Ba Vang Pagoda does not report donations

The Ministry of Finance recently submitted a report to Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 21st regarding the results of the pilot program to inspect the management of donations at historical and cultural relics, temples, and pagodas in Quang Ninh province in 2022 and the first four months of 2023.

According to the report, there are 50 historical sites that do not have reported donation figures, including Ba Vang Pagoda in Uong Bi, a provincial-level historical site, which is considered to have a high amount of donations.

Regarding temples that failed to report, the Ministry of Finance cited Clause 2, Article 18 of Circular No. 04/2023/TT-BTC, which stipulates that organizations and individuals who own or are assigned to manage and use historical relics are responsible for "providing timely information when requested by competent authorities in accordance with the law."

Ministry of Finance: Ba Vang Pagoda failed to report donations - 1 — Ba Vang Pagoda does not report donations.

Notably, the Ministry of Finance's report also pointed out many unreasonable donation figures for some major historical sites. Specifically, at the Yen Tu historical and scenic site, the 2022 donation revenue of 3.7 billion VND seems unreasonable, as it is only equivalent to the revenue at the Bach Dang historical site (3.3 billion VND), lower than the revenue at the Thanh Mau Temple, a provincial-level historical site in Tra Co ward, Mong Cai (5.8 billion VND), and less than one-fifth of the revenue at the Cua Ong Temple (20.1 billion VND).

" Looking at the above comparative figures, it is inevitable that concerns arise regarding the objectivity in receiving and counting donations at the Yen Tu historical and scenic site ," the Ministry of Finance report stated.

Furthermore, according to data provided by the Yen Tu National Monument and Forest Management Board, from 2007 to April 2023, the total amount collected in the donation box was 287 billion VND, while the total expenditure was approximately 638 billion VND.

The Ministry claims that the actual amount of donations collected is at least 351 billion VND higher than the amount reported to the inspection team, or 2.2 times higher if the revenue equals the expenditure.

At historical sites with resident monks, most have income and expenditure reports, but these only reflect the money in the donation box. In reality, there are other donations in the form of offerings or bank transfers that are not reflected in the reports submitted to the inspection team. According to tourists' assessments, these donations are often higher than what is actually placed in the donation box.

The Ministry of Finance's report also stated that total revenue in 2022 was 70.8 billion VND (excluding donations, in-kind contributions, and construction projects), approximately 40-60% of the donations and contributions collected in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Total expenditure was 54.4 billion VND.

In the first four months of 2023, total revenue was 61 billion VND (excluding donations, in-kind contributions, and construction projects), nearly equal to the total revenue for the entire year of 2022. Total expenditure was 29.4 billion VND.

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