Thomas Allenspach (pictured), head of the Hauptswil-Gotthaus municipality, said, “It is important for local governments to raise their own financial resources and operate independently,” and that the model to be applied to the four special autonomous cities is a “federal system where complete autonomy and decentralization is achieved.” ‘I recommended its introduction.
On September 4, the joint reporting team interviewed Thomas Allenspach, head of the local government, at the Hauptville-Gotthaus government building.
After running a business in Singapore and other places, he returned to Hauptswil, his father’s hometown, and became the head of the local government. “Switzerland is a country with a good heart even in Europe. Due to strong social awareness and infrastructure, the Swiss population is continuously increasing. “The domestic and foreign population in our village is also increasing,” he said.
▶ Below are 1 question and 1 answer.
– Key issues regarding the office functions of basic local governments and the operation of local governments.
“It mainly deals with work related to SOC (social overhead capital) such as roads, water supply, and waste and sewage treatment. The most important thing is a transparent tax rate determination process through the residents’ general meeting. This is the core of local government operations. What residents are most interested in are welfare and taxation. The tax rate is determined at the general meeting of the local government, and residents’ consent is required to increase or decrease the tax rate. The executive body executes the agenda according to the opinions of residents. Taxation is also an important topic on the referendum agenda.”
– How are local government general meetings conducted?
“It is held twice a year. It is held at a budget and settlement general meeting. At the budget general meeting, the entire next fiscal budget is discussed and the salary of local government heads is also decided. At the closing general meeting, an accounting audit of last year’s budget is conducted. In this process, a report must be written and approved by residents for the process to proceed. Big projects in the village are also decided at the general meeting. “All processes are disclosed in detail on the local government website.”
– Hauptville-Goathaus’s financial independence and debt ratio.
“In our region, the secondary industry for collecting taxes is not very developed. Therefore, we need to increase our financial independence and invest in other sectors. In addition to taxes, our region’s biggest revenue comes from water and power facilities. “This alone is not enough, so residents and executive committee members are discussing it frequently.”
– Advice on the four special autonomous cities.
“We need to establish a system in which local governments have more authority and can raise their own financial resources. Since our region is small, we are preparing various ways to cover the insufficient taxes. We recommend the introduction of a federal system with complete autonomy and decentralization. Only then will there be a variety of things local governments can try. Korean society seems a bit rigid. “We need a system that can integrate residents.”
Joint reporting team/Gangwon Domin Ilbo Park Ji-eun, Chungcheong Today Ham Seong-gon, Jeonbuk Domin Ilbo Kim Seul-gi
#Provision #Financial resources #Complete #Autonomy and decentralization #Federal system
