Circular No. 20/2008/TT-BTC guides on the funding to ensure the operation of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption under the Central Government and its supporting unit.

CIRCULAR

Guidelines on funding to ensure operations
of the Provincial Steering Committee and the Central City Steering Committee for
preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit of the Steering Committee

Pursuant to Decree No. 60/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2003 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on State Budget;

Pursuant to Decree No. 77/2003/NĐ-CP dated July 1, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 294A/2007/UBTVQH-12 dated September 27, 2007 of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the organization, tasks, powers, and operational regulations of the Provincial Steering Committee and the Central City Steering Committee for preventing and combating corruption.

The Ministry of Finance issues guidelines on funding to ensure operations of the Provincial Steering Committee for preventing and combating corruption (hereinafter referred to as the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption) and the supporting unit as follows:

This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

1. Scope of application: These Circulars guide the content of expenditures, expenditure levels, budget preparation, management, use, and settlement of funding to ensure operations of the provincial steering committees for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting units.

2. Annual funding to ensure operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit shall be guaranteed by the local budget and allocated as a separate item within the total funding of the People's Committee Office of the province or centrally administered city.

3. The People's Committee Office of the province or centrally administered city shall be responsible for ensuring material conditions for the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1. Contents of expenditures serving the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit include:

a) Expenditures for individuals:

- Wages, fees, allowances, contributions according to wages (social insurance, health insurance, trade union funds), bonuses, collective welfare, and other payments to individuals as prescribed for the supporting unit of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption;

- Allowances for responsibilities of members of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit as prescribed by the Government and implementing guidance documents.

b) Expenditures for public services, office supplies, information, propaganda, communication, purchasing books and materials for professional work, conference expenses, hospitality, organizing training sessions for professional skills, and travel expenses for the supporting unit of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption.

c) Expenditures serving special activities of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit:

- Travel expenses of members of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption for directing, managing, inspecting the implementation of anti-corruption programs at the provincial level;

- Expenses for organizing meetings on anti-corruption work chaired by the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption;

- Expenses for purchasing information to serve anti-corruption work.

d) Expenses for regular purchases, repairs, and major repairs of fixed assets serving the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit.

đ) Other expenditures serving the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit.

2. Regarding expenditure levels:

Expenditures serving the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit shall be implemented according to current financial expenditure standards and norms. This Circular guides certain specific expenditure levels with special characteristics as follows:

a) Information purchase expenses: Maximum not exceeding 10,000,000 VND per piece of information. In cases where actual requirements necessitate higher expenditure than this level, the Chairman of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption shall examine and decide.

b) Expenses for organizing meetings on anti-corruption work chaired by the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption:

- Chairing the meeting: 100,000 VND per person per session;

- Other delegates: 70,000 VND per person per session.

c) Expenses for equipping and using fixed-line telephones at home and mobile phones to serve anti-corruption work:

In addition to those eligible for fixed-line telephones at home and mobile phones under the Prime Minister's decision, others, based on actual work needs serving anti-corruption work, the Chairman of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption shall consider and decide on the provision of fixed-line telephones at home and mobile phones for some staff undertaking particularly important tasks. The monthly allowance for telephone usage fees shall not exceed 100,000 VND per fixed-line phone and 250,000 VND per mobile phone.

c) In cases where necessary expenditures for the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit are not regulated by expenditure standards and norms, the Chairman of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption shall decide on the expenditure levels based on the principles of efficiency and economy and bear responsibility for such decisions.

3. Budget preparation, allocation, distribution, and settlement:

The preparation, execution, and settlement of funding to ensure operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit shall be carried out in accordance with the State Budget Law and implementing guidance documents. This Circular provides additional guidance on certain special points to suit the operations of the provincial steering committee for preventing and combating corruption and the supporting unit, specifically as follows:

a) Regarding the preparation and allocation of the budget estimate: Annually, based on the anti-corruption plans and programs, the contents and levels of expenditure stipulated in this Circular, the working body of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption prepares the budget estimate for the operation of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and sends it to the financial department of the People's Committee Office at the provincial level for consolidation and submission to the Department of Finance for approval and allocation as a separate item in the budget allocated to the People's Committee Office of the province or centrally governed city in accordance with regulations.

b) Regarding the allocation of the budget estimate and final accounts:

The People's Committee Office of the province or centrally governed city is responsible for notifying the budget estimate for operational expenses for the year to the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and its working body; simultaneously ensuring funding for the activities of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and its working body according to the notified budget estimate and settling the final accounts of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and its working body into the annual final accounts of the unit in accordance with regulations.

The final account report of the People's Committee Office of the province or centrally governed city needs to detail the final accounts and clearly explain the funds used for the activities of the Provincial Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and its working body.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. During implementation, if there are any difficulties, they should be reported to the Ministry of Finance for guidance on implementation./.