Accounting and Auditing Assessment

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    Tunisia Urban Development and Local Governance Program : Fiduciary Systems Assessment Report
    (Washington, DC, 2014-06-26) World Bank
    As part of the preparation of the Tunisia Urban and Local Governance Program (ULGP) using the Program for Results (PforR) instrument of the World Bank, the Bank task team carried out a Fiduciary Systems Assessment (FSA) of the Program in accordance with OP/BP 9.0. Based on the findings of the FSA, it is concluded that Program Fiduciary Systems have the capabilities to provide reasonable assurance that the financing proceeds will be used for intended purposes. However considering the existing weaknesses in Program Fiduciary systems, the residual fiduciary risk rating for the Program is rated as Substantial. The Program will finance a portion of the Government of Tunisia s (GoT) existing program for financing municipal service delivery that involves a combination of Capital Grants, and Loans in addition to the Own Source Revenues generated by the municipalities themselves. The PforR Program intends to reform the system of Capital Grants by making it predictable and based on an allocation formula that is principle based and transparent. It has been agreed with client counterparts that GoT will issue a Decree prior to the start of the Program that will spell out the design and operating rules of the reformed capital grant. Indicative allocations for Capital Grants will be included in the Five Year Plans and indicative allocations will be provided by MoEF in advance of the annual plan preparations. The budget allocations for Capital Grants will be transferred from the Treasury Current Account at the Central Bank (BCT) to the Caisse des Prêts et de Soutien des Collectivités Locales (CPSCL) (referred to as the Caisse), who will act as the Program Manager for the ULGP. Caisse will in turn transfer the grant funds to municipalities in accordance with the operating rules for the Unconditional and Conditional Capital Grants. Preliminary assessment of the Program expenditure framework shows that in addition to the changes in the design of the Capital grant through the proposed decree, additional steps such as publishing the indicative allocations of capital grants in advance and reforming the existing system of multiple ex-ante checks and controls into a coordinated system of ex-post controls are necessary for the efficient implementation of the proposed Program.
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    South Africa : Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes--Accounting and Auditing
    (Washington, DC, 2013-06) World Bank
    The main purpose of the South Africa Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes, Accounting and Auditing (ROSC A&A) is to determine reforms that will continue to improve the quality of financial reporting in South Africa. The review, requested by the Minister of Finance, was conducted to assess the status of implementation of policy recommendations in the prior 2003 ROSC A&A report, assess the institutional framework underpinning accounting and auditing practices in comparison with international standards and good practices in order to identify any emerging issues that require strengthening, share good practices adopted in the country, and propose policy recommendations addressing areas that require improvements. Implementation of the policy recommendations will further enhance the quality of financial reporting in the country, a key pillar that contributes to enhancing the business environment and advancement of governance and financial accountability in both the private and public sector entities. The review focuses on private sector. Financial reporting in public sector is assessed under public expenditure and financial accountability framework.
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    Bangladesh : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards
    (Washington, DC, 2007-05) World Bank
    This assessment of public sector accounting and auditing for Bangladesh is meant generally to help implement more effective Public Financial Management (PFM) through better quality accounting and public audit processes in Bangladesh and to provide greater stimulus for more cost effective outcomes of government spending. More specific objectives are (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common well-founded knowledge as to where local practices stand against the internationally developed norms of financial reporting and auditing; (b) to assess prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths for improving the accordance with international standards; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements.
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    Pakistan : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards
    (Washington, DC, 2007-05) World Bank
    This assessment of public sector accounting and auditing is generally meant to help implement more effective public financial management (PFM) through better quality accounting and public audit processes in Pakistan and to provide greater stimulus for more cost-effective outcomes of government spending. More specific objectives are (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common, strongly-founded, knowledge as to where local practices stand against the internationally developed norms of financial reporting and auditing; (b) to assess the prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths for improving the accordance with international standards; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements.
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    Sri Lanka : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007) World Bank
    This assessment of public sector accounting and auditing is generally meant to assist with the implementation of more effective Public Financial Management (PFM) through better quality accounting and public audit processes in Sri Lanka. It is intended to provide greater stimulus for more cost-effective outcomes of government spending. The specific objectives are (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common strongly founded knowledge as to where local practices stand in accordance with the internationally developed standards of financial reporting and audit; (b) to assess the prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths to reduce those variances; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements.
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    Maldives : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007) World Bank
    This assessment of public sector accounting and auditing standards is generally meant to assist with the implementation of more effective public financial management (PFM) through better quality accounting and public audit processes in Maldives. It is intended to provide greater stimulus for more cost-effective outcomes of government spending. The specific objectives are (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common well-based knowledge as to where local practices stand in comparison with internationally developed standards of financial reporting and audit; (b) to assess the causes of the prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths to reduce the variances; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements. Annex A explains the methodology used for the study. Annex B provides a summary of international accounting and auditing standards referred to in this study. Annex C and D provide country accounting and auditing legislation, respectively. Lastly, Annex E includes a description of the benefits of accrual accounting. The World Bank is supporting initiatives to develop local systems so that donors can increase their use of country systems for their own grants and loans.
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    Bhutan : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards
    (Washington, DC, 2007) World Bank
    The objectives of this report are: (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common well-founded knowledge as to where local practices stand in accordance with the internationally developed standards of financial reporting and audit; (b) to assess the prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths to reduce the variances; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements. The analysis in this report has been conducted in light of the strong measures being taken in the Kingdom of Bhutan to reform the accounting and auditing processes. The report addresses several issues such as: adopting international accounting standards in major public enterprises; implementing professional leadership in accounting and financial management; implementing a fully integrated, computerized government accounting system; drafting new acts on public financial management and combating corruption; strengthening the Royal Institute of Management (RIM); and providing training for finance, accounting, and internal audit staff in line ministries and other government agencies, heads of administration and finance divisions, and other managers.
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    Republic of Indonesia : Accounting and Auditing
    (Washington, DC, 2005-06) World Bank
    The Government of Moldova's Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (EGPRSP) lays out an ambitious plan for sustaining growth and poverty reduction and reshaping the government to meet the needs of a market economy. The public expenditures envisaged under this ambitious plan, however, vastly exceed the domestic resources available to the Government. Additional foreign budgetary support may help alleviate some of that resource constraint. Recognizing that the share of tax revenues and expenditures to GDP in Moldova already greatly exceed comparable international levels, generating additional domestic tax resources risks crowding out the private sector and undermining growth prospects. This suggests that in order to finance higher order public expenditures priorities, the Government needs to create fiscal space from within the existing resource envelope. This will require inter and intra-sectoral reallocation of expenditures and an increase in the efficiency of public spending rather than increasing the relative size of government.
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    Tanzania : Accounting and Auditing
    (Washington, DC, 2005-04) World Bank
    This report provides an assessment of accounting and auditing practices within the context of the Tanzania institutional framework, to ensure the quality of corporate financial reporting. Various weaknesses and encouraging advancements were identified in the course of the review. Company legislation is outdated. A revised Act provides for modernized requirements but has shortcomings and is still not effective. Some laws specify particular accounting requirements that do not align with International Financial Reporting Standards/International Accounting Standards (IFRS/IAS). Parastatals lack a single statutory financial reporting act and there is no law, or regulatory body monitoring financial reporting by pension funds. On a positive side, the Auditors and Accountants Act has facilitated the development of an enabling environment for strong accounting practices, and the mandatory appointment of professional accountants for entities meeting thresholds. Another positive development was the adoption of IFRS/IAS and International Standards on Auditing (ISA) in 2004. However, full compliance is not yet readily achieved and national ethical requirements for auditors have not kept up to date with international developments. While the National Board of Accountants and Auditors (NBAA) has made a significant contribution to accountancy development over the past decade, the professional education however, is not yet in line with International Educational Standards, and neither is the NBAA able to function effectively either as a regulator, or, a professional accountancy body. The policy recommendations provided in this report focus on improving the statutory framework, strengthening enforcement mechanisms, upgrading professional education and training, and enhancing capacity of regulatory and professional bodies. Establishing an independent oversight body is a major recommendation. The oversight body would be responsible for adoption, monitoring, and enforcement of IFRS/IAS - based and ISA-based accounting and auditing practices of public interest entities. In addition, stakeholders should agree on criteria to clarify which entities should be eligible to use the standards of the International Accounting Standards Board for small- and medium-size enterprises, when available.
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    Republic of Poland : Accounting and Auditing
    (Washington, DC, 2005-02) World Bank
    This report acknowledges the very significant progress achieved by Poland under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, since publication of the first accounting and auditing ROSC report in July 2002. This report provides an assessment of accounting, financial reporting, and auditing requirements and practices within the enterprise and financial sectors in Poland. Companies are required to prepare their financial statements in conformity with Polish accounting requirements, based on the Fourth and Seventh European Union (EU) Company Law Directives, and provide a simplified financial reporting framework for small and medium sized enterprises. Banks are required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with endorsed International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and their legal entity financial statements in conformity, either with accounting regulations set by the Minister of Finance based on the Banking Accounts Directive, or, with endorsed IFRS. Insurance companies are required to prepare their financial statements in conformity with accounting regulations set by the Minister of Finance based on the Insurance Accounts Directive. Companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange are required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with endorsed IFRS. This report recommends that public interest entities be required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS. Clearly, this measure would go a step ahead of the current requirements of the acquis, as this is not yet required by the EU-other than for the consolidated financial statements of listed companies-however, the ROSC team believes that it would be valuable for enhancing the transparency of financial reporting of public interest entities. This report shows that priorities should now turn to building the monitoring, supervisory, and disciplinary regimes necessary to ensure effective compliance. This assessment demonstrates that the effective enforcement of accounting, auditing and ethical standards is the next challenge that Poland has to tackle. While the report highlights a major program of required reforms to ensure practices catch up with recent regulatory enhancements, the report commends Poland for its achievements to date, some of which go beyond what is presently required by the acquis communautaire and what "peer" large EU Member States are presently doing.