VSCPA Supports Requirement for U.S. Comptroller General to Be a CPA

Please note that the VSCPA sent this letter to all Virginia representatives in U.S. Congress.

 

March 3, 2010

 

Dear Congressmen/Congresswomen:

 

On behalf of the 9,000 members of the Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA), we are writing to ask for your support of HR 4410, which would require that the Comptroller General position be filled by a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The bill was introduced on December 18, 2009, by Reps. Collin Peterson and Mike Conaway, and we hope that you will add your support as a co-sponsor to the bill.

 

The Comptroller General’s position as the head of the Government Accountability Office is important to our country’s financial and operational well-being, and warrants having a CPA at the helm. Significantly:

 

  • The office of Comptroller General has been vacant since March 2008 when former Comptroller General David Walker, a CPA, resigned after nine and half years in office to become president of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. The previous Comptroller General, Charles Bowsher, appointed in 1981, was also a CPA.  
  • The Comptroller General is the top auditor of the U.S. government. Just as Congress requires that every publicly traded company be audited by a CPA, the agency that audits the federal government’s financial statements should be led by a CPA to ensure the transparency and integrity of our government’s financial records.  
  • The GAO has been called the U.S. taxpayers’ best friend for its work uncovering waste, fraud and abuse. The agency employs more than 3,000 people with an annual budget exceeding $500 million. Members of Congress use the GAO to conduct audits and investigate federal programs and agencies. Hundreds of GAO reports issued annually, both mandated by Congress and self-initiated, are an invaluable tool for the public, journalists, policy advocates and lawmakers. CPAs, with their broad financial, business and investigative background, are uniquely qualified not only to oversee audits, but also to identify and recommend improvements in performance and accountability of federal programs.  
  • The office of the Comptroller General should be filled by a person with the strongest possible qualifications who is an advocate for taxpayers and a proper steward of federal resources. The training, discipline, commitment to objectivity and integrity that define a CPA, and the public confidence that the credential instills, will further solidify the GAO’s reputation for impartial, thoughtful analysis and guarantee that this agency will fulfill its mission as Congress’s watchdog for the benefit of the American people.  

With your support, we firmly believe that we can enhance the effectiveness of the GAO by requiring the Comptroller General position to be filled by a Certified Public Accountant. This is extremely important in normal times; in this time of significant economic stress, it is even more critical. We are hopeful that you will co-sponsor HR 4410.

 

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. If we can be of any service to you, please contact me or VSCPA Government Affairs Director Emily Walker at ewalker@vscpa.com or (804) 612-9428.

 

Sincerely,

 

James K. Walker, CPA

Chair, Virginia Society of CPAs

 

cc:        American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)

LAST UPDATED 3/3/2010

This content has not yet been rated.

1 Poor 3 Fair 5 Excellent
 1  2  3  4  5

Comments