Chinese ministries reveal wide gap in basic pay and allowances
For the first time, mainland ministries disclose the remuneration levels for civil servants
State organs have given a breakdown of their employees' pay, with the Ministry of Public Security revealing it spent nearly six times more on allowances than on basic salaries, an alarmingly wide gap that invited corruption, one expert said.
Nearly 100 state ministries, commissions and institutions posted their final accounts for 2014 on their websites on Friday, an annual exercise that began under the previous leadership in a bid to increase transparency. But under a new amendment to the Budget Law, they can no longer give rough numbers and must detail their spending.
So far, 82 state organs have released figures for their spending on salaries, benefits and allowances, which amounted to 96 billion yuan (HK$121 billion) - just 8 per cent of their total budget.
On average, they spent more than twice as much on allowances than on basic salaries, according to a review carried out by The Beijing News.
While the gap was widest at the security ministry, the General Administration of Customs was not far behind - with basic pay just a fifth of allowance levels.
Analysts said the different levels reflected the stage of the nation's development. "The base salary at state organs has always been at a low level compared to [counterparts] in developed regions, especially civil servants salaries in Hong Kong," said Zhao Xijun, a finance professor at Renmin University. "It's a special case of China, which is decided by the development stage and system."
The 82 agencies spend a total of 244 million yuan on salaries, and 521 million yuan on allowances, according to the News. In only 11 groups did basic pay outstrip allowances.