A two-day international research and practice conference “State (Municipal) Financial Control in the Russian Federation. Theory, Practice, Prospects of Development” organized by KFU and Federal Financial and Budgetary Supervisory Service was opened on May, 22.
The representatives of the Federal Assembly and the RF Government, the RT Cabinet of Ministers, Federal and Tatarstan Ministries of Finance, top managers and leading experts of financial and supervisory bodies of CIS countries and the countries-participants of the Custom Union, the Federal Financial and Budgetary Supervisory Service, Russian and foreign scholars met in Kazan in order to discuss issues of financial control.
The role of Kazan in development of economics
The Prime-Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov and KFU Rector Ilshat Gafurov welcomed the attenders. On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov wished the conference participants fruitful work and expressed confidence that the conference would serve as a tool for experience exchange. It was mentioned that Tatarstan pays much attention to optimization of financial control system. In his turn, the KFU Rector reminded that Kazan University is one of the flagmen of economics. In the beginning of XIX century the first manual on theory of finances was written by Professor of Kazan Emperor University Ivan Gorlov. It was published in 1841. Interest to economics never ceased in Kazan. Recently KFU returned back the Institute of Economics and Finance (former Kazan State University of Economics and Finance). Ilshat Gafurov offered to hold this conference annually.
About economic reforms
The main report at the plenary section of the conference was presented by Head of the Federal Service of Budgetary and Financial Supervision Alexander Smirnov. He reminded about important reforms in state supervision; 2 systems of state control (internal and external) were introduced last year. The most important issue now is to distinguish power and authority of 2 systems to avoid overlapping. A.Smirnov stressed out that the Russian legislature lacks the system of punishment for some types of economic crimes regarding the usage of budgetary funds.
Control or supervision?
Deputy Head of Control Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation Valentin Letunovsky described the situation: in Russian legislature there is still no distinction between such notions as “control” and “supervision”.
Risk as reason for audit
The supervisory system should become risk-oriented. Its analytical component has to be emphasized. The audit is to be done only in such organizations where analysts have revealed as tendency to improper use of the budgetary funds, according to V. Leturnovsky.
IT as Means of Optimization
Head of the Russian Federal Treasury Roman Artyukhin reported on the usage of IT as means of work optimization. In particular, the number of employees in the Russian Federal Treasury was cut by 20% due to IT which helped to reveal the most effective officers.
Lawyer as Central Figure
Deputy Head of the Federal Financial and Budgetary Supervisory Service Anatoly Chabunin took the floor as the last speaker. He stressed that the participants of the conference should discuss interaction of the supervisory bodies with judicial bodies. Each control officer needs legal support at each stage of his/her work in order to improve its quality.
The KFU Rector, Head of the Federal Financial and Budgetary Supervisory Service, the RF Deputy Minister of Finance took part in press-conference.
Today the conference goes on in the format of panel discussions and round tables.