Outsourcing official vehicles: Officials hire their own cars and drivers?

Determining how to appropriately and effectively manage the allocation of official vehicles according to established criteria is a matter of concern for many experts.

The outsourcing of official vehicles is an important aspect of state administrative reform, including public finance and spending reform. This outsourcing is part of the innovation in state management and the public service system. Ho Chi Minh City is currently considering this initiative. However, determining how to implement this outsourcing appropriately and according to established criteria is a matter of concern for many experts.

Some people suggest that renting a car is a way to save money.

Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Chief of the Office of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, stated his view: "The most important thing to effectively implement the contracting out of official vehicles is to stick with it completely. Leading officials should not use state-owned vehicles but their own. All expenses should be included in their salaries, and officials should hire their own drivers. Using official vehicles must also be economical and for the right purposes."

Currently, the number of officials with a position allowance of 1.25 who are eligible for the government vehicle allocation scheme in Ho Chi Minh City, as stipulated by the Ministry of Finance, is not large. These are mainly officials in the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, the People's Committee, and the Standing Committee of the City People's Council. Directors of departments and chairmen of districts and counties in the city are not provided with private cars or drivers and must use shared vehicles. The city is currently considering and calculating the implementation of the government vehicle allocation scheme, along with the development of a plan for a Public Vehicle Management Center.

Dr. Pham Sanh, an expert on urban transportation, argues that: Official vehicles should only be used for official purposes and should be included in the budget. Each agency must calculate how to use vehicles rationally. Officials and civil servants can buy cars, use public transport, or rent cars, but within the prescribed budget. The world has been doing this for a long time, and Vietnam should also follow this model.

Regarding Ho Chi Minh City specifically, Dr. Pham Xanh stated that establishing a central management center for all official vehicles of all departments and agencies would not be feasible. This is because this model has been in place for several decades and has since been abolished.

Regarding the establishment of a public vehicle management center, Dr. Vu Anh Tuan, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Leadership Studies and Public Policy, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, argued that: Public vehicle allowances should be directly included in salaries. Establishing a state-run public vehicle center would only complicate policy further.

Dr. Vu Anh Tuan explained: "In a market economy, everyone must be treated equally in terms of services. If anything, a system of salary supplements in public sector jobs would be more acceptable."

According to Dr. Tran Du Lich, former Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City National Assembly Delegation, in order to implement a system of contracting out the use of official vehicles, the misuse of official vehicles must first be addressed before any further action can be taken. This is because the abuse of official vehicles for personal purposes has been widespread for a long time, but the penalties have not been strict enough.

In the context of Ho Chi Minh City trying to find solutions to increase budget revenue because, since 2017, the percentage of budget retained by the city has decreased from 23% to 18%, the outsourcing of official vehicles is one of the necessary measures to practice thrift, combat waste, and reduce public spending.

Mr. Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, stated: "If possible, in the future we should not invest in buying official vehicles anymore but instead rent them. Renting vehicles means we don't have to buy them, maintain them, or replace them; we only pay the rental fee."

Contracting out the use of official vehicles is a difficult task and requires time for discussion to ensure effective implementation. According to economic experts, if implemented, contracting out official vehicles would contribute to solving several problems: firstly, increasing labor productivity and quality, thereby contributing to the country's GDP; secondly, saving money and preventing waste, especially corruption.

According to VOV