Wastage costing taxpayers tens of millions

WASTAGE and overspending by Government departments are continuing to cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of euro despite the perilous state of the country’s finances.

The annual report of the public finances watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), shows that almost every department and office made savings in administration costs compared with previous years, but continued to squander money on ill-conceived projects and sloppy practices.

This news comes against a backdrop of plummeting tax intake that has seen gross revenues decline from €50.7 billion in 2009 to €47.6bn in 2010, and warnings of another severe budget when funds for public spending will be tighter than ever.