USAID and the Salvadoran Ministry of Finance inaugurated an educational area called Exprésate (Express Yourself), to teach young students ages 15 to 20 the importance of tax collection for the country and the population’s well-being.

The Exprésate center was developed as an awareness-raising strategy aimed at students from public and private schools, following consultations by the Ministry of Finance with private sector and civil society organizations in order to establish a fiscal transparency policy.

Through its Fiscal Policy and Expenditure Management Program, USAID has worked with the Ministry of Finance to make this educational project a reality. USAID invested $80,000 to set up the Exprésate center, as well as $40,000 in equipment, including audiovisual equipment and a high technology computer lab, so that young visitors can learn how to navigate both the Ministry of Finance and the Fiscal Transparency websites.

Each section of the Exprésate center has specific objectives that promote analysis and understanding of what the Ministry of Finance does to advance the development of El Salvador. Through a tour of the area –built as a theme park–, youth will be able to express their ideas about the Ministry of Finance’s performance, and particularly about fiscal topics.  The center also includes a history of tax collection in the world as well as in El Salvador.  Students will also learn how paying taxes can help achieve sustainable development.

Once the Exprésate center is open, the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with the Ministry of Education will coordinate the center’s operations, which is expected to receive between 1,300 to 1,500 high school students each year.

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