DEFICIT DROPPED BY ALMOST 30% IN 2017: GOVT REPORT

Administrative Audit Law.

One of the main positive findings that SAI has come across is the decrease in the actual budget deficit and in the expenditures during 2017 compared with 2016 to 29 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, as well as the completion of some strategic projects that would promote economic and social development, such as the opening of the Muscat and Salalah International Airports, Al Batinah Highway Project and the progress achieved by the Sultanate with regard to the Global Competitiveness Report for 2018, as it has advanced 14 places compared to 2017.

The report included many observations and remarks that resulted from the audit of the units of the State Administrative Apparatus, some companies, institutions and bodies that are subject to audit, as well as SAI’s branches in Salalah, Sohar, Sur, Nizwa, Rustaq, Buraimi and Ibra, which were targeted in SAI’s annual audit plan for 2017.

The annual audit plan included 218 audit tasks of various kinds of audits, such as financial audit, performance audit and administrative audit.

SAI issued 239 reports, which were sent to the bodies concerned and which included SAI’s observations and recommendations that were classified into three main sections and corresponding subsections.

The first section addressed the State Administrative Apparatus, the audit of which has resulted in some positive findings and other findings that shall be reviewed by the entities subject to an audit.>A6