Where exactly does our tax-payers money go???

It gets wasted by inefficient corrupt governments and councils.

I too would like to see how every penny is spent and then we can work out where it's being wasted.

I'm not getting into any philosophical, debates about where we should or should not spend money in my answer. Just going to give you the answer, and keep my personal thoughts on what is a waste or not out of it.

Well first of all, you can read the annual budget of the federal government, it is published and is in great detail. The book form is 30 some volumes of several hundred pages each.

Greater detail is available from the various funded bodies. You have to file FOIA, (freedom of information act) requests. That is how the media got the story years ago about the $1000 hammer. Of course not every detail is available as some are regarded as secret. However about 99% of the actual spending detail is available.

You can compare the authorized funding levels with the actual level of spending by each funded body. No agency/department/body, can or ever does, spend more than the authorized levels as the money is just not present in their accounts. On the reverse, they never let money go unspent, as that would trigger a reduction in the next years budget. So even if they don't need things this year, they spend the money somehow, that is a huge component of actual waste.

Generally the money is spent in 4 main areas, entitlement programs, interest on the national debt, military spending, and government operations.

I think a full accounts breakdown for the nation would fly right over the heads of 99.99% of the population. Including myself. Have you got the slightest idea of how big and complicated they would be?

Such a thing would probably cost a significant amount of taxpayers money to compile it and produce anyway. Then what are you really going to do with these immensely complicated accounts?

What do I care if it cost £423 to repair a lampost halfway down Nowhere Street, in Nowheretown.

The accounts of local and national governments are open to the public, you can write to your local mayor for permission to view the accounts and if you speak to your local MP the same can be arranged for general government. But be aware that it takes a very good accountant to sort out where the various monies have been spent.

They don't know. There is no way the government can track all it's expenditures. They send out bulks of monies and let bureaucrats do their thing. For modern day politicians, you solve a problem by throwing money at it. Then whatever's leftover goes to their reelection efforts.

It would be nice to know wouldn't it?

I don't know all the places it goes. I mean there is the obvious such as schools, health care, government etc.

Sadly though a huge amount goes to support the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan. Just imagine how we as a nation could benefit from that being poured into something more constuctive.

If you are in the UK you can see exactly where your money goes. It is published in departmental accounts such as the Statement on the Defence Estimates.

Yes we have the right to see how it's being spent. And how it is being spent is the very reason the budget is Secret.

And then there's the 4 billion/month war to pay for....

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I agree 100%

Probably should have access to most things that arent "sensitive". But hey, they'll just claim executive priviledge anyway