Citizen Budget creates Trust between Local Government and Citizens

Taunggyi Township Development Affairs Organization is the first local government to adopt the publishing of the citizens budget. Before this first report was published people in Taunggyi area couldn’t tell what their taxes were going toward. This is a huge step toward budget transparency. It’s also a huge step toward people gaining the trust of government and avoiding tax evasion. All over Myanmar there is a long-standing distrust between civilians and the government over the spending of taxes. Most people try to avoid paying taxes all together and some who cannot avoid tend to not be completely forthright in the true amount they do owe.
This step toward trust building allows citizens to make the connection between how their local taxes affect the spending on local services like solid waste management as stated in the article. The Asia Foundation was behind the research and the implementation of printing this first report on the budget. If this works to build trust between citizens and government in the localized setting of Taunggyi, you will see other local governments adopt the practice to encourage people to pay taxes for the betterment of their communities.