KYRGYZ FISCAL TRANSPARENCY

UNCLAS BISHKEK 000276 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GEHRENBECK),EEB/IFD/OMA (SNOW/FIGUEROA) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PREL KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ FISCAL TRANSPARENCY REF: STATE 16737 ¶1. In response to reftel request, Embassy provides the following summary regarding Kyrgyz budgetary transparency. ¶2. The Kyrgyz Republic's budget is publicly released, and is available on the Ministry of Finance's website and in a regular edition of the state-run regulatory digest. ¶3. Gross figures are provided for revenues and expenditures in the budget. The State Statistical Committee generally provides figures for broad categories of expenditure such as education, defense and health care. However, the government does not generally release more detailed breakdowns, viewing such information as only necessary for its internal operations. While the budget is a guide to the government's plans, revenues and expenditures often vary from budgeted amounts. A recent unexpected revenue surplus has largely been spent on augmenting and expanding government programs. ¶4. The U.S. government, via a U.S. Agency for International Development program, has a project which aims to improve fiscal transparency and the economic policy decision-making and implementation process. Other donors have related programs seeking to enhance fiscal and economic policy-making in the Kyrgyz Republic. The International Monetary Fund has records on file concerning the Kyrgyz Republic's compliance with standards and codes covering fiscal transparency. YOVANOVITCH