Reports and Testimony: October 1989. Special Publication, Managing the Cost of Government: Proposals for Reforming Federal Budgeting Practices

摘要

The report, the latest in a series on financial management issues, presents GAO's proposals for overhauling federal budget practices to provide policymakers and the public with a clearer and more accurate picture of the Nation's finances. The report recommends restructuring the current unified budget by reporting it in three major parts; general, trust, and enterprise funds; with each of these components divided into operating and capital amounts. Other proposals include reporting future costs not now included in budget documents, negotiating politically binding multiyear agreements on the broad shape of the budget, and otherwise streamlining the budget process to avoid fragmentation and duplication.