Topic: Audit Practices and Procedures

You have been assigned by the audit manager of your firm to conduct a payroll audit of Eastwood Engineering Limited, a plastic manufacturing company with a turnover of GH¢25 million. The head office sited in Abokobi includes the manufacturing unit, the accounting department and the main administration. There are a number of sales officers in different parts of the country.

The wages records are computerized, and all the wages information are processed at the head office. Some of the employees in the manufacturing unit are paid cash and all the other employees are paid directly into their bank accounts. Manufacturing employees are paid their wages a week in arrears. All other employees are paid at the end of the week.

There is also a personnel department, which is independent of the wages department. The personnel department maintains the records of the employees including the starting date, grade, current salary and date of separation.

Previous tax audit reports by Ghana Revenue Authority in accordance with Section 36 of Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915) have revealed that:
i) The company failed to deduct appropriate taxes on wages and salaries of staff especially the casual employees.
ii) Paying fictitious employees and failing to account for the payment on the payroll.
iii) Paying employees after they have left.

Due to these abnormalities detected in the earlier audits by the Ghana Revenue Authority, the audit manager has asked you do consider audit procedures you would carry out to obtain sufficient appropriate evidence of the existence of employees and to ensure that appropriate taxes have been deducted and paid to the Commissioner General of Ghana Revenue Authority.

You are required to prepare a briefing paper which should guide the audit team you are required to lead in the field in the form of a memorandum for the consideration of your audit manager outlining:
i) The audit evidence you would obtain to verify the existence of employees whose wages are paid both in cash and directly into their bank accounts.

ii) The substantive test you would carry out to verify that appropriate taxes are deducted and paid to the Commissioner General of Ghana Revenue Authority.

iii) The tax implications both now and in the future of the company’s infractions as indicated in the tax audit report.