Description:
Bhutan has registered rapid economic
growth in the recent past. But the private sector's
contribution to this growth has not been significant.
Recognizing that the private sector can play an important
role as an engine of growth, the Royal Government of Bhutan
(RGoB) mapped out strategies to encourage the private sector
to participate in the Kingdom's growth. An important
strategy outlined under Bhutan's Tenth Five-Year-Plan
(10FYP) is to enhance employment opportunities by
encouraging private sector development, which will broaden
the employment base. This strategy is also in line with
another major 10FYP objective of vitalizing industry, in
which the private sector is envisaged to play a major role.
Bhutan's financial sector has hitherto been very small
and underdeveloped, owing to the lack of adequate
development in the private sector and the small size of the
economy. The RGoB assessed that the lack of a clear
institutional framework is one the major factors responsible
for the slow growth and weak performance of industries in
Bhutan, notably in the manufacturing and trade sectors. It
is against this backdrop that the World Bank at the
invitation of the RGoB has undertaken an assessment of
accounting and auditing practices in the Kingdom of Bhutan
with respect to the International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting
Standards Board (IASB) and the International Standards on
Auditing (ISA) issued by the International Federation of
Accountants (IFAC). This assessment is positioned within the
broader context of the country's institutional
framework and capacity needed to ensure compliance with
international standards and to improve the quality of
financial reporting in the country. These recommendations
are aimed at achieving corporate financial reporting
practices of international standards and to help create a
world-class working environment for professional accountants
and auditors in Bhutan.