How to Check Integrity of Fiscal Data

Pokar Khemani and Benoit Wiest

No 2016/004, IMF Fiscal Affairs Department from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: The accuracy and reliability of government accounts and fiscal data is an issue in a number of countries, with significant and persistent discrepancies that can indicate underlying weaknesses in the country’s public financial management system. This note provides guidance on how to detect issues with data quality, perform integrity checks, and reconcile fiscal data from various sources. It discusses the importance of reconciliation to provide reasonable assurance on the quality and reliability of government fiscal data, explores the main reasons for which discrepancies may arise, and explains how to conduct quality checks. The note concludes with recommendations for country teams of concrete steps to ensure data quality.

Keywords: FADHTN; HTN; balance; bullet; suspense account; bank account; debt; bank reconciliation; government debt; revenue code; accounting system; cash deficit; balances of suspense accounts; year-end cash balance; central bank; Government finance statistics; Fiscal accounting and reporting; Financial statistics; Budget planning and preparation; Middle East and Central Asia; Asia and Pacific; Western Hemisphere; Europe; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19
Date: 2016-11-04
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