Spending Review: Cottarelli, fundamental transparency for efficiency
The Parliamentary Budget Office will play a fundamental role, for large numbers, but "there is much to be done, and it is being done", also on the microeconomics front. This was stated by the commissioner for the expenditure review, Carlo Cottarelli, speaking at the conference organized by the Ethics Foundation, 'Against bureaucracy and waste: a rating to change the public administration'. Citizens must "see the true conditions of public finance", through "easily accessible" tools, because putting a flood of information on the web is useless", underlines the commissioner.
The Irpef decree law, which contains measures to reduce public spending, "further improves transparency". Speaking of standard needs, and the slowness associated with the introduction, Cottarelli communicates "good news: in 2014, a part, albeit small, of the equalization funds that go to municipalities will be distributed on the basis of standard needs. This is a starting point”.
The work on standard requirements ”is concluded but - warns the commissioner - the data need to be updated. By the end of this year, I hope well sooner, there should be an update of the database and therefore a recalculation for all municipalities”. Cottarelli recalls, however, the component of standard needs is supported by the standard fiscal capacity and, to intervene in this direction, "there are already some proposals circulated to the MEF. So from a technical point of view from this year we are fully ready to use the tools, then it depends on the political will”.
Adnkronos – 8 May 2014
