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GAO-08-202R 1 (2007-11-02)

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       Accountability * Integrity * Reliability
United States Government Accountability Office
Washington, DC 20548


         November 2, 2007


         The Honorable Calvin L. Scovel III
         Inspector General
         Department of Transportation

         Subject: Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Highway Trust Fund Excise Taxes

         Dear Mr. Scovel:

         We have performed the procedures contained in the enclosure to this report, which
         we agreed to perform and with which you concurred, solely to assist your office in
         ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust
         Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, is supported by the
         underlying records. As agreed with your office, we evaluated fiscal year 2007 activity
         affecting distributions to the HTF.

         In performing the agreed-upon procedures, we conducted our work in accordance
         with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards, which incorporate
         financial audit and attestation standards established by the American Institute of
         Certified Public Accountants. These standards also provide guidance for performing
         and reporting the results of agreed-upon procedures.

         The adequacy of the procedures to meet your objectives is your responsibility, and
         we make no representation in that respect. The procedures we agreed to perform
         were related to (1) transactions that represent the underlying basis of amounts
         distributed to the HTF, (2) the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) quarterly HTF receipt
         certifications, (3) the Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service
         adjustments to the HTF during fiscal year 2007, (4) the Department of the Treasury's
         Office of Tax Analysis's (OTA) process for estimating excise tax amounts to be
         distributed to the HTF for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007, and other procedures
         related to (5) adjustments to the HTF for tax on kerosene used in aviation, (6) the net
         amount of fiscal year 2007 excise taxes distributed to the HTF, and (7) transactions
         that represent total IRS tax revenue receipts and refunds. The enclosure contains the
         agreed-upon procedures and our findings from performing each of the procedures.

         We were not engaged to perform, and did not perform, an audit, the objective of
         which would have been the expression of an opinion on the amount of net excise
         taxes distributed to the HTF. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. Had
         we performed additional procedures, other matters might have come to our attention
         that would have been reported to you. We completed the agreed-upon procedures on
         October 24, 2007.
                                       GAO-08-202R Highway Trust Fund Excise Tax Procedures