Final answer:
Spending variances occur when budgeted costs for the actual level of activity are compared with actual costs for that same level, which helps in financial management assessment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Spending variances are generated when budgeted costs for the actual level of activity are compared with actual costs for the same level of activity. This comparison is crucial to understand how well a company or a government is managing its finances in association with the level of economic activity or demand for products and services. When companies prepare their budgets, they often do so at different levels of projected activity and spending variances help in identifying the difference between what was expected to be spent (budgeted) and what was actually spent.