Should government spending be more transparent?
As the UK government gets set to fleece taxpayers across the country in order to replenish the nation's bank account and correct the budget deficit, how many of us actually know how out taxation is spent on an annual basis?
While you see the headlines regarding spending plans for the future, new jobs in the civil service, expenses for MPs and many other spending programmes over the years, how is taxation income actually spent and what return do taxpayers receive?
While there are a number of consumer rights groups and taxpayer alliances across the UK, fighting for the right to know how your money is spent, the debacle of the MPs expenses scandal perfectly illustrates how difficult it can be. Surely it is time for the UK government and the UK authorities to sit up and take notice of UK taxpayers and the need to know how their money is spent. Surely it is time to make government spending as transparent as possible and give taxpayers the inside track regarding how their money is spent.
Many people believe that the fight back against MPs expenses is the start of a campaign for greater transparency across government and across local authorities up and down the UK. Whether this will come in the short, medium or long term remains to be seen but one thing is for sure it will be a battle!
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