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Gov’t collection system insufficient-Auditor General 2013 Report

Auditor General, Sonia M. Webster, in her 2013 Audit Report—laid before the House of Assembly some weeks ago—has unearthed many troubling issues. Photo: Team of Reporters
Auditor General, Sonia M. Webster, noted in the Report that “the supplementary amounts posted by the Ministry of Finance to the central accountant system, contained discrepancies, which resulted in errors in the budget allocations for recurrent and development expenditure and the related variances on the system.” Photo: VINO/File
Auditor General, Sonia M. Webster, noted in the Report that “the supplementary amounts posted by the Ministry of Finance to the central accountant system, contained discrepancies, which resulted in errors in the budget allocations for recurrent and development expenditure and the related variances on the system.” Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - Auditor General (AG), Sonia M. Webster, in her 2013 Audit Report—laid before the House of Assembly (HoA) some weeks ago—has unearthed many troubling issues.

Ms Webster noted that “our examination of the government’s revenue collection offices revealed some instances where internal controls were insufficient to safeguard the collection process.” 

She stated in the report that weaknesses stemmed primarily from inadequate supervision of the cashiers, delays in depositing revenues and delays in processing remittances received through the mail.

 "If unchecked, these can open the door to irregularities in collections activity,” Ms Webster cautioned.

More issues- wrong information 

In her report, the Auditor General pointed out too, that ‘According Officers’ responsible for collecting revenue are required to submit to the Accountant General, an annual return of arrears of revenue.

This, according to the Auditor General, is required, "whether or not any arrears have accrued or any recovery has been made."

However, according to Ms Webster, “this requirement is not currently being complied with, and has become even more relevant with the introduction of accrual basis accounting”. 

In her report, she also noted that “the supplementary amounts posted by the Ministry of Finance to the central accountant system, contained discrepancies, which resulted in errors in the budget allocations for recurrent and development expenditure and the related variances on the system.”

6 Responses to “Gov’t collection system insufficient-Auditor General 2013 Report”

  • What!! (15/08/2018, 15:44) Like (10) Dislike (0) Reply
    “2013 auditor general report” FIVE years late!
  • retired (15/08/2018, 15:55) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    lock them up
  • duh (15/08/2018, 17:45) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    Why is a 2013 report only being brought before the house now? Where has it been for the past 5 years?? Fishyy
  • ------------------ (15/08/2018, 21:30) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    ndp and these late reports when is election yall?
  • Political Observer (PO) (15/08/2018, 23:13) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    A certified audited financial report (CAFR) should be completed every year no later than 3 months after the budget year ends. For example, the CAFR for 2013 should have been completed by 31 March 2014. But here it is August 2018 and it is just being completed. How can the government function effectively without the audited report(s)? It cannot; it is operating blindly in the dark. Is the government just incompetent or its action was deliberate? Was the cost of not doing the audits less than doing them?

    The government still needs to release calendar years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Was any work done on these years and if no, why not? Nevertheless, Sonia Webster, Auditor General, has indicated substantial weaknesses and vulnerabilities in collecting and depositing revenues. Consequently, the Financial Secretary should instantly implement strong internal and management controls. The BVI people deserve exemplary stewardship and demonstrated strong fiduciary responsibility.


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