DIRECTIVE OF THE MINISTER OF FINANCE

On practicing thrift and combating waste during the Year of the Goat Tet holiday

within the Finance Sector

Practicing thrift and combating waste is a major policy of the Party and State that receives widespread attention from society and is implemented across all sectors, levels, units, and organizations nationwide.

In recent years, the Ministry of Finance has implemented many mechanisms and policies on financial management to create a legal framework for managing and using state funds and assets, thereby promoting the practice of thrift and combating waste. It has issued various documents to strengthen inspection and supervision activities at all levels, and to enhance self-inspection activities in budget-using units.

These mechanisms and policies have been strictly implemented by units within the finance sector. Party committees and heads of units under the Ministry of Finance have paid close attention and recognized this as a key and ongoing task for each unit. They have closely directed and employed various methods, leading to significant achievements in the practice of thrift and combating waste, particularly in areas such as budget spending, financial management, asset management, investment, and internal construction within the finance sector. However, alongside these achievements, some units within the finance sector still lack strict management and do not adhere to prescribed standards and norms in their expenditures.

To strictly implement the State's regulations on practicing thrift and combating waste during the Year of the Goat Tet holiday, based on Directive No. 48/2004/CT-TTg dated December 24, 2004, of the Prime Minister regarding the organization of the Year of the Goat Tet in 2005, the Minister of Finance requests all Party committees, heads of units, and mass organizations throughout the finance sector to strictly implement the following tasks:

1. Heads of units shall direct subordinate units to strictly implement the practice of thrift and combating waste in internal expenditure and financial management, organize Tet holiday activities that are truly joyful, safe, healthy, and thoroughly thrifty, avoiding extravagance and waste; continue to launch campaigns to plant trees in memory of Uncle Ho; organize greetings at offices and units with a spirit of thrift, without bringing flowers and gifts to the homes of leaders to greet them.

Party committees, heads of units, and organizations within the finance sector shall organize visits and gift-giving to families with meritorious service to the revolution, war invalids, and relatives of martyrs according to State regulations.

2. Strictly prohibit units within the finance sector from organizing banquets and excessive eating and drinking during holidays; sightseeing, tourism, and festivals; using unit funds and assets to purchase gifts, rewards, donations, and bribes to other agencies, units, and individuals in any form not in accordance with State regulations. Units entitled to extract bonus funds according to regulations must comply with State, Ministry, and organizational regulations on year-end reward and incentive payments to collectives and individuals who have helped the unit in its work. Rewards should be linked to work results to motivate and encourage officials and civil servants to strive harder in their work. The list of rewards for officials and civil servants in the unit must be made public for knowledge and monitoring.

Strictly prohibit the use of official vehicles and unit assets and equipment for personal, family, and kin purposes before, during, and after Tet.

3. Directors of the General Customs Department and the General Tax Department shall direct units within the sector to closely coordinate with local authorities at all levels and relevant units to strengthen inspections and controls, combat smuggling and commercial fraud in the transport and use of goods during the Tet holiday.

4. Director of the State Treasury shall direct subordinate units to control budget expenditures of budget-using units in the last days of the year, ensuring strict compliance with current State regulations, and ensure absolute safety of treasury storage nationwide.

5. Director of the National Reserve Agency shall direct and organize the safekeeping of national reserve goods, take measures to prevent and combat fires and explosions at storage points, and strengthen inspections of the safekeeping of national reserve goods at other ministries and agencies to ensure proper management.

6. Heads of related units shall strictly implement Directive No. 08/2004/CT-BTC dated December 27, 2004, of the Minister of Finance on stabilizing prices during the Tet holiday. Timely report to the Ministry of Finance regularly and urgently about market price fluctuations and abnormal movements before, during, and after Tet.

7. Heads of units and organizations under the Ministry shall responsibly organize effective management and control of the budget and financial resources in 2005, organize audits and settlements of income and expenditure in 2004 in accordance with regulations and the practice of thrift, firmly refuse to settle accounts for expenditures not in accordance with State policies, standards, and systems, allocate and manage capital and funds in line with the principle of thrift in regular expenditures, especially expenditures for conferences, meetings, hospitality, anniversaries, and Tet celebrations; take practical measures to implement fuel savings in units; limit the purchase of expensive assets that do not directly serve professional tasks.

Ensure absolute safety of assets and equipment of each unit during the Year of the Goat Tet.

8. The Steering Committee for Implementing the Law on Thrift and Combating Waste and the Law on Anti-Corruption, Party committees, People's Inspection Committees, and mass organizations such as Trade Unions, Women's Organizations, and Youth Leagues of units under the finance sector shall inspect, supervise, and urge the implementation of this Directive.

Heads of units in the finance sector shall be responsible for directing, planning, and implementing this Directive to all officials and civil servants in their units and submit a comprehensive report on the implementation to the Ministry of Finance before February 18, 2005.