Where our money goes

Just got my wage slip for the month. It's depressing how much the government takes in tax, especially when I think about how little I really get in return. I was wondering what is my tax used for.

Fortunately my curiosity has been answered. The Irish Comptroller and Auditor General has issued his report on the accounts of the Government Departments for 2004. Basically the answer to where my money goes is..... waste, the inept management of public finances and fraud.

From the Irish Independent today:

The State received €2m less than it should have got from West Link bridge tolls under a licensing agreement.

 The prison service abandoned a €500,000 computer system because it was not the right one to do the job.

 €129m was spent on refugee policies but only 25 failed asylum seekers out of 456 were deported.

 36pc of patients under the National Treatment Purchase Fund were treated in the same hospitals from which they were first referred.

 The cost of a new Automated Passport System doubled from the original estimate of €13.6m to €27.8m.

 The Department of Social Welfare made overpayments of more than €56m on social welfare schemes, with more than €18m attributed to fraud.

The report is quite easy to read, so I would recommend everyone should take a look at it, just so you know why we dont have enough funds for things like decent health care and public transport.