14-OCT-1992 11:33
FB GS
+ 852 868 5279
P.21
Paper (1.5 of 5)
4
to
control
directly
Government expenditure We include the expenditure of some
some other public bodies in our definition of
total public expenditure when making comparisons with GDP. Historically, the consistency of definition has been maintained and no great problems have arisen. Shifts in the delivery of services now require us to re-address our definition of public expenditure with due regard to
(a) our basic objective;
our ability to exercise expenditure control;
(b)
(c)
the ease of
(a)
(e)
understanding and application of any
revised definition;
the ability to apply that definition consistently in
the light of known developments; and
our desire to avoid criticisms of "creative accounting" and of changing our definitions purely for expedience.
Finance Branch
Government Secretariat
12 October 1992