The Daily Mail newspaper reports this morning that more than 137 000 Whitehall Officials and Civil Servants have been given "taxpayer funded credit cards". Costs for last year (2012) amount to 1.1 billion pounds despite promises by David Cameron that the use of Credit cards would be "curbed" !
This Blog published an article on October, 14, 2009 entitled "BRITISH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FIDDLE THEIR EXPENSES" when the scandal hit the Socialist Government. Now it seems to be more a question of Civil Servants rather than British MPs. However, the control of expenses by a British Government, left or right, seems to be a complete mystery !
One cannot expect the Prime Minister to supervise personally a system of Credit cards usage, but should the Minister of Finance, like Chancellor George Osborne, not be responsible for, or aware of, what is going on and control matters ?
When a Father gives his Children credit cards to pay expenses, he still has to survey the costs which are being charged to his Bank account ! If the father does not check what is going on, he still has to pay !
However, if the Father places a limit on the Credit Card, so that there is what is called an "impressed limit", expenditure above this amount will not be paid by the Bank ! The card holder must replenish his credit card account ! In the case of civil servants this would mean submitting expense accounts.
Politicians or other important people generally do not want to be bogged down with administrative duties. In particular they do not like refusing expense claims. This alas is the reason why expenses are not properly checked ! However, if the money is coming out of private pockets, instead of Company or Government accounts, checks are made !
Professional Accountants know full well what happens when expenditures are not properly controlled. Thieves get rich but it is never anybody's fault ! In the end the unwilling taxpayer has to pick up the bill !
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