Publication: Bosnia and Herzegovina : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment
Date
2014-05
ISSN
Published
2014-05
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The fiscal system in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (BiH) is highly decentralized, reflecting the
provisions of the country s constitution. The general
government sector consists of four relatively autonomous
units: BiH Institutions, Brcko District (DB), and two
Entities, Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and
Republican Srpska (RS). BiH Institutions are at the central
government level (governed by the BiH Council of Ministers);
and each Entity has its own government, extra-budgetary
funds (EBFs), and local self-governance units. The structure
in FBiH has 10 cantons that serve as a middle level of
government between the government of FBiH and local
self-governance units, and each canton has its own
government and some EBFs. Cantons were not covered by this
Report, but could be covered later as a sub-national PEFA
assessment. A Fiscal Council was created in 2008, with the
objective to coordinate fiscal policies for the sake of
common interest of BH Institutions, Entities and Brcko
District. For the most important role of fiscal
coordination, preparing the Global Framework of the Fiscal
Balance and Policy, in practice the Fiscal Council decides
on revenues from indirect taxation and the budget of BiH
Institutions, thereby creating preconditions for budget
planning at lower level of governments, which are
responsible for over 90 percent of public expenditures.
Given that key government functions (social policy,
subsidies, education, etc), are performed at sub-national
level, timely decision making on BiH Institutions revenues
from indirect taxes is important in enabling timely
implementation of their respective budgets.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2014. Bosnia and Herzegovina : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment. © Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20768 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”