HCMC – The Ministry of Finance is drafting a new decree that would give government agencies more control and accountability over administrative spending within their allocated budgets.
Under the draft, provincial People’s Committees would be allowed to propose spending levels for routine operations, based on local budget capacity and the scope of their financial autonomy. The proposals would then be submitted to provincial People’s Councils for approval in line with the State Budget Law.
Provincial councils could also authorize commune-level councils to decide spending levels suitable for their management capacity and budget balance.
However, certain spending categories would remain uniformly regulated nationwide, including travel allowances, expenses for receiving foreign guests, and costs for organizing international conferences in Vietnam.
Within the autonomous budget framework, agency heads would have the authority to determine which officials qualify for landline or mobile office phones and to set spending levels appropriate to operational needs.
Agencies implementing the autonomy mechanism must comply with existing financial regulations and cannot exceed state-defined maximum spending levels. All expenditures must be specified in internal spending rules or approved in writing by the agency head if not yet included.
The draft also requires that internal spending regulations be developed, implemented, and monitored in accordance with current Government guidelines.
