Yucatán obtained the first place nationally in the State Budget Information Barometer (BIPE) Index, published by the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), by achieving a perfect score of 100% in compliance with the 116 criteria of the evaluation corresponding to the fiscal year 2023. This is the result of Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal’s efforts to achieve a more transparent and efficient administration in the planning of public resources for the better quality of life of Yucatecan families.
According to this study, which seeks to measure and improve the quality of budgetary information in the states through state income and expenditure budgets, this is the second consecutive year in which the state achieves a perfect score, an achievement that had never been reached before this administration.
In 2017, the state was ranked 12th; subsequently, in 2019, after the Governor promoted actions to safeguard and strengthen the state budget, it advanced to 4th place with a score of 99.1 points, one of the top 3 states with the most progress.
This evaluation has become a reference point for best practices in budgetary information and public finances, reaffirming that the administration of Mauricio Vila Dosal is effectively managing public resources for the benefit of the citizens.
The BIPE comprises 116 evaluation criteria, grouped into 10 sections, each measuring a different dimension of public finances: Initial Access, Income Law, Classifications, Powers/Departments/Organizations, Municipalities, Tabulators and Positions, Financial Obligations, Federal Resources, Specific Items, and Criteria.
Likewise, it assesses the availability and quality of information on the use of public resources by the 32 state executive powers, with the purpose of improving the quality of budgetary information reporting and promoting the fight against opacity in the management of public resources.
Furthermore, the main financial rating agencies in the country have endorsed the solidity of Yucatán’s public finances. This year, HR Ratings increased Yucatán’s credit rating from “AA-” to “AA,” even considering the financing of the Altura Port Expansion in its analysis; Moody’s improved the state’s outlook to Positive, reaffirming its credit profile at “A+”; while Fitch Ratings confirmed Yucatán’s credit quality rating at “A+”.
These evaluations confirm that Governor Mauricio Vila’s financial policy is yielding results. Yucatán has sound finances, reflecting three strategies: exercising public resources with austerity and discipline, managing the level of indebtedness, and reducing financial contingencies; and investing the budget resources in actions that will generate more growth, income, and equitable development for the entire state.
The Austerity Agreement of the Government of Yucatán 2018-2024 laid the foundation for efficiency and responsibility in the use of public resources.
Some of the provisions included the dissolution of the Secretariats of Labor and Social Welfare, Youth, the Institute of Museums and History of Yucatán, the State Electrification Board, and the State Institute for the Fight Against Corruption, whose functions were absorbed by the Administrative Justice Tribunal and the Anti-Corruption Vice-Prosecutor’s Office.
Additionally, the number of trust officials was reduced by 20%; the heads of state government agencies do not have cell phone services charged to the public treasury, and a total of 300 cell phone lines, 50% contracted by the state government, were canceled.
Similarly, luxury vehicles, some with a commercial value of over 900,000 pesos, were eliminated, and rented vehicles were returned. A total of 500 vehicles ceased to be rented, saving 60 million pesos per year, and additionally, this measure saved 30 million pesos on fuel.
Likewise, the Budget and Expenditure Exercise Consultative Council of the State Government was created, mostly composed of citizens, and it is now included in the State Budget and Governmental Accounting Law, after approval by the local Congress of the proposed reform to ensure the permanence of this body, sent by the Executive Branch, thus contributing to strengthening transparency and accountability.
It is worth mentioning that IMCO considers the creation of this Council a good national practice.
Thanks to these and other measures of austerity and financial discipline, this administration has avoided expenses totaling more than 1,000 million pesos annually.
In addition, Governor Mauricio Vila managed to avoid a payment of 740 million pesos and recovered the Ticul Hospital, a project that had been unfinished for over 10 years; the debt generated by the construction and operation of the Grand Museum of the Mayan World was also reduced, avoiding a payment of more than 1,500 million pesos.
TYT Newsroom
