget
deliberations, negotiations and prioritization remains weak. While all non-government stakeholders are invited to participate in budget discussions, such as media, trade unions, this participation is limited to Parliamentary deliberations of the budget. Even if in attendance, the actual level (and substance) of participation is also very limited, including those by the Parliament and comments received often relate to quantitative aspects and very random do they challenge the Ministry of Finance’s prioritization of expenditures, efficiency, outcomes or appropriateness of public expenditures. Progress towards improved budget classification has been steady with notable successes in accounting, treasury and the budget process. A unified Chart of Accounts based on the 2001 Government Finance Statistics (GFS) system was introduced from January 2014 together with a budget classification that now encompasses administrative, economic, program and functional classifications. The first eight national public sector accounting standards based on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) were also introduced in 2014. A Treasury Single Account (TSA) was established for the Republican budget and pilot local authorities in 2013 and coverage gradually extended, encompassing all local treasury accounts as of January 2015. 18 Important to underline that budget presentation, execution (reporting) and budget monitoring is mandated to be based on internal budget composition classification (within MABA), economic and source of funding classification. Overall budget information and reporting is 18 Second Public Finance Modernization Project, World Bank, May 2015 CHAPTER - 2 22 mandated to be based on revenue classification, functional, program, administrative and sector funding classification. The Ministry of Finance develops budget classification and issues guidance notes for state revenues and expenditures 19 . For the purposes of the water sector, from the functional point of view, water related expenditures are directly covered in Sector 7 (Housing and Communal management, environment and forestry; sub-sectors 07202 – sanitation, and 07403 – water supply); Sector 10 (Agriculture, fishery and hunting; subsector 10107 – irrigation). Indirectly, some costs are also covered in Sector 1 (state administration), Section 9 – Energy sector and Sector 12 – Transport and Communication (subsector 12101 – water-based transport) – see tables 2.1 and 2.2 below. Table 2.2: Simplified full functional classification of the budget 1. State administration 8. Culture and Sport 2. Defence 9. Energy 3. Law enforcement 10. Agriculture, fishery and hunting 4. Education 11. Industry and construction 5. Health 12. Transport and Communication 6. Social protection 13. other economic activity and services 7. Housing and Communal management 14. Non-categorized Source: State budget, Budget Classification 2014 Table 2.3: Simplified Economic classification of budget expenditures Wages and salaries (including tax payments and insurance) Social protection and support Including social security payment and assistance Goods and Services (including goods and reserves, fuels, contractors, communication, utility payment current repairs etc.) Other expenditures (including asset ownership expenditures, stipends, pensions, fees and penalties, capital expenditures) Interest payments (including to residents and non-residents, state and non-state residents) Subsidy payments (including to state financial and non-financial and private corporations) Grants making expenditures (including to foreign governments, current/capital payments to international organizations, current and capital payments to state entities Assets and Liabilities operations (including operations with nonfinancial assets, like buildings and equipment, acquisition of internal/external financial assets, payment of internal financial liabilities) Source: State budget, Budget Classification 2014 Budget information performance in Tajikistan is rather mixed and could be analysed from three different angles: (i) internal comprehensiveness and transparency; (ii) access to budget information/public participation; and (iii) external scrutiny, reporting and strength of the oversight. From the comprehensiveness point of view, Tajikistan scores rather high (A) 20 overall in comprehensiveness of the budget. 21 Draft budget papers include information on macroeconomic assumptions, debt, revenue and expense estimates. Prior year budget out-turn and all new 19 Article 9 of the Law on State Finance, 2011 20 Each dimension in PEFA indicators is scored separately on a four-point ordinal scale: A(highest score), B, C, or D (insufficient information) 21 Tajikistan PEFA 2012 CHAPTER - 2 23 measures funded in the Budget are now listed by ministry whereas before it was only functional classification. Recent budget submissions include extra budgetary expenditures and the system for recording development partner loans, grants and state debt has improved and the extent of monitoring fiscal risks and transparency of intergovernmental fiscal relations has improved somewhat. While PEFA 2012 clearly identifies availability of budget information to the public as improved it is still at a very low level, with its ranking moving only from a D to a C. There has been an improvement information dissemination through websites (primarily Ministry of Finance and the Parliament), and the government has made initial steps towards the appointment an external auditor, although, much remains to be done to improve access to budget data. The open budget survey 2015 22 that uses over 100 indicators to measure budget transparency gives Tajikistan a score of 25/100, well below the global average of 45 suggesting that Tajikistan provides minimal budget information to the public (figure 2.14). To reinforce this, anecdotal evidence however suggests that numerous queries on part of media and CSO, think-tanks for budget related data simply remain answered (or shall be provided for a fee) despite a clear Presidential decree regarding mandatory monthly information disclosure by public entities 23 . Data being made available could be taken offline and usually included only highly aggregated data (limited to functional presentation of the annualized budgets and general revenues, expenditures and deficits and no progress/execution reports made available publicly). The concept of the civil budget is nascent and no basic budget data is made available to the public such as year-end financial statements by ministries or any other MABAs for that matter. Tajikistan’s score is even less than favourable when it comes to providing the public with the opportunity to engage in the budget process. Figure 2.14 Open Budget Survey Indicators Transparency (open budget index) Public Participation 22 Open Budget survey 2015, http://www.internationalbudget.org/wp-content/uploads/OBS2015-CS-Tajikistan- English.pdf 23 Decree of the President of Tajikistan, dated March 4, 2015 on ensuring transparency of activities on public entities CHAPTER - 2 24 Source: Open Budget survey 2015 While there are adequate oversights of the budget by the legislature and Supreme Audit institution 24 results are not made publicly available. Information is available to the public on public procurement (contacts over $100,000 in value), however there is little in the way of contract details, deliverables and evaluation outcomes. Donor reporting and access to information has improved availability of information, mainly due to the work/funding of the Aid Coordination Unit. However, disclosure on projects supported through the state capital investment program is virtually non-existent. 24 Ibid CHAPTER - 2 25 2.1.5. PFM IN T AJIKISTAN , PROGRESS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS ON ON - GOING REFORMS PFM reforms in Tajikistan came with the adoption of the 10 year Public Finance Management Reform Strategy (PFMRS) covering 2009-2018. In a joint programme sponsored by DFID, World Bank, EC, Japan and the Government of Tajikistan, a US$ 12 million multi-donor PFM Trust Fund was created to help, inter alia, harmonize PFM activities and approaches to ensure effective management and administration of PFM related portfolios. Implementation of the PFMRS is supported by 3-year Action Plans and Tajikistan is currently in the process of ageing and approving the last Action Plan that will cover 2015-2018. The World Bank, however, has already in 2015 approved a second Public Finance Management Modernization Project that will cover reforms through 2021. Key PFMRS priorities 25 are outlined in table 2.4: Table 2.4: Key PFMRS priorities: Short-term Reinforce Stability, Credibility, Comprehensiveness and Transparency of the Budget (11 sub-objectives) Medium term Clear Definitions of Responsibilities at a central level (3 sub-objectives) Building National PFM capacity (2 sub-objectives) Improvement of the system of Checks and Balances (4 sub-objectives) Introduction of Policy-based budgeting (4 sub-objectives) Long term Automatization of the PFM systems and implementation of adequate TSA (7 sub-objectives) Development of Fiscal decentralization (2 sub-objectives) Source: World Bank policy note 4, Key issues in PFM It is important to note that the PFM reforms are underpinned by a number of overarching strategy documents including but not limited to National Development Strategy (NDS) 26 ; Living Standards Improvement Strategy (LSIS) for 2013-2015 27 (with prior Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers). The Public Administration Reform Strategy (or PARS) for 2005-2015 also contained ambitious plans for improving overall governance, public service delivery and included a slew of civil service reforms (i.e. wages, capacity, merit based selection), institutional reforms (i.e. vertical function reviews of the ministries) and decentralization. Independent PFM interventions by various donors are now relatively well coordinated among the donors and with the government with a number of key PFM systems and processes in place to effectively manage reforms. A PFM Coordination sub-group was established as part of the Donor Coordination Council (DCC) Governance working group. A PFM Council comprised of executive level authorities from across relevant ministries and donor agencies was created to oversee, monitor and guide PFM reforms in Tajikistan. There are still stand-alone projects aimed at specific areas of the PFM, i.e. strengthening the role of the Parliament in budgeting that are part of the PFM reform agenda. 25 See World Bank Policy Note 4, “Key issues in PFM" for complete details. 26 The First 10 year NDS covered 2006-2015, the new NDS covering 2016-2025 also attaches priority to the effective PFM management. 27 Will there be next LSIS 2015-2018 CHAPTER - 2 26 As the most comprehensive framework to assess progress of PFM reform, PEFA 2012 28 highlighted overall improvements across indicators (Figure 2.15). Indeed, significant process has been made since 2009 in terms of strengthening the PFM system in Tajikistan. Specifically, on comprehensiveness and transparency, policy orientation of the budget, predictability and control in budget execution and accounting/recording and reporting. “Credibility of the budget” is the only area that has experienced a setback. In addition, over half of all indicators (15 out of 31) have not changed between 2009-2012; 9 indicators showed moderate progress, 1 indicator showed moderate deterioration (revenue aggregate outturn). See Annex 2 for a complete summary of progress made under all PEFA indicators. Figure 2.15: Tajikistan’s Progress in PFM overtime (PEFA scores, 2007-2012) Source: www.pefa.org , World Bank, policy note #4, “Key issues in PFM” Some of the most notable progress achieved in PFM through 2014 includes efforts to (i) build fundamental of the PFM systems; (ii) focus on PFM reform sequencing given capacity in Tajikistan; (iii) building capacity (setting up systems and processes) needed to undertake PFM reforms; and (iv) Step-by-step implementation of initiatives in support of PFM. Specifically, some of the most notable achievements include: Improved strategic PFM planning approaches, for example development of the unified PFM Reform Strategy and ensuring adequate financial support from the donor community and commitment from the government; improved donor practices and coordination approaches; undertaking in-depth analysis and evidence base for reforms Notable progress in accounting, treasury and budget processes, specifically: o Introduction and expansion of MTEF that now includes 6 sectors o Automation of the treasury accounts and the roll out of treasury single accounts o Introduction of the FMIS to facilitate accurate and timely collection of information o Introduction of the new Budget Classification codes/ Unified Charts of Accounts consistent with the IMF GFS2001 o Introduction of the external and internal audit functions 28 https://pefa.org/assessment/tj-nov12-pfmpr-public-en CHAPTER - 2 27 o Introduction of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) o Improvement of public debt management systems Extensive PFM-related capacity building initiatives across key stakeholders, including ministries, the Parliament and the Financial Academy and many other, aimed at strategic and technical aspects of reform that lay foundation for an improved governance A number of challenges, however, still remain and could be grouped into the following categories (Table 2.5): Table 2.5. Challenges in PFM Culture of change - Lack of consensus between various stakeholders with direct responsibilities in the budget process and overlapping mandates and competing agendas - Need for clear new business processes and instructions for all stakeholders to better understand and commit to PFM reforms. - Revenue gaps closure methods and trust in the system Technical - Fiscal risks stemming from SOEs and SUEs - Planning for fiscal impacts of multiple external shocks Tajikistan is vulnerable to, i.e. low reliability of fiscal framework - Link between capital and recurrent budgets - Insufficient linkages between budgets and policies - Transfer to new Unified Charts of Accounts, IPSAS and associated internal/external audit strengthening. - Weak internal and external audit functions and lack of challenging budget decisions. - Sizable public expenditure outside budgets that are still not captured by the PFM system. - Quality and timeliness of financial reporting remains low Policy - Public spending focus and link to long term goals - Weak demand side of the PFM reforms, especially when it comes to transparency¸ disclosure and access to information and participation in the budget process. - Settlement of arrears and management of quasi fiscal debts - Inclusion of all levels of government in the reforms (fiscal decentralization) - Expanding fiscal space through improved business environmental and taxation system governance Coordination - Project level to ensure compatibility and consistency of proposed reforms - Weak capacity and ownership of PFM coordination function in the absence of donor support. Source: Authors observations based on existing PER conclusions CHAPTER - 2 28 The scope of outstanding PFM reform (through 2018) agenda is best outlined in the PFMRS 29 and include the following (Table 2.5): Table 2.5. Outstanding PFM reforms: PFMRS management o Continues improvement of coordination efforts and management/supervision of reform on behalf (and within) of the government and donor community Planning and budgeting o Streamlining the number of MABAs and improve effectiveness of the expenditure planning process o Integration of MTEF into the annual budgeting o Reflecting government budgetary commitments to better manage cash requirements o Streamlining macroeconomic forecasting models to be shared/owned by relevant stakeholders given mandates Debt and revenue management o Debt management strategy agreed, implemented along with the advanced debt management software o A slew of actions aimed of improved revenue management and addressing tax arrears, tax collection, IT systems etc. Budget execution and treasury reforms o Continued efforts to implement treasury systems, improve cash management and commitment management through IT solutions, capacity building and integration of systems Accounting and reporting o Efforts to adopt TPSFRS (Tajikistan Public Sector Financial reporting standards) based on IPSAS, improved asset management and information disclosure Governance and civil society o Continue with governance related projects, i.e. Strengthening the role of Parliament in budgeting, improved civil society participation and further strengthening public internal financial control, as well as external audit functions by the Chamber of Accounts FMIS o Review options for adoption of the functional FMIS software Institutional capacity building o Development and funding of the comprehensive capacity building strategy to support PFM reports. o Further support to the Public Procurement system Source: PFMRS action plan 2015-2018 Beyond 2018, the scope for reforms will focus on four main areas: 1. How effectively the Government and development partners will be able to manage policy- based budgeting (i.e. ensure links between sectoral strategies and budget allocation) 2. Expanding fiscal space (including through effort to improve taxation base, tax reform, including tax administration); 3. Ensuring fiscal decentralization yields results through improved quality and coverage of public services. 4. Continue efforts with building national and local PFM capacity to undertake reforms. Given its overarching nature, more detailed recommendations have been comprehensively reflected in the Pubic Finance Management Reform Strategy (2009-2018) (see Annex 10) and regular progress reports. Yet, the team proposes the following specific high level recommendations as it applies to the Water Sector. The team proposes to use PEFA and PFMRS as frameworks to consider these sector specific recommendations but still focusing on key PEFA and PFMRS as core action areas 30 : 29 See PFMRS action plan 2015-2018 for more details 30 https://pefa.org/country/tajikistan CHAPTER - 2 29 PE FA C O RE T H EM ES PF M R S P RI O RI TI ES W at er s ec to r s p e ci fi c Download 0.75 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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