The Ministry of Finance has appealed to the Public Accounts Committee to direct the Auditor-General to include in its report responses and rectification done by the ministry on infractions they have been cited for.
Representing the Ministry at the sitting on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, Deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare said it should not only be at the public sitting that people get to know that institutions have rectified the infractions they were cited for but the rectification should also be captured in the report of the Auditor-General.
She said the Ministry takes the report and recommendations of the Auditor-General seriously as part of the public financial management.
She disclosed that the Ministry had taken steps to rectify the issues raised by the Auditor-General in its 2018 report which the Committee is currently considering.
According to her, since the report was released, they had taken significant steps to address the findings and particularly in respect of our revenues. That is tax irregularities”.
She revealed before the committee that they had addressed about 85% of the outstanding liabilities through the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The Deputy Minister added that in the nature of the business there are outstanding tax liabilities that are under dispute, and until they have been resolved, they cannot proceed to address them.
She went on to state that the issue of contract irregularities and procurement breaches have been addressed fully and was hopeful that the Ministry would not be cited for such infractions again.
She assured the committee that ”the Ministry and its agencies are committed to ensuring the prudent management of our finances and we would ask that you continue to support us”.
When asked if the Ministry was prepared to sponsor an amendment of the constitution to appeal a reality, she said it would be in the public interest, the Ministry would be prepared to do so.
But the Chair James Klutse Avedzi who doubles as the Deputy Minority Leader asked her to withdraw the conditional statement since she had already established that the appeal was in the public interest.
The Chair then assured her that the issue would be discussed further.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
