密西西比州州审计长宣布截留六市税收：哥伦布等市审计逾期未交、税款将直接用于支付拖欠审计费用
密西西比州州审计长沙德·怀特10月30日宣布，州审计长办公室将开始截留六个市镇的税收，用于支付其逾期未交的市政审计费用，新一批被截留的市镇包括哥伦布、克拉克斯代尔、塞纳托比亚、路易斯维尔、威诺纳和奥科洛纳。
怀特表示，审计逾期或拖欠的市镇往往无法获得拨款、无法借款，市民也无法了解税款的具体用途，截留税款是为拖欠的审计买单的直接手段。
此前，州审计长办公室已经对格林纳达、坎顿、霍利斯普林斯、印第安诺拉、梅本和丘拉采取了同样的截留措施。州审计长办公室指出，市政审计是地方财政透明的基础环节，审计长期拖欠不仅影响市镇自身的融资和拨款资格，也让居民对公共资金的去向缺乏监督依据。
此次新增的六个市镇加上此前已有的六个市镇，意味着全州已有12个市镇因审计问题被截留税收。怀特没有在10月30日的宣布中逐一说明各市镇拖欠审计的具体年份和金额，州审计长办公室的网站可查询各市镇的审计状态，后续是否补交审计、恢复正常拨款资格，仍有待观察。
来源：GSM·美国
Mississippi State Auditor Announces Tax Diversion from Six More Cities over Delinquent Audits
Mississippi — State Auditor Shad White announced on October 30 that the State Auditor's Office will begin diverting tax revenue from six municipalities to pay for their overdue municipal audits. The newly added towns are Columbus, Clarksdale, Senatobia, Louisville, Winona and Okolona.
White said municipalities with overdue or delinquent audits are often unable to access grants or borrow money, and their citizens cannot know how their tax dollars are spent; diverting the tax revenue is a direct way to pay for the outstanding audits.
The office had previously taken the same step for Grenada, Canton, Holly Springs, Indianola, Maben and Tchula. The office noted that municipal audits are a basic element of local fiscal transparency, and long-delinquent audits affect not only a town's financing and grant eligibility but also residents' ability to oversee public funds.
With the six new towns added to the previous six, 12 municipalities statewide now have tax revenue diverted over audit problems. White did not specify in the October 30 announcement which years or amounts each town owes; audit statuses can be checked on the office's website, and whether the towns will file the audits and restore normal grant eligibility remains to be seen.
Source: GSM America
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：Jackson December 2018 02 (Mississippi State Capitol) (cropped)。来源：Wikimedia Commons（Michael Barera，CC BY-SA 4.0）
