CNAO issued a circular recently outlining detailed requirement for all functional departments, dispatched and resident audit offices, to really transform the ideas and actively promote the building of an economized administration with more attention to savings on expense and effective measures.
According to the circular, in the face of harsh challenges from both domestic and international situations at present, especially with the amplifying impact of global financial crisis, China has been confronted with a much more difficult economic operation with an obvious imbalance of fiscal revenue and expenditure, bringing heavy tasks to the problem of settling and improving people s livelihood. Audit institutions should earnestly carry out the arrangements by the Central Party and State Council and further strengthen the efforts to practice rigid economy, to make contributions to maintaining the overall situation of reform, development, and stability.
The circular outlines the detailed requirements to build an economized administration as follows:
Firstly, the expenditure on public funds must be strictly restricted. Field auditing should be scientifically and reasonably arranged as less time on field work as possible for higher efficiency and lower auditing cost with a reasonable saving of financial resources on the work outside the office. The expenditure on meetings should be reduced and the use of net conference system is encouraged for internal meetings. Business trip inland should be strictly limited and any trip will not be arranged if the problem could be settled by such means as telephone, network, or others. 5 assignments of study and training abroad will be cancelled with a cut rate of 22% this year on the basis of the average amount of expenditure for overseas business trip on public money over past three years. All departments should reduce reception expenditures this year by 10 percent over 2008. New office facility will be prohibited to acquire in 2009 generally and the maintenance should be strengthened, the office facility shall not be allowed to discard as useless if it can still operate after maintenance.
Secondly, the provision on the supply and management of business cars should be strictly implemented. Audit institutions shall follow the relevant provisions by the Central Party and State Council on the supply, use, and management of business cars for Party and government organizations, any supply of business car beyond fixed quota and standard is definitely banned. The spending this year on car purchases and operation will have to be cut by 15% from the average level of the last three years. Any use of business car should strictly follow the procedure of approval and register under the unified administration in the headquarter of the CNAO. Business car for personal use shall be strictly prohibited, so are the borrow and occupy of the cars of subordinate units or other organizations by the advantage of work or duty.
Thirdly, the infrastructure projects and construction investment shall be rigidly governed. By 2010 all resident audit offices shall suspend the application of new office buildings, and shall be not allowed to build any training centre, hotel, or guesthouse.
Fourthly, the task of energy-saving and emission-reducing should be further maintained. This year the target of savings on electricity, petrol, and water will have to drop by 5% over 2008. The temperature of air-conditioned rooms in office building should not be set below 26 in summer and above 20 in winter. The number of lamp in corridor, office room, and toilet in the office building shall be decreased and natural daylight shall be sufficiently utilized in office rooms. The fueling of business cars should follow the provision of fixed station and one car one card system, the driving mileage and consumed fuel quota shall be evaluated to every business car every month. The public transportation vehicle shall be encouraged to take on business activities. The routine management and round check on water-consuming equipment shall be strengthen to stop any case such as water leak, spillage, drop, and time running . The paper-less office work are vigorously advocated to reduce the printing and dissemination of paper files for higher efficiency of cyclic use of office stationery. IP mode should be uniformly used when making long-distance calls with landline phone in office rooms to lessen call time and reduce communication expense.
