FISCAL TRANSPARENCY IN SURINAME

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000097 SIPDIS EEB/IFD/OMA FOR JULIA JACOBY WHA/CAR FOR JACKIE ROSHOLT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PREL NS SUBJECT: FISCAL TRANSPARENCY IN SURINAME REF: SECSTATE 28885 ¶1. (U) The following response is keyed to reftel; government fiscal matters are largely transparent in Suriname. Q: Is the central government expected to receive or is it already receiving U.S. foreign assistance funded using FY 09 funds? A: Yes. The Government of Suriname (GOS) has and will continue to receive FY 09 funds. Q: Is the host country's budget publicly available? A: Yes. The budget is printed annually and the public may purchase copies from the Ministry of Finance. Q: Are incomes and expenditures included in the publicly-available budget? A: Yes. As in most countries, however, the budget for certain activities (e.g., intelligence activities and some military spending) are not made public. The State Accounting Council also complies and publishes a report on actual expenditures after spending for the year is complete. ¶2. (SBU) COMMENT. Publicly-available budgetary expenditures are generally accurate. However, these line items inconsistently meet the budgetary needs of the ministries. END COMMENT. SCHREIBER HUGHES