By Bouli Hadjioannou
OVERTIME in the customs department will be reviewed and government officials and deputies will together decide on ways to cut down protracted tenders procedures which waste both time and money.
These were two points to emerge from yesterday’s review by the House Finance Committee of the Finance Ministry’s 1998 budget.
The briefing also saw Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou announce significant progress in the collection of back taxes by the Inland Revenue Department.
He said computerisation and a marked change in the way officials treat taxpayers had reaped rewards. “Officials have befriended the taxpayer. They offer help and assistance and where the difference is small, they have instructions and cover to give the taxpayer the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “This policy has paid off.”
Questioned about overtime pay, particularly in the customs department, Christodoulou said he was aware of claims that some employees worked slowly during office hours in order to stay on in the afternoon to earn extra cash.
But he said this allegation was not supported by the facts, and has also been rejected by the employees themselves who had taken offence at the suggestion.
The minister said he had told employees he had no problem accepting their word, but added that the government had an obligation to carry out its own survey on overtime procedures.
Christodoulou said the government was determined to cut down on overtime: its rate of growth has been slashed from 18 per cent a year to 8 per cent in the past five years in the public sector (not including semi-government organisations).
The customs department in particular has cut overtime in absolute figures this year, director Antis Tryfonides told the committee.
Considerable time was also spent yesterday discussing flaws in tenders procedures, with deputies giving numerous examples of wasted time and money.
Takis Hadjidemetriou of Edek described one three-year attempt to buy a fork- lift truck for the National Guard. The tender kept being announced and then withdrawn, and then when the deal was made three employees had to travel abroad to visit the factory. The truck was finally bought, he said – but now the company wants more money.
Edek colleague Doros Theodorou said this was only the tip of the iceberg. Overcentralisation led to significant delays, which were especially obvious in the health and defence sectors where requirements are urgent. He suggested decentralisation would be one way to minimise delays.
The minister did not deny there were problems, some in-built in the system, others the result of disagreements between different government departments. He cited as an example the continuing row between the state warehouse and the National Guard over chemical tests on textiles for uniforms.
And he said some officials were so afraid of being accused of colluding with suppliers that they hold up the entire tenders procedure.
New draft regulations may prove helpful, but the minister doubted they could present instant results. Hence the decision for deputies and government officials to get together to come up with proposed solutions.
