Government-by-Government Assessments: Palestinian Authority
During the review period, the Palestinian Authority made its enacted budget public, but not within a reasonable period of time, and the data was incomplete. The budget was not approved by the legislature. The Palestinian Authority published monthly budget execution reports that provided a substantially full picture of its expenditures and revenue streams. The information in the reports was considered reliable and reasonably accurate. However, information on debt obligations was incomplete. The supreme audit institution lacked independence, and its audit reports of the Palestinian Authority’s annual financial statements were not publicly available within a reasonable period. The Palestinian Authority’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:
- publishing its executive budget proposal, complete enacted budget, and end-of-year report in a timely manner;
- providing complete and timely information on debt obligations;
- ensuring the independence of the supreme audit institution; and
- publishing supreme audit institution reports within a reasonable period of time.