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Download Officials face removal from their posts if they are found overspending on vehicles, receptions and overseas trips, according to new regulation released on Monday. The regulation issued by the State Council are the first legal documents that ask authorities above county level to include spending. The rules will take effect from Oct 1. The regulation is the latest in a series of moves the central government has taken in recent years to promote transparency and fight abuse of taxpayers' money amid public complaints. Liu Jiayi, head of the National Audit Office, said earlier that the "three expenses" concept, as it is known, is still not clear among government officials. Also, many ministries and their affiliates have spent more than allowed on those items. According to the regulation, anyone who overspends on the items or misappropriates funds from other budget items to cover them will be demoted or even removed from their posts in the case of "serious" violations. The same punishment will be applied to other misconduct, such as retaining more official vehicles than the allowed quota, spending more than allowed on cars and interior decoration, and building luxurious office facilities. Governments will have to regularly publish numbers and categories of official vehicles, according to the regulation. It also asks governments above county level to set up a system, standards and cost ranges for official receptions. | 
