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Toll shortfall at Singapore’s checkpoints almost $14M in FY14/15: AGO

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Photo of The Causeway: Reuters

The under-collection of toll at the two Checkpoints in Singapore was about $13.93 million in the financial year 2014/15, according to an annual audit report by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO).

In the report released Tuesday (26 July), AGO observed during a site audit that there was no effective controls at the immigration booths of the Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints to ensure that vehicles pass through only after the applicable fees were paid. This was despite the Land Transport Authority (LTA) putting in place measures to detect non-payment of fees.

The estimated under-collection was about 21.9 per cent of the $63.54 million of total toll collected in the 2014/15 financial year.

LTA has informed AGO that it would continue to enhance the system to address gaps in controls.

Lapses were also discovered in the car park operations overseen by the Housing and Development Board, AGO reported.

In test checks of five car parks at HDB’s industrial estates from April 2014 to August 2015, AGO found 113,103 instances of vehicles that were not charged parking fees.

Electronic Parking System (EPS) data showed the vehicles had either an exit or entry record but not both and as such, the EPS was unable to charge parking fees estimated at $159,000.

AGO also found that there were 243 instances of motorists manipulating the EPS to allow another vehicle to exit the car parks without paying fees, such as through tailgating.

In test checks of 59 car parks at HDB’s residential estates, AGO found 2,501 instances of vehicles exiting the car parks on more than three occasions per month without being charged parking fees from April 2015 to September 2015.

AGO said HDB could have detected the violations if it had examined the EPS data and monthly reports from the car park operators. No action was taken against those who avoided paying the charges.

HDB outsourced the running of its EPS car parks at industrial estates and residential estates to operators at an average cost of $78.39 million per year.

HDB informed AGO that it has taken corrective measures including amending the parking rules to enable it to take action against those who evade parking fees. HDB had also filed police reports against motorists who had manipulated the EPS to avoid paying parking fees.

HDB was also found wanting in accounts related to the construction and upgrading of flats, with AGO flagging the long delays in finalising accounts of contracts and making final payments to contractors.

Test checks of 36 contracts involving final payments totaling $37.62 million revealed late issuances of certificates of completion of works, delays in finalisation of accounts and delays in making final payments. In 44 of the 71 final payments, there were delays of up to 3.3 years.

AGO’s audit for the financial year 2015/16 covers 16 ministries, 11 statutory boards and several government funds. In it, the AGO highlighted flaws in four key areas: inadequate financial controls, weak governance over management of public funds, lack of oversight of administration of schemes and programmes and lapses in management of contracts.