III.

Arguments For and Against

Accrual Accounting
1. Introduction

P art II of this report described the trend—at least among developed

countries—towards adoption of accrual budgeting and accounting.
This part considers the factors influencing this trend. In addition to this
introduction, it comprises the following sections. Section 2 describes
the reasons given for government adoption of accrual budgeting and
accounting. Section 3 examines arguments against accrual accounting
and Section 4 concludes.

2. Arguments in Favor of Accrual Accounting

This section describes the arguments put forward in support of govern-
ment adoption of accrual accounting. It is based on information from a
variety of sources, including ADB, OECD and IMF publications.16 For
reasons already described, governments differ from private sector
organizations. In particular, aggregate (whole-of-government)
accounting information is used for different purposes from organization-
level information (e.g., a government ministry). As such, the first subsec-
tion examines accrual accounting at the aggregate level and the second
subsection takes the organization-level perspective.

16
Primary sources:
• Diamond, Jack. 2002. Performance Budgeting: Is Accrual Accounting Required?
Working Paper WP/02/240. Washington, DC: IMF.
• IFAC. 1996. Perspectives on Accrual Accounting. Occasional Paper 3. New York:
Public Sector Committee.
• IMF. 2002. Government Finance Statistics 2001 Companion Material. Washington, DC.
• IMF. 2001. Manual on Fiscal Transparency. Washington, DC: Fiscal Affairs
Department.
• Mellor, Thuy. 1996. Why Governments Should Produce Balance Sheets.
Australian Journal of Public Administration. 55(1). March. pp. 78-81.
• OECD. 2002. Accrual Accounting and Budgeting: Key Issues and Recent Developments.
PUMA/SBO (2002)10. Paris.
• Schiavo-Campo, Salvatore and Daniel Tommasi (eds.). 1999. Managing Government
Expenditure. Manila: ADB.
• World Bank. 1998. Public Expenditure Management Handbook. Washington, DC.
16 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

At the Aggregate (whole-of-government) Level

The definition of the aggregate government entity differs between coun-
tries and depends on their constitutional and public sector management
arrangements. For instance, the United Kingdom (UK) consolidates
local government information into their government financial state-
ments, whereas the United States (US) does not. This particular issue
(the reporting entity) is described further in Appendix 2.
Among other things, aggregate government financial informa-
tion should support judgments and decisions on the17
• effect of government decisions on aggregate demand—for instance, how
are changes in the composition of government spending likely to
affect overall economic activity, in the short, medium and long run?
• accountability of executive government—for instance, to what extent
has government delivered on its stated intentions?
• sustainability of fiscal policies—for instance, are tax reductions sus-
tainable in the long run (in comparison to changes in net asset /
debt levels?
The remainder of this subsection examines the usefulness of
accrual-based information against these objectives.

Aggregate demand: measuring the effects of government activities

SNA 1993 provides instructions on preparing macroeconomic statistics,
particularly national accounts (see page 8). The publishers of SNA (EU,
IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank) contend that SNA favors accrual
accounting over cash accounting because (i) the timing of accrual
accounting is fully consistent with the way SNA defines economic
activities and other flows; and (ii) accrual accounting can be applied to
non-monetary flows.18
The IMF presents similar arguments in favor of the accrualiza-
tion of GFS. For example, under cash accounting, the interest paid on a
zero-coupon bond would not be recorded until the bond matures, which
could be many years after the expense was incurred (see Box 3).19

17
Based on papers prepared by the New Zealand Treasury when considering whether
government budgets should be accrual-based (New Zealand Treasury. 1993. Reports
of the Fiscal Indicators Working Party. Unpublished documents).
18
UN. 1993. System of National Accounts (SNA) Manual. New York. paras. 3.92–3.96.
19
IMF. 2001. Government Finance Statistics Manual. paras 3.47–3.53. Washington, DC.
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 17

Box 3. Cash and Accrual Treatment of a Zero-Coupon Bond

Consider a 5-year, $1,000,000, zero-coupon treasury bond that is sold for $700,000. The
following example illustrates the differences in treatment between cash accounting and
accrual accounting (the interest expense calculation is based on a yield-to-maturity of
7.394%).

Year
Total
0 1 2 3 4 5
Cash Basis
Cash Flows 700 0 0 0 0 -1000 -300

Accrual Basis
Operating Statement: Interest expense 0 52 56 60 64 68 300
Balance Sheet: Outstanding liability 700 752 808 868 932 0*

* Obligation is fully paid in year 5, thereby eliminating the outstanding liability.

Furthermore, the IMF contends that separating current and

capital transactions is useful for analyzing the economic impacts of fis-
cal policy. By providing information on depreciation and asset valuation
changes, accrual information allows better judgments to be made on the
quality of government investments and the sustainability of fiscal policy.
It also removes the conflicting treatment of sales of financial equity and
physical assets.20

Financial information as a basis for government accountability

Government accountability arrangements differ markedly among coun-
tries depending, among other things, on electoral arrangements, political
institutions and the degree of decentralization. However, these differ-
ences are generally not important when considering the appropriateness
of fiscal information as a basis for accountability.
More comprehensive. The IMF considers the accrual basis superior
“because all resource flows are recorded, including internal transactions, in-
kind transactions and other economic flows. This comprehensive recording
permits the integration of flows with changes in the balance sheet.” In any
case, accrual reports also provide a cash flow statement. Conversely, cash-
based accounts normally do not differentiate between expenses and
acquisitions of nonfinancial assets (such as buildings). Under the accrual
basis, acquisitions of nonfinancial assets are recorded separately.21

20
IMF. 2001. Manual on Fiscal Transparency. Washington, DC: Fiscal Affairs Department.
21
IMF. 2001. Government Finance Statistics Manual. Washington, DC. paras 3.47–3.53.
18 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Simpler and easier to understand. Cash accounts generally comprise

a single income and expenditure statement—in contrast to the multiple
statements and notes provided by accrual information. In practice, cash-
based government financial statements tend to be idiosyncratic and dif-
ficult to understand and interpret. Conversely, accrual financial state-
ments are familiar to a wide range of people (e.g., businesspeople, finan-
cial journalists and credit rating agencies).22
“…prior to the New Zealand reforms, ... [government] financial state-
ments and budgetary documents … could not be easily understood even
by accountants and financial experts in the private sector ... The [adop-
tion of accrual accounting] changed this dramatically.” 23
Lower borrowing costs. Credit rating agencies are familiar with
accrual information through their private sector activities. There is evi-
dence from the US that “states that use accrual information borrow at
better terms than those states that use solely cash information.”24
Harder to manipulate. Both cash and accrual information can be
manipulated, but many non-technical people believe cash accounts to be
less prone to manipulation than accrual information.
Accrual information can be manipulated by (i) selecting favor-
able accounting policies; (ii) making favorable assumptions, for instance
on discount rates; and (iii) managing accruals. Cash information can
also be massaged by: (i) selecting favorable accounting policies; (ii)
changing payment and receipt dates: (iii) changing the reporting entity;
and (iv) classifying current items as capital items or vice versa (for
instance, privatization proceeds might be shown as revenue).25
In the absence of independent cash-focused accounting princi-
ples, cash information is more easily manipulated than accrual informa-

22
Ball, I., T. Dale, W. D. Eggers and J. Sacco. 1999. Reforming Financial Management in the
Public Sector: Lessons US Officials Can Learn From New Zealand. Policy Study No. 258. Los
Angeles: Reason Public Policy Institute. Reason Foundation.
23
Campos, J. E. & Pradhan, S. 1997. Evaluating public expenditure management
systems: an experimental methodology with an application to the Australia and New
Zealand reforms. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 16(3), 423-445. p. 432
24
Brumby, Jim in Schiavo-Campo, Salvatore and Daniel Tommasi (eds.). 1999. Managing
Government Expenditure. Manila: ADB. p. 360.
25
For further information on creative cash accounting practices, see: Diamond, Jack.
2002. Performance Budgeting: Is Accrual Accounting Required? Working Paper WP/02/240.
Washington, DC: IMF.
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 19

tion.26 For instance, the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, together with the
Stability and Growth Pact, set the basis for the European Economic and
Monetary Union (EMU). Several European countries manipulated their
cash-based fiscal information in order to achieve the fiscal targets set
out in these agreements, To combat these practices, the European Sys-
tem of Accounts (ESA 95) mandated accrual-based accounting stan-
dards.27
More comparable and consistent. The IMF contends that accrual
information improves understanding of the underlying fiscal position by
removing year-to-year variability caused by the timing of cash receipts
and payments (particularly capital payments).28
The revised GFS and the major macroeconomic statistical sys-
tems (SNA, balance of payments, and monetary and financial statistics)
use the accrual basis.29 Consequently, preparing government financial
statements and forecasts on the accrual basis improves the accuracy of
national accounts and economic forecasts (see Box 4).

Box 4. SNA Accounting Basis

“A choice has to be made, recognizing (a) the needs of macroeconomic analysis, (b) mi-
croeconomic views, and (c) commonly available sources. Often, in this respect, a distinc-
tion is drawn between recording flows on a cash basis, due-for-payment basis and
accrual basis. The System recommends recording on an accrual basis throughout.”
Para. 3.91. SNA 1993 Manual
SNA = System of National Accounts.

Financial information on the sustainability of fiscal policies

Financial markets and credit rating agencies are particularly interested
in the sustainability of financing and expenditure policies. The IMF con-
tends that accrual financial statements provide a richer set of informa-
tion for analyzing the sustainability of fiscal policy and the quality of
fiscal decision-making.30

26
Behaviors of the US government in response to Gramm-Rudman-Hollings incentives
and those of European governments regarding Maastricht criteria, belie the common
belief that cash information is less manipulable than accrual information. For a fuller
discussion, see Easterly, W. 1999. When Is Fiscal Adjustment an Illusion? Paper 2109,
World Bank Country Economics Department. Washington, DC: World Bank.
27
Buti, Marco and Gabriele Giudice. 2002. Maastricht’s Fiscal Rules at Ten: An Assessment.
European Commission.
28
IMF. 2001. Manual on Fiscal Transparency. Washington, DC: Fiscal Affairs Department.
29
IMF. 2001. Government Finance Statistics Manual. Washington, DC. paras 3.47–3.53.
30
IMF. 2001. Manual on Fiscal Transparency. Washington, DC: Fiscal Affairs Department.
20 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Includes liability disclosures. Governments generally have significant

liabilities other than public debt (borrowings). An important example is
the future obligation to pay civil service pensions. These obligations are
typically underfunded, but—under accrual accounting—the unfunded
liability is usually shown on the balance sheet as a liability. Other
liabilities include accounts payable, accrued interest and accrued salaries
and wages, transfer payments payable, environmental liabilities, and
obligations under accident compensation schemes. Under accrual
accounting, additional disclosures are made in supplementary notes.
These include information on contingent liabilities and on commitments.31
Information is provided for considering intergenerational fairness. Intergen-
erational fairness is important in fiscal policy—it reflects the degree to
which the government today is paying the costs of services today, as
opposed to shifting costs to other periods. Accrual accounting provides a
longer-term perspective for judging policy impacts. For example, without
accrual accounting, decisions on pensions that create pension liabilities
may not fully consider the impact of the liabilities on future budgets.
Basis for identifying payment arrears. Payment arrears arise when an
obligatory payment is not made by its due-for-payment date. All arrears
are automatically included in accrual-based statistics. However,
additional analysis is required to prepare an analysis of total accounts
payable that is in arrears.32
Information for managing liquidity. Managing liquidity is crucial to
government operations. It is not necessary to use the cash basis to meet
this need. Cash flow information is provided by the accrual basis. It may
also be difficult to assess solvency and future cash flows with the cash
basis because arrears information is missing.33
Better information for decision making. Fiscal strategy refers to the
direction and objectives of fiscal policy and the management of revenue
and expenditure flows, assets and liabilities. Under the cash basis, fiscal
strategy focuses on short-term revenues and expenditures (i.e., 1–3
years). Under the accrual basis, assets and liabilities are given the same
attention as debt in terms of targets, risk analysis and contribution to
economic policy objectives.

31
Ibid.
32
IMF. 2001. Government Finance Statistics Manual. Washington, DC. paras 3.47–3.53.
33
Ibid.
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 21

Box 5 illustrates the difficulty of determining fiscal strategy solely

based on cash information. In the Croatian case, relying only on cash
information might lead policymakers to tighten fiscal policy through, for
instance, reductions in health programs. Contrast this with the US
situation. These examples demonstrate that developing countries should
be careful in taking decisions based on incomplete information (i.e., on
cash information only).

Box 5. Accrual and Cash Information is Complementary

A Comparatively Higher Cash Deficit (Croatia)

“Some of the data published by the MOF may give a false impression of fiscal devel-
opments. Since the fiscal accounts continue to be presented on a cash basis, the fig-
ures suggest that the deficit rose in 2000 and continued to rise in 2001. But this
increase actually reflects the repayment of arrears (i.e., payment of obligations
accrued in earlier years). In accrual terms … the fiscal deficit has in fact been
decreasing. In 2002, the cash presentation should not differ substantially from the
accrual presentation since the bulk of arrears has been repaid.”
— Croatian National Bank (2002)34

A Comparatively Higher Accrual Deficit (US)

“Accrual based financial reporting is critical to gaining a comprehensive understanding
of the US Government’s operations. For fiscal year 2001, our results were an accrual-
based deficit of $515 billion in contrast to a $127 billion [cash] surplus reported last fall.
The primary difference between the accrual deficit and the [cash] surplus is the
recognition of expanded military retiree health benefit costs provided by the National
Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law on October 30, 2000, and other
actuarial expenses. In fact, these expenses caused the government’s future obligations
to its military and civilian retirees to exceed the federal debt held by the public. As with
other future obligations of the federal government, only accrual-based financial
reporting provides this information in context to the public.”
— US Secretary of the Treasury (2002)35
MOF = Ministry of Finance.

At the Agency (Organization) Level

This section describes the arguments presented in favor of accrual
accounting at the agency level.36

34
Kraft, Evan and Tihomir Stucka. 2002. Fiscal Consolidation, External Competitiveness and
Monetary Policy: A Reply to the WIIW. May. Zagreb: Croatian National Bank. p. 1.
35
US Government. 2002. 2001 Financial Report of the United States Government. Washington,
DC. p. 1.
36
Primary source: Ball, I., T. Dale, W. D. Eggers and J. Sacco. 1999. Reforming Financial
Management in the Public Sector: Lessons US Officials Can Learn From New Zealand. Policy
Study No. 258. Los Angeles: Reason Public Policy Institute. Reason Foundation.
22 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Better accountability basis. Accrual accounting is intended to pro-

vide information to owners and lenders. The information contained in
accrual-based reports is useful both for accountability and decision-
making. Financial reports prepared on an accrual basis allow users to
assess accountability for all resources the entity controls and how those
resources are used.
Provides information for managing resources. Cash accounts exclude
most assets and liabilities. Complete records of assets and liabilities are
maintained under accrual accounting. This facilitates better asset man-
agement, including better maintenance, more appropriate replacement
policies, identification and disposal of surplus assets, and better man-
agement of risks (such as loss due to theft or damage). Identifying assets
and recognizing depreciation helps managers to understand the impact
of using fixed assets to deliver services, and encourages them to consider
alternative ways of managing costs and delivering services.
Concentrating on cash payments alone may result in an unno-
ticed deterioration in fixed assets. If major pieces of equipment are
becoming obsolete, or long-term liabilities are accumulating, owners
and lenders want to know now, not when the equipment is sold or
scrapped, or when liabilities come due.
Identifies payment arrears. In contrast to cash information, accrual
information provides a basis for identifying payment arrears.
Supports better liquidity management. The richer suite of information
provided under the accrual basis, including cash information, represents
a sound foundation for managing liquidity.
Provides a basis for pricing products and services. Government is inter-
ested in obtaining good quality of goods and services at the best com-
petitive price. Although nonfinancial measures are generally necessary
to measure quality, accrual accounting provides information on which
to compare price. By contrast, cash accounting is inadequate for pricing
because some elements of resource usage (e.g., depreciation) are not
fully allocated to costs. Where a government agency is competing to
provide goods or services, all costs should be allocated to the goods or
services, otherwise prices may be understated and taxpayers will
unknowingly subsidize public providers of goods or services. Subsidies
or hidden costs make the public provider’s price artificially low, which
means taxpayers do not get as good a deal as they could with fair com-
petition, and private suppliers may be driven out of the market. Accrual
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 23

accounting lets virtually all costs be allocated to an output. Cash

accounting does not.
A cash-based system does not provide information about total
costs of government activities. Only an accrual-based operating state-
ment provides information on the total costs of resources used to deliver
government services, which is essential information for government
decision makers.37
Reduces opportunities for fraud and corruption. The integrated asset
management nature of accrual accounting provides greatly enhanced
asset stewardship. For instance, it improves control over donor-pro-
vided assets. Furthermore, cash-based systems are more easily manipu-
lated than accrual-based systems.

3. Opposing Views
While generally recognizing that the accrual accounting basis is supe-
rior to the cash basis, opponents tend to raise concerns about implemen-
tation difficulties. But, at the extreme, some commentators appear to
oppose private sector use of accrual accounting (see Box 6). This section
attempts to present the arguments against the use of accrual accounting
in government.

37
Mellor, Thuy. 1996. Why Governments Should Produce Balance Sheets. Australian
Journal of Public Administration. 55(1). March. pp. 78-81.
24 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Box 6. Professor Schick’s Views on Enron and Accrual Accounting

One of the most vociferous opponents of accrual accounting is Allen Schick, a US
political scientist. In May 2002, he made the following presentation:
“Shifting the [Government] Budget to the Accrual Basis
would not avert an Enron Fiasco38
• Enron reports its finances on the accrual (GAAP) basis.
• The accrual basis does not remedy the “Off-Balance Sheet” problem.
• The accrual basis entails numerous, often complex, assumptions about future events.
• These assumptions are subject to judgment and manipulation.
• The assumptions often dominate the relationship between firms and outside auditors.
• It is more difficult for ordinary people (taxpayers, media, etc.) to understand
accruals than cash flows.
• Analysts often rely on cash flows to assess a firm’s performance and condition.”
However, as a non-accountant, Professor Schick is unaware that (i) Enron took advan-
tage of gaps in country accounting standards to avoid consolidating special purpose
entities—this failing was due to accounting standards, not accrual accounting; and (ii)
accrual financial statements include cash flow information.
GAAP = generally accepted accounting principles.

Few countries have implemented accrual accounting

To varying extents, most OECD member countries have implemented
accrual accounting in the past decade (see Table 2 on page 12). But, only
four OECD member countries appropriate resources on the accrual basis
(Australia, Finland, Iceland and New Zealand). Others, including Canada
and UK, also intend to introduce accrual appropriations. Implementing
accrual appropriations generally requires fundamental legal changes.
Therefore, widespread adoption is likely to take a longer period (see Box 7).

Box 7. Accrual Appropriations

“Extending accruals to budgeting is controversial. Much of that controversy arises from the
government administration itself and Parliaments. Before this change is contemplated, a
significant amount of time needs to be invested in educating and consulting with
government managers and other interested groups, like parliamentarians. In those countries
that have adopted accruals, the change has been linked to other public management reforms.
Accrual accounting places a premium on confidence in audits and a willingness to accept
fluctuations in valuations. Practice in Australia and New Zealand has shown that the use of
accruals in the budget has led to a better realization of future unfunded liabilities, better
infrastructure management and a more efficient budget reallocation process.” 39

38
Schick, Allen. 2002. Fiscal Rules and Fiscal Risks. Presentation at the World Bank
Training Course. 21 May.
39
Matheson, Alex. 2002. Better Public Sector Governance: The Rationale for Budgeting and
Accounting Reform in Western Nations. OECD Journal on Budgeting. Vol 2(1). December. pp. 44–45.
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 25

Implementation is difficult and expensive

Some aspects of accrual accounting implementations are more difficult
than cash implementations. For example, it is difficult for a government
organization to know the full amount of tax revenue that it is likely to
receive at a given time.
Moreover, implementing and operating an accrual accounting
system can be expensive. However, although millions of organizations
use accrual accounting, few use cash accounting. Variations in cash
accounting methods between countries further limit the availability of
computerized accounting information systems. Indeed, many countries
develop their own computer systems to support cash accounting, rather
than rely on proven commercial accounting systems (with accrual
accounting capability).
In any case, whether a government uses cash or accrual account-
ing, qualified accounting personnel must manage the system.

Ongoing operation is difficult and expensive

Arguments are made that clerical staff can operate cash-based account-
ing systems with minimal input from qualified accountants, whereas
accrual-based systems require trained accountants, particularly during
implementation. However, actual experience does not necessarily sup-
port this contention.40
Given that the private sector uses accrual accounting, recruit-
ment and training of accounting staff is easier under accrual accounting.
Moreover, accrual systems (generally) require fewer personnel to oper-
ate them.
The adoption of accrual accounting removes a barrier prevent-
ing access of private sector trained financial managers to many public
sector financial management jobs. Adoption of accruals means that the
public sector can attract properly trained accountants who can put their
skills to use. This is important for creating sources of innovation and for
removing the monopoly on the knowledge of public agencies’ financial
conditions from those with limited general financial skills but who have
institutional knowledge.41

40
Ibid.
41
Brumby, Jim and Marco Cangiano. 2001. Public Expenditure Management Reform and
Fiscal Consolidation in OECD Countries. Paper presented at the Fifth International
Conference Institutions in Transition organized by the Slovenian Institute of
Macroeconomic Analysis and Development in Otočec, Slovenia, 13–14 July.
26 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Indeed, an accrual accounting environment may support reten-

tion of skilled accountants—for instance, the Fiji Islands’ public sector
accountants supported introducing accrual accounting as a measure to
enhance retention of skilled accountants in the public sector.42

Emphasis should be on getting the basics right first

There is a view that countries should get the basics right before
attempting more advanced reforms, such as accrual accounting. This
reflects experience with developing countries whereby extensive, and
usually unsuccessful, efforts have been made to strengthen basic record
keeping and cash accounting over the past 2 decades.43

Accrual accounts are less objective and more difficult to understand

Some argue that accrual accounting is less objective than cash account-
ing. Under cash accounting, money is either in the bank or it is not.
Critics contend that decision makers, policymakers, credit rating agen-
cies, the media and the public struggle to understand the richer suite of
information presented in accrual-based financial statements.

4. Conclusion
Table 3 attempts to summarize the comparative usefulness of accrual
and cash accounting in government.

Table 3. Summary Comparison of Cash and Accrual Accounting

Criteria Cash Accounting Accrual Accounting
Ease of understanding Simpler, but unfamiliar Greater complexity, but familiar
to more people
Ease of manipulation Relatively easy to Ease of manipulation depends
manipulate, but the issuance upon accounting and auditing
of the Cash Basis IPSAS is a standards.
big step forward.
Comprehensiveness Cash information only Includes cash information
together with other information
Usefulness for Provides only basic Provides cash information and
managing liquidity information commitment information (e.g.,
payment arrears)

42
Ministry of Finance and National Planning Survey reported in: ADB. 2002. Diagnostic
Study of Accounting and Auditing Practices in the Fiji Islands. Manila. p. 82.
43
World Bank. 1998. Public Expenditure Management Handbook. Washington, DC. p. 8.
 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING 27

Criteria Cash Accounting Accrual Accounting

Non-financial asset No information provided Provides information on asset
management use
Comparability Countries use a range of Countries use different accrual
cash accounting bases, accounting standards
policies are generally not
explained well
Not consistent with GFS Consistent with GFS and SNA
and SNA
Measuring Very limited usefulness Useful, but needs to be
sustainability of fiscal supplemented with additional
policy / considering information (e.g., demographic
intergenerational profiles)
equity
Credibility Limited Credit rating agencies, lenders
and the media are more familiar
with accrual financial statements
Can lead to lower borrowing
costs
Basis for determining Limited Good, in conjunction with cash
fiscal strategy information
Accountability Limited Provides information on
accountability for resources (e.g.,
fixed assets)
Basis for product/ Limited Good
service pricing
Disincentives for fraud Limited Better than cash, but depends on
and corruption the internal control environment
(among other things)
Implementation Information system costs Although information system
can be higher (because of costs may be lower, additional
customization and limited efforts are required to identify
availability) and value assets (among other
things)
Ongoing operation Ongoing information Ongoing operation of systems is
system costs can be higher more sustainable because (i) it is
because the systems are easier to attract and retain
generally customized skilled staff; and (ii) subsidiary
Cash accounting systems records are integrated (e.g.,
generally require more payables, receivables and asset
personnel to operate them. registers)
However, fewer qualified
accountants are necessary
28 ACCRUAL BUDGETING AND ACCOUNTING IN GOVERNMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR DMCS

Appendix 3 presents a cost-benefit analysis of New Zealand’s

implementation of accrual accounting. Based on conservative assump-
tions, and excluding most benefits, the analysis calculates an internal
rate of return (IRR) of +7% for the implementation.
In summary, evidence suggests that:
• At the aggregate level, accrual-based fiscal indicators provide better
information about the sustainability of fiscal policies (for instance,
the effects of pension policies on a government’s balance sheet are
disclosed) and provide a stronger basis for government account-
ability (accrual accounting information can not be manipulated as
easily as cash-based information). Furthermore, accrual-based fiscal
indicators arguably provide a better measure of the effects of gov-
ernment policies on aggregate demand; and
• At the organization level, accrual-based financial statements pro-
vide better measures of organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Accrual-based financial information also reduces opportunities for
fraud and corruption, particularly as regards stewardship of assets.
This part reviewed accrual budgeting and accounting from a devel-
oped country-perspective. In a DMC setting, the identified benefits might
not be realized, because of, for instance, implementation constraints.