Nearly month after deadline, govt agencies still to release spending data

BEIJING - At least 12 central government departments, including the anti-corruption authority, are nearly a month behind on reporting how much they spent in 2010.

By Wednesday, the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and nine other central government departments had not released figures showing how much they had spent this past year on receptions, overseas trips and official vehicles. Nearly a month ago, the State Council, China's Cabinet, had exhorted the departments to release such information before June 30.

Among the other 86 departments that have released spending figures online, the biggest spender was the State Administration of Taxation and its branches, which spent nearly 2.2 billion yuan ($336.4 million) in 2010 to purchase and fuel up cars, to receive guests and to arrange overseas trips for officials. On the other end, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, a department responsible for alleviating poverty in rural China, spent 1.45 million yuan on the three items this past year.