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Qatar

Which countries lead in budget accountability? Which ones need improvement? Explore our data and recommendations for each of the 125 countries assessed.
Open Budget Survey Results

Public Participation

0

Budget Oversight

6

Transparency

2

Open Budget Survey 2023

Government budget decisions – what taxes to levy, what services to provide, and how much debt to take on – have important consequences for all people in society. When governments provide information and meaningful channels for the public to engage in these decisions, we can better ensure public money is spent on public interests.

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The Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative and fact-based research instrument that uses internationally accepted criteria to assess public access to central government budget information; formal opportunities for the public to participate in the national budget process; and the role of budget oversight institutions, such as legislatures and national audit offices, in the budget process.

The survey helps local civil society assess and confer with their government on the reporting and use of public funds. This 9th edition of the OBS covers 125 countries.

Summary
Country Specific Assessments
Country summary EN
pdf, 241.99 KB
Questionnaire EN
pdf, 891.77 KB
2 /100

This part of the OBS measures public access to information on how the central government raises and spends public resources. It assesses the online availability, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of eight key budget documents using 109 equally weighted indicators and scores each country on a scale of 0 to 100. A transparency score of 61 or above indicates a country is likely publishing enough material to support informed public debate on the budget.

Transparency in Qatar compared to others

Global Average
45
Jordan
60
Egypt
49
Morocco
47
Saudi Arabia
26
Lebanon
17
Tunisia
16
Algeria
15
Iraq
8
Qatar
2
Sudan
2
Yemen
0
0
Insufficient
61
Sufficient
100

Qatar’s ranking: 121 of 125 countries

0
100

How has the transparency score for Qatar changed over time?

0
2012
0
2015
0
2017
1
2019
2
2021
2
2023
0
Insufficient
61
Sufficient
100

Public availability of budget documents in Qatar

Key
Available to the Public
Published Late, or Not Published Online, or Produced for Internal Use Only
Not Produced
Scroll
Document 2012 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
Pre-Budget Statement
Executive’s Budget Proposal
Enacted Budget
Citizens Budget
In-Year Reports
Mid-Year Review
Year-End Report
Audit Report

How comprehensive is the content of the key budget documents that Qatar makes available to the public?

Key
61-100 / 100
41-60 / 100
1-40 / 100
Scroll
Key budget document Document purpose and contents Fiscal year assessed Document content score
Pre-Budget Statement Discloses the broad parameters of fiscal policies in advance of the Executive's Budget Proposal; outlines the government's economic forecast, anticipated revenue, expenditures, and debt. 2023 Internal Use
Executive’s Budget Proposal Submitted by the executive to the legislature for approval; details the sources of revenue, the allocations to ministries, proposed policy changes, and other information important for understanding the country's fiscal situation. 2023 Internal Use
Enacted Budget The budget that has been approved by the legislature. 2023 Internal Use
Citizens Budget A simpler and less technical version of the government's Executive’s Budget Proposal or the Enacted Budget, designed to convey key information to the public. 2023 50
In-Year Reports Include information on actual revenues collected, actual expenditures made, and debt incurred at different intervals; issued quarterly or monthly. 2022 Internal Use
Mid-Year Review A comprehensive update on the implementation of the budget as of the middle of the fiscal year; includes a review of economic assumptions and an updated forecast of budget outcomes. 2022 Internal Use
Year-End Report Describes the situation of the government's accounts at the end of the fiscal year and, ideally, an evaluation of the progress made toward achieving the budget's policy goals. 2021 Internal Use
Audit Report Issued by the supreme audit institution, this document examines the soundness and completeness of the government's year-end accounts. 2021 Internal Use

Qatar’s transparency score of 2 in the OBS 2023 is largely the same as its score in 2021.

Recommendations

Qatar should prioritize the following actions to improve budget transparency:

Publish the Pre-Budget Statement, Executive's Budget Proposal, Enacted Budget, In-Year Reports, Mid-Year Review, Year-End Report and Audit Report online in a timely manner.
Improve the comprehensiveness of the Citizens Budget.
The Shura Council should publish the outcomes of discussions on the citizen budget and the inputs regarding budget allocation.
0 /100

The OBS assesses the formal opportunities offered to the public for meaningful participation in the different stages of the budget process. It examines the practices of the central government’s executive, the legislature, and the supreme audit institution (SAI) using 18 equally weighted indicators, aligned with the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency’s Principles of Public Participation in Fiscal Policies , and scores each country on a scale from 0 to 100.

Qatar has a public participation score of 0 (out of 100).

Public participation in Qatar compared to others

Global Average
15
Egypt
35
Morocco
15
Jordan
4
Tunisia
4
Qatar
0
Algeria
0
Iraq
0
Lebanon
0
Saudi Arabia
0
Sudan
0
Yemen
0
0
Insufficient
61
Sufficient
100

For more information, see here  for innovative public participation practices around the world.

Extent of opportunities for public participation in the budget process

0
/100
Formulation
(executive)
0
/100
Approval
(legislature)
0
/100
Implementation
(executive)
0
/100
Audit
(supreme audit institution)
Key
0-40: Few
41-60: Limited
61-100: Adequate

Recommendations

To further strengthen public participation in the budget process, Qatar's Ministry of Finance should prioritize the following actions:

Pilot mechanisms to engage the public during budget formulation and to monitor budget implementation.
Actively engage with vulnerable and underrepresented communities, directly or through civil society organizations representing them.

Qatar's Shura Council should prioritize the following actions:

Allow members of the public or civil society organizations to testify during its hearings on the budget proposal prior to its approval.
Allow members of the public or civil society organizations to testify during its hearings on the Audit Report.

Qatar's State Audit Bureau should prioritize the following actions to improve public participation in the budget process:

Establish formal mechanisms for the public to assist in developing its audit program and to contribute to relevant audit investigations.
6 /100

The OBS examines the role that legislatures and supreme audit institutions (SAIs) play in the budget process and the extent to which they provide oversight; each country is scored on a scale from 0 to 100 based on 18 equally weighted indicators. In addition, the survey collects supplementary information on independent fiscal institutions (see Box).

The legislature and supreme audit institution in Qatar, together, provide weak oversight during the budget process, with a composite oversight score of 6 (out of 100). Taken individually, the extent of each institution’s oversight is shown below:

Legislative oversight

0
6
100
weak

Audit oversight

0
6
100
weak
Key
0-40: Few
41-60: Limited
61-100: Adequate

Recommendations

Qatar's Shura Council provides weak oversight during the planning stage of the budget cycle and no oversight during the implementation stage. To improve oversight, the following actions should be prioritized:

The legislature should debate budget policy before the Executive’s Budget Proposal is tabled and approve recommendations for the upcoming budget.
The Executive’s Budget Proposal should be submitted to legislators at least two months before the start of the budget year.
Legislative committees should examine the Executive’s Budget Proposal and publish reports with their analysis online.
The legislature should approve the Executive’s Budget Proposal before the start of the budget year.
A legislative committee should examine in-year budget implementation and publish reports with their findings online.
In practice, ensure the legislature is consulted before the executive shifts funds specified in the Enacted Budget between administrative units; spends any unanticipated revenue; or reduces spending due to revenue shortfalls during the budget year.
A legislative committee should examine the Audit Report and publish a report with their findings online.

To strengthen independence and improve audit oversight by the Qatar State Audit Bureau, the following actions are recommended:

Require legislative or judicial approval to appoint and remove the head of the supreme audit institution.
Grant the supreme audit institution full powers to undertake audits as it sees fit.
Ensure the supreme audit institution has adequate funding to perform its duties, as determined by an independent body (e.g., the legislature or judiciary).
Ensure audit processes are reviewed by an independent agency.

The emerging practice of establishing independent fiscal institutions

Qatar does not have an independent fiscal institution (IFI). IFIs are increasingly recognized as valuable independent and nonpartisan information providers to the Executive and/or Parliament during the budget process.

*These indicators are *not* scored in the Open Budget Survey.

Methodology

Only documents published and events, activities, or developments that took place through 31 December 2022 were assessed in the OBS 2023.
 
The survey is based on a questionnaire completed in each country by an independent budget expert:

For inquiries please contact the International Budget Partnership

[email protected]
To further strengthen the research, each country’s draft questionnaire is also reviewed by an anonymous independent expert, and in Qatar by a representative of the Ministry of Finance.
Past reports
Years
Language
Country summary EN
PDF, en
Questionnaire EN
PDF, en
Country summary AR
PDF, ar
Country summary EN
PDF, en
Questionnaire EN
PDF, en
Country summary AR
PDF, ar
Country summary EN
PDF, EN
Questionnaire EN
PDF, EN
Country summary AR
PDF, AR
Questionnaire EN
PDF, EN
Country summary EN
PDF, EN
Country summary AR
PDF, AR
Questionnaire EN
PDF, EN
Country summary EN
PDF, EN
Country summary AR
PDF, AR