地方公務員給与 自治体はもっと削減努力を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 13, 2012)
Local govts need bigger ax to slash personnel costs
地方公務員給与　自治体はもっと削減努力を（11月11日付・読売社説）

Slashing personnel costs is a crucial task for local governments and from the viewpoint of rebuilding the central government's finances. It is essential that local governments redouble their efforts to cut expenditures.
　地方の人件費圧縮は、国の財政再建にも重要な課題だ。
　自治体の削減努力が求められる。

With preparations for compiling a state budget for fiscal 2013 under way, the Finance Ministry announced provisional calculations regarding salary levels of local government employees.
　２０１３年度予算の編成に向け、財務省が地方公務員の給与水準に関する試算を発表した。

The Laspeyres index--an indicator that compares local government employees' salaries against a base of 100 for salaries of central government workers--stood at 106.9 for fiscal 2012, marking a reversal for the first time in nine years, according to the estimates.
　国家公務員を１００としたときの地方公務員の給与水準を示すラスパイレス指数が、１２年度は１０６・９となり、９年ぶりに国と地方の給与が逆転した。

Salaries in more than 80 percent of about 1,800 local entities across Japan exceeded the pay pocketed by central government employees.
　全国約１８００自治体の８割以上が国より高水準だった。

This seems partly due to the fact that the central government decided to cut its employees' salaries for two years from fiscal 2012 to raise funds for budgetary appropriations for reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　東日本大震災の復興予算を捻出するため、国家公務員の給与を１２年度から２年間、引き下げた措置が影響しているのだろう。

Salaries of local government employees are stipulated by ordinances, mainly after consultations between municipalities and trade unions of their workers. The central government has no say in pay scale decisions by local governments.
　地方公務員の給与は労組との協議などを経て、自治体が条例で決める。国に決定権はない。

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Averse to pay cuts

However, local government employees' salaries are paid from local tax grants allocated by the central government, in addition to local tax revenues.
　ただ、その財源となるのは、地方税などに加え、国から配分される地方交付税交付金だ。

These tax grants, which are designed to help local governments make up for budget deficits, have reached more than 17 trillion yen a year. The central government funds these grants by incurring debts. Providing cash for local tax grants has been a major cause of the central government's fiscal crunch, along with fast-ballooning social security costs.
地方の財源不足を補う１７兆円超の交付税は国が借金しながら支えており、社会保障費と並んで国家財政を圧迫する要因となっている。

Personnel costs account for about one-fourth of the more than 80 trillion yen in total expenses of local governments throughout Japan. Curtailing employees' salaries is essential for turning around the finances of chronically debt-ridden local governments.
　地方全体の歳出８０兆円超のうち給与が４分の１を占める。公務員給与の削減は、借金体質が続く地方財政の改革に不可欠だ。

Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada, who chairs the Association of Prefectural Governors, has bristled at the Finance Ministry's suggestion that local government workers' salaries must be cut. He said the central government "should recognize the efforts being made by local governments" to reel in budget deficits.
　財務省の指摘に対し、全国知事会長の山田啓二京都府知事は「地方の努力を評価してもらわないと困る」と反発し、

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Shinji Tarutoko also joined the chorus of criticism, saying the Finance Ministry was "making figures arbitrarily, apparently with the aim of misleading public opinion. This is extremely inappropriate."
樽床総務相も「勝手に数字を出して世論をミスリードするのは甚だ不適切だ」と不快感を表明している。

The way salaries of local government employees are determined is baffling for several reasons.
　しかし、地方公務員給与の現状をみれば、首をかしげたくなるような面も少なくない。

Salary levels for a local government are decided, in principle, after checking salaries of other local entities and the central government, as well as salary trends in the private sector.
　給与水準は国や他の自治体、民間の動向を踏まえて決定することになっている。

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Fringe benefits too generous

According to the Finance Ministry, workers at local governments in every prefecture earned larger pay packets than the average monthly pay of private business employees. Local government monthly salaries were more than 100,000 yen higher than company employees' salaries in Aomori, Akita and Ehime prefectures, the ministry noted.
だが、財務省によれば、全都道府県で民間の平均月額給与を上回る。青森、秋田、愛媛３県は１０万円以上多い。

Aside from regular administrative positions, local government employees handling cleaning and bus-driving duties are paid 1.5 times the amount their private-sector counterparts receive. The figures are 1.9 times higher for security guards and and 1.8 times for telephone operators.
　一般職以外でも、清掃関係やバス運転手は民間の１・５倍、警備員は１・９倍、電話交換手が１・８倍などと厚遇ぶりが目立つ。

Some local entities pay employees housing allowances--a perk already abolished for central government employees. Others give special allowances to teachers for accompanying school excursions and supervising high school exams.
　国家公務員では廃止された持ち家手当を温存し、修学旅行の引率や高校入試の監督まで特殊勤務手当で支給する自治体もある。

Both the ruling and opposition camps appear reluctant to take up the issue of local government salaries. They seem afraid of antagonizing local entities when a House of Representatives election is likely to be held soon.
　与野党とも衆院選を前に地方の反発を恐れ、地方公務員の給与問題には及び腰となりがちだ。

Community residents and assemblies should press harder for administrative reform of local governments.
　地域の住民や議会が一層の行政改革を迫ることが重要だろう。

When the consumption tax rate is raised to 10 percent from October 2015, revenue from 1.54 percentage points of the five-point hike will go to local governments' coffers, which they can use at their discretion.
　１５年１０月に消費税率が１０％に引き上げられた段階で、増税５％のうち１・５４％分は自治体に回り、自主財源となる。

Given this, local governments should remain aware of their responsibility to further cut expenditures to ensure fiscal matters are handled effectively and properly.
地方は一段と歳出削減に取り組み、メリハリのある財政運営を行う責任がある。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 11, 2012)
（2012年11月11日01時19分 読売新聞）