Saturday 28 May 2016
Hongying Cai, Professor and Dean of the Public Finance and Administration faculty of the Hubei University of Economics, presented and thanks the symposium participants.
Xiangjun Chen, Vice President of the Hubei University of Economics, introduced the work of the symposium.
Michel Bouvier expressed his pleasure to once again be back in Wuhan and at the Hubei University and thanked the symposium organizers for the outstanding and warm welcome of the Fondafip delegation. He emphasized the quality and interest of the fundamental thought that is taking shape at the Hubei University under the impetus of Mrs Hongying Cai.
Michel Bouvier in his introductory report discussed the drive to reform local finance in France. He recalled that it was triggered by the oil shock of the 1970s. Jianguo Xu reported on the replacement of the turnover tax by the value added tax (VAT) in China. Yan Li presented the control of the Local People’s Congress over the budget, its scope of application and how it works.
In the first round table on financing sources and the jurisdiction of local and regional authorities Benoît Bayenet presented Belgian federalism, its organisation, the jurisdiction and financial resources at each level of the local and regional authorities, as well as the vertical equalization mechanisms that are used to offset regional inequalities. Caichen Ma discussed the territorial administrative organisation in China. Nicaise Mede described local borrowing in France and in African countries. Urszula Zawadzka-Pak reported on the characteristics of the local financial system in Poland. Peng Xiao covered the economic reforms in China against the backdrop of the substantial growth in recent decades. Carine Riou prepared a table on the responsibilities of the French local and regional authorities.
Sunday 29 May 2016
In the second round table on the financial management of local and regional authorities, Zhiyong Chen discussed the financial risks for local budgets that are related to the massive level of urbanisation in China. Carine Riou presented the balanced budget rule of French local and regional authorities as well as the resulting obligations. Marie-Christine Esclassan commented on the characteristics of the taxation power of French local and regional authorities and demonstrated that this power had decreased since the 2010 reform. Xuchun Yang presented the tax system of the Hubei Province, its revenues and its management expenses. Laure-Alice Bouvier reported on the reform of public-private partnership contracts in France that has lead to the development of partnership markets.
In thelast round table devoted to the controls of local and regional authorities, Abdelmjid Boutaqbout presented the administrative control of local finances in Morocco; Xing Lin covered the development of and changes in value added tax(VAT) in China. Catherine de Kersauson presented the judicial controls performed by the regional audit chambers. Hongying Cai discussed the budgetary controls of the People’s Congress in China, revised and supplemented in 2014. Moad Sidqy presented the institutionalisation and the practice of public policy assessment in Morocco.
Xiangjun Chen thanked all Chinese and French participants and attendees. Michel Bouvier ended the two-day conference by stating that public finance is not only a technical matter but also raises questions on how society is organised. Further attention must be paid to the finances of local and regional authorities which are the essential links to daily living environments.
