Purchase of Province-Guaranteed Bonds by the Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund

Report ID: 352

From March to October 2018, the Austrian Court of Audit (ACA) and the Court of Audit of Carinthia carried out an audit of the agreement on the purchase of province-guaranteed bonds by the Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund (Kärntner Ausgleichszahlungs-Fonds) pursuant to Section 2a of the Financial Market Stability Act (Finanzmarktstabilitätsgesetz). In this context, the provincial parliament of Carinthia addressed an audit request to both the ACA and the Court of Audit of Carinthia.

The audit institutions performed the audit jointly in order to prevent a duplication of efforts. The audit aimed at presenting the initial situation and at assessing the development and structure as well as the approval, financing and implementation of the second offer. The auditors furthermore looked into the costs and the remaining economic risks. The audited period essentially spanned the years from 2015 through 2017. 

Central recommendations

1. The Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund should step up its efforts in order to attain an adequate premium reduction for the liability insurance of the executive board.
2. In the interest of encouraging competition and compliance with the principles of economy and efficiency, the Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund should award service contracts only via a public procurement process or after at least three reference offers have been solicited.
3. As regards the negotiations with the Heta Asset Resolution AG (HETA), the Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund should, against the backdrop of the interim distributions that have in the meanwhile taken place, carry out a legal assessment of a rapid and appropriate write-down and the possibility of withdrawing the HETA securities in order to achieve a subsequent reduction in custodian fees.
4. The province of Carinthia and the Carinthian Compensation Payment Fund should carry out an analysis of possible further steps of the hold-outs or other creditors, taking into consideration the cost-benefit ratio, or commission suitable lawyers or experts to ensure best possible pre-paredness for such judicial or extrajudicial steps.

Source: https://www.rechnungshof.gv.at/rh/home/news/news/news_1/Erwerb_von_landesbehafteten_Schuldtiteln_durch_den_Kaerntne.html

Making it easier to start a business - A report on public sector digitalisation by the SAIs of the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden

Report ID: 264

The co-operation on carrying out a parallel audit on public sector digitalisation was decided by the Auditor Generals of the SAIs of the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden at the Nordic Supreme Audit Institutions’ meeting in August 2017.

Between 2018 - 2019, the  participating SAIs conducted parallel audits on government agencies’ initiatives for simplifying the process of starting a business using digital tools. The co-operating SAIs wished to highlight an important area for public sector digitalisation. Starting a business was chosen as an audit topic, with focus on the process of starting a restaurant. Simplifying the process of starting a new business using digital tools is an objective in all participating countries, as efficient processes are beneficial for both entrepreneurs and the public sector.

The report presents the findings from the five national audits carried out during 2018–2019, are presented and discussed. The report contains general observations and conclusions but no joint recommendations. The SAIs followed an agreed audit approach, including the same audit questions, audit criteria, methodology and approach, while allowing for a certain flexibility to take national considerations into account in the separate national audits.

Source: https://www.riksrevisjonen.no/globalassets/reports/en-2019-2020/joint-report_start-business.pdf

Bericht über die von NKÚ und BRH durchgeführte koordinierte Prüfung der MwSt. im Rahmen der Mini-One-Stop-Shop-Regelung

Report ID: 346

Die Obersten Rechnungskontrollbehörden (ORKB) der Tschechischen Republik und der Bundesrepublik Deutschland arbeiten bereits seit vielen Jahren erfolgreich auf dem Gebiet der Umsatzsteuer zusammen und haben auch zwei koordinierte Prüfungen durchgeführt. Die beiden ORKBn beschlossen, sich erstmals mit dem Thema E-Commerce und Umsatzsteuer zu befassen, wobei sie aktuelle wirtschaftliche Entwicklungen aufgriffen und eine gemeinsame Prüfung durchführten. Prüfungsgegenstand war die Besteuerung von digitalen Dienstleistungen, die von EU-Unternehmen an private Verbraucher in der Europäischen Union erbracht werden. Die Prüfung umfasste den Zeitraum vom 1. Januar 2015 bis zum 30. Juni 2017.

Ziel der Prüfung war es, zu untersuchen:

- wie die Steuerbehörden der beiden Länder ihrer EU-Verpflichtung zur Umsetzung des MOSS nachgekommen sind;

  - aufkommende Schwierigkeiten bei der Umsetzung; und

 - inwieweit das MOSS-System geeignet ist, die Erhebung der Umsatzsteuer sicherzustellen. Beide ORKBn fassten ihre Erkenntnisse in nationalen Berichten zusammen und verfassten auf dieser Grundlage den gemeinsamen Bericht.

Bericht auf Englisch: https://intosai-cooperativeaudits.org/catalog/report/report-on-the-coordinated-audit-carried-out-by-nk-and-brh-on-vat-under-the-mini-one-stop-shop-scheme

Quelle: https://www.nku.cz/assets/publications-documents/other-publications/joint-report-vat-under-moss-scheme-2019-de.pdf