Innovations in Governmental Accounting Systems

TLDR: In the last years, a number Belgian public sector organisations have been reformed from cameralistic/cash accounting towards business-like accrual accounting as discussed by the authors, which implies a maintaining of the traditional Cameralistic accounting system together with the introduction of accruality.

Abstract: In the last years a number Belgian public sector organisations have been reformed from cameralistic/cash accounting towards business-like accrual accounting. Recently, the Belgian legislator prepared the accounting reform of provincial governments (1999, 2000) starting as of 1st January 2002. Generally, the provincial accounting reform implies a maintaining of the traditional cameralistic accounting system together with the introduction of accrual accounting in order to obtain a patrimonial view of each province. Although provinces are more extensive than local governments, they have mostly a centralised accounting system.