City's travel, transport costs below forecasts

Shanghai recorded 162 million yuan (US$23.9 million), 13 million yuan less than the budget, last year in the institutional spending involving business travel and cars, figures released yesterday showed.

The Shanghai Finance Bureau released the city's financial settlement for full-year 2017 and the budget implementation for the first half of 2018.

The city’s public spending on buying and using government cars, overseas trips and official receptions, known as “the three public expenses,” amounted to a total 549 million yuan in 2017 — 139 million yuan less than expected.

The bureau said the government’s fiscal and tax reforms and other policies and measures had vigorously promoted the sustained and healthy development of Shanghai’s economy and society. These included cutting, canceling or exempting administrative fees.