More clarity needed on budget details

The 2014 budgets released recently by the country's central government departments included entries for the "three public expenses" - that is, State spending on cars, overseas travel and receptions.

The State Administration of Taxation led with 1.7 billion yuan ($272.76 million) allotted for such expenses, more than any of the nearly 90 other bureaus and ministries overseen by central authorities.

Central governing bodies first started opening their books to public scrutiny in 2009. This was done in order to give the public a general idea about how much the government was spending in its name.

This move toward transparency marks definite progress, but there is still no way for the public to know whether these expenses are reasonable.

The government should disclose its total budget, while also letting the public know where and how fiscal expenditures are made.

The government in Hong Kong provides a good example of this. Several days ago, officials in the city issued a detailed report which outlined government spending - including expenses on hotels and travel - over the past 20 months. Authorities on the mainland should learn from this example and disclose more specific budget information.