Taxpayers get more say on spending

JIAOZUO, Henan: A number of local governments across the country are giving taxpayers a greater say in how their money is spent.

"After three decades of reform, it's high time for us to monitor in detail how the governments at various levels decide budgets and how they spend them," China Development Research Foundation's Secretary-General Lu Mai told a seminar on Sunday.

Among the pilot cities, residents in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and Wuxi in Jiangsu province, voted in 2007 on 63 projects, such as libraries and parks, involving an investment of around $11 million.