Why is the Accounting Chamber investigating casino taxes? What is behind the audit of KRAIL
20 March 20:04
The current government is preparing the ground for tax cuts for gambling organizers. This opinion was expressed by MP Nina Yuzhanina in her Telegram channel.
The politician came to this conclusion after the report that the Accounting Chamber (AC) is conducting an audit of KRAIL activities entitled Gambling Business: Expectations and Reality.
As part of this audit, the Accounting Chamber is interviewing gambling organizers to collect information about the functioning of the current system of taxation of their activities, administration of taxes, fees and other payments in the field of organizing and conducting gambling, the impact of this system on gambling organizers and possible ways to improve its work.
“What does the taxation system have to do with the efficiency of the KRAIL? The Accounting Chamber has no authority to review the taxation system at all,” Yuzhanina wrote.
The parliamentarian explained that according to the current legislation, the Accounting Chamber has the right only to audit the effectiveness of the use of tax exemptions and tax administration to ensure revenues.
“Well, the topic of audit has taken on new colors and it has become clear whose expectations the Accounting Chamber is concerned with. And there is no doubt that the Accounting Chamber has lost its subjectivity,” the MP stated.
In her other post, Nina Yuzhanina drew attention to the fact that the message published on the Accounting Chamber’s website with the manipulative headline “US Support in 2022-2024: The Accounting Chamber Confirmed the Use of Funds in Accordance with the Agreements” raised a lot of questions, although in fact it contains only factual data on the audits of international financial assistance to Ukraine.
The text refers to the audits conducted by both the previous Accounting Chamber staff and the current management. The main purpose of the audits is to analyze the correctness of the use of funds and the compliance of financial statements with the established norms.
- Financial audit of the USD 1.1 billion grant
The audit was carried out by the previous Accounting Chamber. The audit covered the financial statements and compliance of financial transactions with the requirements of the law. No violations were found. The report is dated July 14, 2023. - Audit of the effectiveness of US budget support at the beginning of the full-scale invasion
The audit covered the period from January to July 2022, and the amount of support amounted to $1.7 billion. The audit analyzed the Treasury’s data on the receipt of funds, the Ministry of Finance’s reporting to USAID and the World Bank, and the use of funds to pay salaries to healthcare workers. The detected minor overpayments to some medical institutions did not affect the legitimacy of the use of funds. Report dated December 21, 2023. - Audit of the effectiveness of budget support from the United States and other donors in 2022
The amount of 1.088 billion euros allocated for the vital needs of the population was audited. The auditors checked the compliance of the recipients of funds with the requirements of grant agreements, in particular with regard to educators and healthcare workers. Recommendations were made to improve procedures. The report was published on December 21, 2023. - Audit of the Effective Use of REASE Project Loans and Grants, in Particular from the U.S. Government, for the Sustainability of Pension Payments
The amount of $12.7 billion received in 2022-2023 was audited. It analyzed the compliance of the use of funds with the terms of the grant agreements, expenditure restrictions and control measures. As a result, the Accounting Chamber recommended that the Pension Fund improve its work processes and ensure better integration of state registers for the transparency of payments. The report is dated October 22, 2024.
“That’s all. I believe that misleading citizens through false headlines when presenting information by a state institution deserves a response from the competent authorities,” summarized Nina Yuzhanina.
