CHAPTER SEVEN#
FINANCE#
ARTICLE 113#
No tax, duty, impost or exercise shall be imposed, increased, reduced or abolished except by law. No exemption from payment of any tax, duty, impost or exercise imposed by law shall be granted except as authorized by law.
ARTICLE 114#
None of the public revenues shall be expended except as authorized by law.
ARTICLE 115#
The fiscal year shall be fixed by special law. The Council of Ministers shall, each year, with the approval of the Emperor, and in accordance with the requirements of the law, present to Parliament a draft of a law for the approval of the budget of the following year, which budget shall accompany the said draft of the law.
ARTICLE 116#
Each of the Chambers of Parliament shall examine the said budget in detail and vote on it item by item. Parliament shall under no circumstances increase the total sum set down in the budget for expenditures. The allowances for unforeseen expenses in the said budget shall be fixed by Parliament. Parliament shall complete the budget vote for submission to the Emperor, at least one month before the beginning of the new fiscal year.
ARTICLE 117#
If the draft of law presented as provided in Article 116 has not been approved by Parliament and proclaimed as law before the beginning of the fiscal year, the budget of the previous year shall continue in force until a new budget law has been proclaimed.
ARTICLE 118#
If additional funds are urgently required in the course of any fiscal year, the Minister or Ministers concerned shall present a supplementary budget to the Council of Ministers, who, with the approval of the Emperor may present an appropriate draft of law to the Chamber of Deputies.
ARTICLE 119#
No loan, or pledge, guaranty or collateral therefore may be contracted for, within or without the Empire, by any governmental organization within the Empire, except as authorized by law, duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Article 88, 89 or 90 of the present Constitution.
ARTICLE 120#
Within four months after the end of the fiscal year the Council of Ministers shall present to the Emperor and to Parliament a detailed report on the receipts and expenditures of the said year. The report shall be immediately referred to the Auditor General, who shall, within three months, present his comments thereon to the Emperor and to Parliament.
ARTICLE 121#
There shall be an Auditor General who shall be appointed by the Emperor. He shall be a person who is known to be of the highest character, as well as to possess the requisite technical capacity. His functions shall be defined by law. They shall include the auditing of the accounts of all Ministries, departments and agencies of the Government, and the making of periodic reports to the Emperor and to Parliament on the fiscal operations of the Government. The Auditor General shall at all times be entitles to have access to all books and records relating to the said accounts.