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MADRID Freedom of information in Spain came one step nearer Friday after the recently-elected government agreed to introduce a bill in response to widespread disgust over corruption and mismanagement by elected officials of both main political parties.

The country's Cabinet agreed to put forward legislation that will allow Spaniards to find out more about how their money is spent by government. Spain, which is struggling to get its public finances under control, is one of Europe's few countries without wide-ranging freedom of information legislation.

"It is a law whose main goal is improve the credibility of and trust in our institutions, especially government ones," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said.

The legislation will take months to come into effect, after an unprecedented 15-day period in which the general public can make suggestions on what should be accessible to them and how the law should work. After that, the bill has to be go through normal Parliamentary procedures.

Though the salaries of the prime minister and government ministers are already public information, as are the national budget and much other money-related data, not all of it is easy to access.

But under the new bill, information on subjects including senior public servants' salaries and detailed data on government contracts and subsidies will be published online. Spaniards will also be able to file requests for other kinds of information providing it does not breach national security or personal privacy.

The goal of the new law is to make public officials at all levels much more accountable for how they spend taxpayer money. People will be able to get information just by the click of a mouse.

"It is a law that tries to give rigor to compliance with budget and financial obligations that were unknown until now, but will serve to restore credibility to all levels of government," Saenz de Santa Maria said.

News of the Cabinet's support for a package that should make for more open government comes as the country struggles to avoid the same fate as other indebted European countries. The newly-elected conservative government is trying to convince investors that it has a strategy to deal with its debts so it won't follow Greece, Ireland and Portugal in needing a bailout.

Concerns have swelled recently after figures showed the country's borrowing last year was way more than expected, due in large part to overspending by regional governments but also because the economy is shrinking and laying siege to tax revenues.

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Spain edges closer toward freedom of information law

The MP for Warrington South raised the issue in the House of Commons on Wednesday during a debate on the budget.

He highlighted the broadcaster's admission that it had 318 people earning more than 50,000 without paying tax at source, saying: "That is not acceptable.

Mr Mowat, a member of the Commons public accounts committee (PAC), added: "The review that is being conducted across government ... explicitly excludes the BBC. I ask ministers to reconsider that."

The BBC disclosed that it has 20,000 salaried staff and "typically" 12,000 freelancers in any year.

Its response said: "Around 3,000 of these choose to provide their services via a limited company." It added that 1,363 workers paid through limited companies earn above 26,000 a year.

Stephen Barclay, another Tory MP on the PAC, said: "This reply shows that there is a need for much greater transparency at the BBC because the figures do not include so many people from BBC's talent which covers its main presenters and its commercial operations.

"There is also a duty on the BBC Trust over accountability to check whether people who are employed through these companies do not have rolling contracts running every year and are working exclusively for the BBC."

A BBC spokesman said:"We have written to Mr Mowat to correct him explaining that these individuals are not permanent members of BBC staff so do not have their tax deducted at source in the way a the vast majority of employees do.

"In the main they are hired to do specific jobs for a fixed period of time such as directing, editing and other craft skills. When a person is contracted in this way it is their responsibility to organise their tax arrangements directly with the HMRC.

"This is entirely in keeping with HMRC regulations and is standard practice across the broadcasting and many other industries."

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PLS LEGAL Thousands of BBC workers paid through limited companies

A Wake County judge has issued a temporary restraining order to shut down a Charlotte tax preparation company, which the N.C. Attorney Generals office claims charged exorbitant fees and misled customers about refund anticipation loans.

The order targets three Instant Tax Service locations, at 2712 Freedom Drive and 1520 West Boulevard Suite J, Charlotte, and 316 E. Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a statement that the company charged fees of $700 to $800 for simple tax returns without disclosing the fees. Such returns cost around $200 at other national tax preparers, Cooper said.

Cooper also said the company filed returns for customers without their permission, after the customers brought in a recent paystub to see if they could receive loans against their anticipated refunds. Filing someones taxes without their permission is not only wrong but its against the law, said Cooper.

Instant Tax Service owner Eden Kidane could not immediately be reached for comment by phone or email.

The company advertised in Charlotte on the radio and on television. Thats where Charlotte resident Artessia Freeman said she saw that she could be eligible for a loan of up to $1,000 against an anticipated refund. According to a sworn affidavit, she brought a paystub to the Instant Tax Service on Freedom Drive to see if she could get a loan.

A man identified only as Antez convinced her to sign some forms, Freeman said in the affidavit, and then told her he could give her a loan for $100. She took the check, although no time frame for repayment was given. He never mentioned anything about filing my taxes, Freeman said.

After hearing that other customers had their taxes filed without their permission by Instant Tax Service, Freeman said she grew concerned and contacted the Internal Revenue Service. She learned that state and local tax returns had been filed for her, Freeman said, and she was owed a $4,129 federal refund.

When she contacted Instant Tax Service, Freeman said they wouldnt give her copies of her tax returns. They gave her $3,230.05, or $895.95 less than the federal refund. Minus the $100 loan she owed, Freeman said she believes the company charged her nearly $800 for a simple tax return.

I never gave them permission to file my tax returns, Freeman said in the affidavit. If they had told me they were charging me $798.95 to do my taxes, I would have declined.

In total, the Attorney Generals office received 136 complaints about the business, and the Charlotte Better Business Bureau said the business has received over 500 complaints this tax season.

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Judge shuts down Charlotte tax preparation company

MADRID (AP) -- Freedom of information in Spain came one step nearer Friday after the recently-elected government agreed to introduce a bill in response to widespread disgust over corruption and mismanagement by elected officials of both main political parties.

The country's Cabinet agreed to put forward legislation that will allow Spaniards to find out more about how their money is spent by government. Spain, which is struggling to get its public finances under control, is one of Europe's few countries without wide-ranging freedom of information legislation.

"It is a law whose main goal is improve the credibility of and trust in our institutions, especially government ones," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said.

The legislation will take months to come into effect, after an unprecedented 15-day period in which the general public can make suggestions on what should be accessible to them and how the law should work. After that, the bill has to be go through normal Parliamentary procedures.

Though the salaries of the prime minister and government ministers are already public information, as are the national budget and much other money-related data, not all of it is easy to access.

But under the new bill, information on subjects including senior public servants' salaries and detailed data on government contracts and subsidies will be published online. Spaniards will also be able to file requests for other kinds of information providing it does not breach national security or personal privacy.

The goal of the new law is to make public officials at all levels much more accountable for how they spend taxpayer money. People will be able to get information just by the click of a mouse.

"It is a law that tries to give rigor to compliance with budget and financial obligations that were unknown until now, but will serve to restore credibility to all levels of government," Saenz de Santa Maria said.

News of the Cabinet's support for a package that should make for more open government comes as the country struggles to avoid the same fate as other indebted European countries. The newly-elected conservative government is trying to convince investors that it has a strategy to deal with its debts so it won't follow Greece, Ireland and Portugal in needing a bailout.

Concerns have swelled recently after figures showed the country's borrowing last year was way more than expected, due in large part to overspending by regional governments but also because the economy is shrinking and laying siege to tax revenues.

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Spain moves toward freedom of information law

JAZIAL CROSSLEY

New Zealand stocks were down today, taking a lead from weak markets offshore.

Asian sharemarkets suffered after news that manufacturing in China had pulled back and comments from a high profile economist that the Chinese economy was struggling more than expected.

The NZX50 index was down 0.7 per cent or 25.34 points to 3449.30.

Craigs Investment Partners investment advisor Chris Timms said while there were pockets of strength on the bourse, most of the major trading companies were down.

"There have been a couple of indications the Chinese economy has slowed down - the last couple of days the data out of China hasn't been quite as good. That has taken a bit of a gloss off, but it has still been a pretty strong week in terms of the sharemarkets. People are having a breather - we've had such a good run on the markets [with the NZX at nine month highs] so there is just some profit taking on some stocks," Timms said.

"Fletcher Building is down 2.2 per cent to $6.80, that's major drag on our market. Fletcher Building is the most liquid stock in our market so if we get a bit of a sell-off overseas it seems to get sold off, and it's been quite sold off quite heavily today."

Finzsoft shares rose 2c or 5.3 per cent to 40c after restructuring its leadership team with the departure of chief executive Mark Sewell.

Under the move Andrew Holliday and Ian Wills will join the executive team as joint managing directors with immediate effect, and the CEO role will fall away. Holliday and Wills have been majority shareholders and directors of Finzsoft since they acquired 64% of the company in June 2007.

The leading decliner was investment holding company Guinness Peat Group, down 2.9 per cent to 50c. Jewellery retailer Michael Hill International fell 2.9 per cent to $1.02.

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NZ stocks down on offshore weakness