Prime Minister: 'People pay taxes not so we can do whatever we want'

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: "I suggest we serve the people, not the people pay taxes so we can do whatever we want."

Speaking to representatives of 63 provinces, cities and ministries and branches at the conference to review the State administrative reform work in the 2011-2015 period held on the morning of August 17, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the weakest link is personnel work.

The Prime Minister requested that each civil servant and the political system must take drastic action to reform administration.

To deepen administrative reform, the Prime Minister requested ministries, branches and localities to promote the application of information technology and build e-Government from the central to local levels. Considering administrative reform as a heavy task, but one that must be done to develop the country, the Prime Minister re-emphasized the determination to build a creative, developing, honest, decisively acting Government serving the people. Although assessing this work as not easy, because it is essentially a fundamental change in management methods, manners, style and awareness of each individual in the public apparatus, the Prime Minister requested that each civil servant and the political system must act decisively. Otherwise, if we "hesitate and become discouraged", reform cannot be achieved.

In it, the Prime Minister clearly explained the meaning of the term “constructive government”, which is to build legal institutions, promptly respond to policies, create favorable conditions to mobilize and mobilize all resources, serving development. The government and administrative agencies must be “midwives”, accompanying businesses and people.

Also emphasizing the human factor, the Prime Minister said that civil servants must maintain integrity and cleanliness. If they see something that benefits the country and the people, they must resolutely do it. That integrity is not only at the central level but also at each cadre at the provincial, district and more than 11,000 commune and town levels. Along with that, we must continue to streamline the payroll and promote the socialization of public services to reduce the number of people receiving salaries from the budget.

Pointing out that the State apparatus operates with people's tax money, the Prime Minister said that all levels of government must serve the people, taking the satisfaction of the people and businesses as a measure to evaluate all issued mechanisms and policies.

The Prime Minister emphasized: "The Government serves, not enjoys. I suggest that we serve the people, not the people pay taxes so we can do whatever we want; we must continue to strongly reform public finance, so that every penny of people's tax money must be used effectively, for the common benefit of the people and society. All public expenditures funded by the State budget must be in accordance with regulations, public and transparent. We cannot be irresponsible with the people's money. On this occasion, I request local leaders to be frugal and fight waste. Everything should be less formal, less vehicles, less grand receptions of superiors, less ineffective trips abroad."

At the Conference, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the 2015 administrative reform index of ministries and provinces. Accordingly, the State Bank ranked first, with an index of 89.42%; followed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport. The ministries with the lowest index were the Ministry of Science and Technology ranked 17th; the Ministry of Industry and Trade ranked 18th and the Ministry of Information and Communications ranked 19th.

Regarding the ranking of provinces and centrally run cities, Da Nang ranked first with 93.31%; followed by Hai Phong, Dong Nai, Thua Thien Hue. The three provinces with the lowest index were Kon Tum ranked 61st; Cao Bang ranked 62nd and Dien Bien ranked 63rd./.

According to VOV