SomersetClive’s Agony Aunt, Horace Monsoon, is here to help another Smalltown and Dullbridge (SaD) resident with a troubling problem.
Dear Horace,
I recently started a new job, which sounded great in the job description. However, now I’m here I’m starting to feel as if I’ve been conned.
My background is in accounting and I have a passion for double entry book-keeping, spreadsheets and numbers generally. I like the way numbers balance.
Naturally, as I try to settle in, I’ve been casting my expert eye over some of the previously produced accounts. I’m finding a lot of discrepancies, particularly in regard to the W**** E******* E******** (name redacted to prevent identification). No matter how hard I try I can’t make sense of the figures, especially the ones in the income column.
If I give you some quick comparisons, maybe you can make sense of them for me, because I’m completely stumped.
Income for 2020/21 was £43254
Income for 2021/22 was either £50094 or £55,806, depending which piece of paper you look at.
For 2022/23 the figure for Month 11 stood at £46,642
Which would tie in nicely based on previous income.
However, when I look at the declared end of year figure (Month 12) for 2022/23 income has more than doubled, with some joker entering the sum of £106,303 in the income column.
In the budget for the current financial year (2023/24) income was first predicted to be £50,450, but this was revised on a ‘Put Any Number You Like I’m That Column. It Doesn’t Really Matter’ basis to £68,550. Why such a low estimate if income for the previous year had been so high?
It looks to me very much like someone has made a complete hash of the accounts in an attempt to cover up the truth. Should I let it go? Or dig deeper?
I am concerned that some of the other accounts will be in a similar state.
Yours
It’sARightMess
Dear It’sARightMess,
Firstly, congratulations on your new job. I hope you’ll stick around later than the previous incumbent. I know how difficult it can be to keep a job, especially if you eventually find yourself surrounded by back-stabbers (I’m looking at you Mister Sushi Runak).
Righty-ho, now. I’m not the best with numbers. I’m not even sure how many kids I have. But I have to say those figures look good to me. Does it really matter if the £106,303 income figure is so obviously faked?
I think I’m right in saying that this sort of think is known in the trade as ‘Creative Accounting‘ or ‘Cooking the Books‘. The numbers themselves don’t really matter. The important thing is to ensure you don’t get caught.
If you didn’t prepare those figures you’ll be fine, if you did prepare them then a simple “I followed the advice I was given at the time” should suffice.
Good luck?
Regards
Horace.
P. S. Have you ever had an eye test?