Financial independence of local self-government authorities in the context of budget decentralization

The article deals with the problem of independence / dependence of local self-government of the Slovak Republic in the context of financial reform and budget decentralization. Financial reform and budget decentralization, as reform ideologues in Slovakia, have been defined as an opportunity to ensure the independence of local self-government. In general, administrative reform in the Slovak Republic can be divided into three stages. At the first stage (1990-1993) the basic level of self-government - communities (municipalities) was determined and the division into state administration and local self-government was carried out. There was a separation from the Soviet model of public administration, local self-government was given the powers defined by law. However, in financial terms, most communities remain dependent on central budget resources. At the second stage of reforms (1993-1998) a dual system began to emerge - when local self-government and public administration coexisted. In general, such a system allowed the state to have a major influence on local government decision-making and to redistribute community resources manually. The third stage of reforms (1998-2005) is characterized by extreme reforms. The powers of public administration and local self-government were clearly shared. In the process of deconcentration of power, most of the powers were gradually transferred from state government to local government. Local self-government remained at two levels: community (municipality) - base level and territories – higher, land level. At the same time, public administration was maintained at the sub-level – the district (okres), average between communities and territories. An important problem of financial reform and budgetary decentralization was ensuring the independence of local budgets. As a result of the reform, a tax was defined - a personal income tax, which was distributed in some proportion between the community budget, the territory budget and the central budget. An exclusive list of taxes that could be charged on the benefit of communities and provinces was determined. Therefore, they received guaranteed sources of budget revenue. We have analyzed the effectiveness of budgetary decentralization on two criteria: the guaranteed budget revenues and the level of financial independence / dependence of local government budgets. In Slovakia, local government has guaranteed sources of revenue. It is both the right to charge one's own taxes and the distribution of the personal income tax. This system has been stable since 2005 and has not changed. However, the analysis of revenue receipts showed that the budgets of the region are very dependent on resources from the central budget. That is, they do not have enough revenue receipts from the sources defined by law. Community budgets show greater independence by having more tools to pump up their budgets.