Wasteful spending of taxpayer money is a common problem at both the central and local governments, according to preliminary data from a government-spending review released Friday by the Finance Ministry.
The study, being conducted at the behest of Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa, is aimed at assessing how efficiently taxpayer money is spent. Outlays being covered in the report include those funded under the fiscal 2002 budget and previous budgets.
As an example of wasteful spending, the study cites 13 Defense Agency vehicle-inspection facilities that have been operated at between 30 percent to 45 percent capacity. The facilities were funded by outlays of between 92 million yen and 648 million yen from fiscal 1998 to fiscal 2000, according to the report.