Finance, taxation and accountancy

Focus on information needs

For local administrations, many accounting principles and standards are laid down in the policy and management cycle (PMC). Moreover, their choice of accounting software is rather limited. Finding the right balance between the financial and policy-related sections when constructing the budget key is essential and is partly determined by the information needs of your administration.

When setting up analytical accounting, the necessary consideration needs to be given to:

• The objective: What do we want to achieve with the analytical accounting?
• The way: How do we translate this into a clear structure?
• The destination: The ultimate integration into the accounting system and processes.

The specific situation of the administration must be taken into account in setting up an accounting and administrative organisation. By making the right choices, you build a solid foundation for effective (analytical) accounting that provides valuable insights for your organisation.

There are always a number of trade-offs to be made in this exercise:

• Do the advantages (information needs) of analytical accounting outweigh the disadvantages (costs of implementation, increasing complexity in day-to-day processing, etc.)?
• Is the structure flexible enough for changes in the future?
• Is the structure not unnecessarily complex?
• …

As an expert and your partner in business, we can support you in setting up the accounting and administrative organisation and making the right trade-offs.

In line with PMC regulations, local administrations prepare a multi-year plan with policy objectives and actions. They record what they do in the accounts and report on it both in the interim and through the annual accounts. The multi-year plan contains the policy and financial planning for six years and consists of a strategic note, a financial note and an explanation. In other words, it is the translation of the policy section into the financial section, whereby the objectives tree is converted into concrete actions.

Financial feasibility as the cornerstone
A financially feasible multi-year plan forms the basis of a realistic policy. Robust monitoring of the financial situation requires first and foremost an accurate frame of reference. A balanced allocation of resources is essential and allows the local administration to accurately link budgets to policy objectives and action plans. The result is a financially sustainable plan that provides room for responsible growth.

Based on the identified priorities, we carry out a comprehensive financial analysis to identify the investment capacity and potential risks. This helps achieve a balanced allocation of resources and allows the municipality to effectively link policy to concrete actions.

In addition, the multi-year plan also shows "the state of the financial balance", broken down into:

• Situational balance: The available budgetary outcome.
• Structural balance: The adjusted self-financing margin.

From objective to transaction
Converting the objective tree into concrete transaction appropriations is often not a straightforward exercise.   In other words: What will we do as a local administration, and when? This invariably poses a major challenge for policy and governance.

Our role as a partner
As an expert and partner in business, we support you at every stage of preparing the multi-year plan. We guide local administrations through the entire process of constructing or adjusting a multi-year plan or budget. We also carry out a comprehensive check before finalisation of the multi-year plan, to ensure that the main transactions are correct and there is a logical coherence.

Focus on an accurate presentation of the financial situation

In line with PMC regulations, local administrations prepare a multi-year plan with policy objectives and actions. They record their activities in the accounts and report on them both in the interim and through the annual accounts. Depending on the specific situation of the entity, this results in:

1. Annual accounts in accordance with PMC rules.
2. Annual accounts in accordance with the NBB model (the same as for 'private' companies).
3. A combination of both.

Tailored accounting
Each type of accounting has specific focus areas and is subject to its own regulations. Thanks to our extensive expertise in local governance and our direct contacts with ABB, the FPS Finance and software suppliers, we can (pro)actively identify and fine-tune focus areas and risks.

Pragmatic support
We approach the closing process as a collaboration, in an approachable and accessible way. We apply a pragmatic way of working, with intensive involvement on the part of the (financial) service staff. This ensures not only transparent communication, but also knowledge sharing and training. Our comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of software packages is an important added value in this respect.

Our role as a partner
As an expert and partner in business, we support you at every stage of the closing process, tailored to your specific needs. Whether it is a short assessment or the full guidance of the closing process, our focus is on accurately preparing the annual accounts, and clear presentation.

Our support includes:

• Interim checks in preparation for the year-end closing.
• Processing comments from the supervisory authority.
• Preparing and filing the statutory annual accounts.
• …

Our approach ensures that your closing process is efficient, accurate and in line with regulations.

Focus on compliance with tax formalities

Taxation for Flemish local administrations has become significantly more complex in recent years, both in the area of direct and indirect taxes:

• Direct taxes: corporate and legal entities tax, withholding tax declaration, employer's withholding tax, tax sheets, etc.
• Indirect taxes: various VAT aspects specific to the public sector and its autonomous entities. Knowing your VAT status is essential to comply with tax obligations.

Our support
As experts and your partner in business, we guide local administrations through the various tax-related challenges. Our services include:

• Performing a tax scan to identify your status and associated obligations.
• Checking, preparing and submitting periodic VAT returns.
• Preparing and submitting returns for corporate tax or legal entity tax.
• Calculating and adjusting price subsidies.
• Providing support with requests for information or inspections by the tax administration (VAT, corporate tax, etc.).
• Requesting (advance) agreements from the administration or the Office for Advance Decisions in Tax Matters.
• Ad hoc advice on accounting and tax topics.
• …

Pragmatic and proactive approach
We not only provide support for compliance with tax formalities, but also ensure transparency, knowledge sharing and a pragmatic approach. Our expertise allows you to handle tax obligations efficiently and accurately, so you can focus on the core activities of your administration.

Focus on information needs

The Decree on Local Government (DLB in Dutch) does not currently contain any specific provisions on management reporting or setting up a management information and reporting system. It is up to the local administrations themselves to give shape to the organisational management within their administration. This means that the content and form of management reports, as well as the method of reporting, depend on factors such as available reporting tools, data, and staff capacity within each administration.

The legal obligations regarding annual accounts often provide insufficient or incomplete information. In pursuing a robust financial policy, there is a need for targeted internal and external reporting that is accurate, timely and relevant.

Our support
We can highlight the following reports, among others:

• 6-monthly and quarterly reports: updates on the financial situation and action points within the entity.
• Cash flow statements and receivables analysis: to support effective cash management.
• Budget reports: to monitor performance and take corrective measures.
• Cost analyses: insight into variable and fixed costs to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Management reports: with key performance indicators (KPIs) and trends in financial data.
• Reporting for accountability for grants received from external partners or higher authorities.
• …

Proactive and customised approach
As an expert and your partner in business, we can support local administrations in preparing both internal and external reports. These reports help administrators make informed decisions and keep the financial policy on the right track.

Focus on capacity

The labour market is extremely tight, and like the private sector, local administrations are also experiencing difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified staff. There are various reasons why temporary manpower may be needed, including replacements due to illness, one-off projects or staff turnover. This often leads to a need for additional support.

It is crucial to be able to rely on a partner who not only understands your specific needs, but also knows the sector well, so that staff can be recruited quickly and efficiently.

Our approach
At Moore Public, you can count on the right expertise, experience and personality to handle both operational and strategic tasks. We offer a practical and pragmatic approach, with a special focus on knowledge transfer, both at operational and management level.

Temporary capacity solutions
As an expert and your partner in business, we can support you with temporary capacity problems. Outsourcing assignments can take various forms: full-time, part-time or varying in intensity and duration. We tailor our services to your specific needs, so that together we achieve the most cost-efficient solution.

Focus on quality and training

There is a direct link between quality and training. Besides the necessary basic knowledge and development of essential skills, it is crucial to keep up to date with the latest developments in your field. Training helps employees become familiar with the quality standards and procedures that are essential for ensuring the quality of their work.

Our expertise in the sector
Given our specialisation, we are not only aware of the latest trends and developments within the sector, but can also translate them in practical terms to the specific needs of local administrations.

Tailor-made training courses
As an expert and your partner in business, we can support you in providing training on various topics, such as:

• VAT training applied to your specific case
• PMC training for (new) employees/mandataries
• and other relevant topics

Unlike an external audit, which is conducted by auditors from outside the organisation (such as Audit Flanders), an internal audit is conducted within the organisation itself.

Internal audits in local administrations
More and more local administrations are choosing to set up their own internal audit service. In these cases, it is examined on a periodic basis within the organisation whether the business processes and working methods are working effectively and reliably. At the same time, it is verified whether compliance with these processes is correctly observed.

The purpose of an internal audit is to verify the operation of one or more processes. An important prerequisite for a good audit is that the examination is systematic and disciplined. The insights gained from internal audits allow the organisation to improve its processes. Thanks to the additional quality control, a better overview is obtained of both operational and strategic areas for improvement.

Different types of internal audits
Depending on the focus, internal audits can have different scopes:

• Compliance audit: As an organisation, do we comply with applicable laws and regulations?
• Process audit: Evaluation of business processes. This involves testing the 'paper reality' against practice. What is going well, and where are there areas for improvement? How can we design processes faster, more efficiently and more cost-effectively?
• Theme audit: highlighting a specific topic within the organisation. This often involves strategic themes such as customer or citizen satisfaction, privacy management, information security, etc.

Our support during internal audits
As an expert and your partner in business, we can support you in setting up internal audit systems and/or strengthening the internal audit service. We provide procedures and working tools to help you conduct internal audits effectively.