The townships are in an even more embarrassing financial condition, with many of them relying on supplementary allocations for more than 90 % of their expenditures. The fact that local governments are entirely dependent on financial support from higher up the chain of government, and that all expenditure has to be approved at a higher level too, makes the entire concept of local self-rule a farce.
尤其鄉鎮層級更是窘況畢露，許多鄉鎮竟然百分之九十以上的經費都要向上級政府伸手，項目和金額都需由上級政府核定，完全失去了地方自治、自主的功能。