In the morning of 24 May 2023, as per program of the ongoing 5th session of the 15th National Assembly, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan presented the audit report on the State budget final accounts for fiscal year 2021 to the National Assembly (NA).
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan presented the audit report on the State final accounts for 2021.
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan highlighted that after conducting the audit on the State budget final accounts in 2021 at both Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), along with summarizing key audit results from other audits conducted in 2022, SAV recommended taking measures to increase revenues and reduce expenditures by approximately VND 34.6 trillions, and handled other recomendations of more than VND 37 trillion; amended, supplemented or discarded, replaced and promulgated 270 new documents which were not appropriate with the applicable legal regulations or have not yet been suitable for practical application.
Regarding the state budget revenue estimates, Auditor General noted that, due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of its formulation, the Government’s cautious forecast led to the fact that State budget revenue estimation of 2020, upon which the estimates of 2021 were based, was low and estimates of some inappropriate revenue items in which localities made the collection of land use levy were lower than the collection capacity, leading to the excess of 74% of the implementation in 2021 in comparison with the allocated estimates.
Meeting session of the morning of 24 May
The audit results indicated that estimates of regular expenditures were allocated to Ministries, central agencies and localities at the lower pace than prescribed and were additionally allocated at the year's end, resulting in auditees being unable to implement on time, forcing them to transfer to other sources, and some having to discard allocated estimates.
The State budget expenditure estimates for development investment reached 96.6% against the plan with 9 Ministries and central agencies and 21 localities not allocating detailed capital plans in 2021 for the projects with a total of 9,027.33 billion VNDs in December 31, 2021.
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan emphasized that audit implementation result of the follow up on audit recommendations conducted by SAV in 2022 showed that 88.57% of auditees have fulfilled the recommendations on increasing revenues and reducing expenditures while 80.08% have complied with other recommendations, as of December 31, 2022.
In terms of the revision and supplement of policy mechanisms, 50 out of a total of 198 documents have been discarded, amended or supplemented by the Government, Ministries, central agencies and localities, based on SAV’s recommendations. Additionally, other recommendations are also being considered for revision by the entities in accordance with the regulations on issuance of legal documents.
NA deputies attends meeting session
SAV suggested that the Government and Prime Minister give direction to the Ministry of Finance, other Ministries, central agencies, localities and audited entities to fully and promptly implement audit conclusions and recommendations and simultaneously give direction to the MOF, MPI, central agencies and relevant localities to implement the audit recommendations on the State budget final accounts for the year 2021 of MOF and MPI. “Relevant Ministries and agencies are requested to conduct review and rectification related to proposing additional estimates of recurrent expenses estimates from foreign non-refundable aids that remain inaccurate and insufficient for settlement in 2021, leading to the fact that after the NA approved additional estimates for settlement, some entities only partially implemented or did not take any actions”, said Mr. Tuan.
During the session, Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee Le Quang Manh proposed that the Government should direct Ministries, sectors and localities to draw on past experience and correct the preparation and implementation of the state budget estimates and final accounts for the year 2021 which were not strictly enforced nor in compliance with the regulations; clarify the responsibilities of Ministries, sectors and localities with regard to the late submission of the state budget estimates and final accounts for 2021 and incomplete settlement, etc., affecting the evaluation, inspection and compilation of state budget revenue and expenditure settlements in 2021 and define a roadmap to completely resolve existing problems that have lasted for years./.