Obszar kontroli zarządczej oraz audytu wewnętrznego w świetle planowanych zmian w ustawie o finansach publicznych
The area of management control and internal audit in light of planned changes to the Public Finance Act

Summary/Abstract: Background: In the era of contemporary economic development and constantly growing market requirements, especially in the private sector, constantly improving the internal control procedures in public institutions is no longer really optional. Changes are dictated by the need to improve current system solutions, such as by introducing a central body setting priority government goals, accountability principles, focusing on implementation of development goals and synchronization with the budget process, among others. The aforementioned necessity of change has become a kind of incentive to carry out advanced works on amendments to the Public Finance Act, which due to the end of the 8th term of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and the current situation in our country related to the coronavirus pandemic, have been suspended without indicating a specific date when the planned changes will be finally implemented. However, this does not mean that changes in management control and internal audit are unnecessary. Both areas are a continuous process that requires constant improvement, which is why the analysis of the draft act of May 6, 2019 on the amendment to the Public Finance Act together with the justification that appeared on the website of the Government Legislation Center allows the general assessment of the directions of future, planned changes. At the moment, it is not known whether the changes will come into force in their originally proposed form, as it is also certainly possible that the Ministry of Finance will strive for mutual control of management control systems and management control audit, as well as management control law at the operational level. Research purpose: This article aims to discuss the issues of management control and internal audit of public finance sector units in light of planned changes to the Public Finance Act. Due to the correlation taking place in the management control system and internal audit, the necessary changes to the act should cover both of these institutions, whose common goal will be primarily to verify the correct functioning of a given unit and its compliance with the law. Moreover, this article attempts to answer the question about the further directions of changes in the public financial sector in Poland. Methods: The research method presented in this article is based on a thorough analysis of jurisprudence, literature, and normative solutions. Materials from websites were also used, including from the Government Legislation Center, containing proposals for changes to the Public Finance Act and an assessment of the possible effects of the presented changes. Conclusions: The analysis of the materials used in the article allowed assessment of the purposefulness of management control and internal audit in public finance sector units, in light of contemporary public sector challenges, and also helped to define the elements of procedures requiring reorganization, including redefinition of key issues. The enrichment of the theoretical aspects of the functioning of management control and internal audit of public finance sector units in the context of the planned changes to the Public Finance Act may turn out to be a valuable voice in the debate on the need to reform public finances in Poland.

• Details
• Contents