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an effort to create searchable online databases for government expenditures
a tool to highlight the hypocrisy of tax hikers
Constitutional or statutory requirement to rein in growth of revenues end expenditures
a commitment made by elected officials and candidates for elected office never to raise taxes
Raising the bar for tax increases
Requiring a cool-off period for all bills with a fiscal impact
pork-barrel spending - the broken windows of the budget
UK Localities Surge Forward With Transparency
Friday, August 13, 2010 3:22 PM
by Lauren Forbes We have been following the spending transparency developments across the time for some time, and are encouraged to see the Gordon Brown’s initiative to put spending online is still steadily gaining steam. His mandate that all local spending above £500 be put online by January has already spurred some localities to start posting data early, with the aggregate information scheduled to go online ahead of schedule.
In September, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) will publish spending data for the first quarter of 2010, and come November all details will be available online at the end of each month. Both these efforts will reach effect months before prior deadlines. Although some reports of how the £314m of taxpayer money was spent by the CLG last year, including £1,600 bills for visiting masseurs and thousands spent on plants, flowers and musicians has caused commotion, CLG Secretary Eric Pickles hopes the effort to make this information available to taxpayers will eliminate waste and duplication.
The Chief Executive of Taxpayers Alliance, Matthew Elliot, is hoping that with CLG leading the way, other departments will soon follow. “Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent and transparency can improve results. It both exposes corruption and enables greater scrutiny and broader involvement in decision making.”
Our friends across the pond clearly understand the value of transparency – our federal, state and local governments should take note.
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