Budget transparency is the act of being completely transparent and open about how government raises and spends public or taxpayer dollars.
5 Significant Benefits of Budget Transparency:
- Accountability – Clarity about the use of public funds is necessary so that public representatives and officials can be accountable for effectiveness and efficiency.
- Integrity – Public spending is vulnerable not only to waste and misuse, but also to fraud. “Sunlight is the best policy” for preventing corruption and maintain high standards of integrity in the use of public funds.
- Inclusiveness – Budget decisions can profoundly affect the interest and living standards of different people and groups in society; transparency involves an informed and inclusive debate about budget policy impacts.
- Trust – An open and transparent budget process fosters trust in society that people’s views and interests are respected and that public money is used well.
- Quality – Transparent and inclusive budgeting supports better fiscal outcomes and more responsive, impactful and equitable public policies. (Excerpted from OECD Budget Transparency Toolkit: Practical Steps for Supporting Openness, Integrity and Accountability in Public Financial Management).
Is the State of Florida Budget Transparent? The answer unfortunately, is No.
Currently, Florida’s process for developing a state budget is too secretive. Major funding decisions are made by a small number of Legislative leaders and government staff.
The remaining elected legislators that make up the “Rank and File” are excluded from the budget process. All legislators should have access to a more transparent budget process in order to make better government decisions and understand how budget priorities are determined.
What Should Florida Government Officials do to Increase Budget Transparency?
Government budgets at the state and local levels should be developed with inclusive public participation, founded from public priorities, be accessible for Floridians to monitor the information and results in order to maximum the benefits for all Floridians.
Florida should provide a state budget tracking website that is open to all legislators, members of the press, and public. A transparent budget tracking website would offer open and accessible information on the entire budget cycle: including the development of state agency budget requests, sub-committee budget development, the Florida Governor’s budget recommendations, budget conference committee negotiations, and the final budget agreement.
Visit Integrity Florida’s research report – Budget Transparency in the Sunshine State December 2012