Putin urges to publish information about budget for citizens

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged to make budgets more transparent and publish information booklets "the Budget for Citizens" beginning next year. The president said about it in his Budget Message he presented on Thursday. Citizens and business should have the possibility to know where taxes they pay are transferred, the president noted. Putin urged to continue to form the integrated information system "Electronic Budget", including a united portal of the budget system to place systematized current information about the budget formation and implementation -- from federal to village budgets, and begin to introduce international standards of financial accountability in the public sector. Putin proposes to regularly publish "the Budget for Citizens" booklet and place it in the Internet network beginning 2013 on all the management levels. "This will give the possibility to inform the population in the accessible form about budgets and planned and achieved results of the use of budget funds," the president said. The information published in open sources will allow citizens to have an idea of directions of budget fund spendings and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of spendings and intended use of funds," he noted. The president called for expert discussion of the draft to find additional reserves to enhance the efficiency of federal budgets. The switch to programme purpose methods of strategic and budget planning is expected to be concluded in 2014-15, he noted. The main instruments to achieve state policy goals must be state programs, requirements for which will result from strategic planning documents, and mechanisms and volumes of financing are set in the long-term budget strategy, three-year budgets and the programme to improve the efficiency of management of public -- state and municipal -- finances, for the period to 2018, Putin said in the message.