Bangkok: The Office of Buddhism has instructed all temples to urgently manage their income and expenditure accounts, aligning with the resolutions set forth by the National Assembly.
According to Thai News Agency, the National Office of Buddhism has issued a circular urging temples across the nation to expedite the preparation of their financial accounts, including deposit accounts, income-expenses, and balance sheets. The directive emphasizes adherence to the resolution of the Sangha Supreme Council, which is already in effect.
The circular specifies that opening and withdrawing bank accounts at the temple must be conducted with banks that have offices in the same province as the temple, and the account name must be solely in the temple's name. It requires at least three authorized individuals for money withdrawal, with two of them needing to sign along with the abbot for each transaction. Only bank withdrawal slips and passbooks are permitted for these transactions.
The income-expense reports for all temple accounts must be summarized monthly for the entire year and submitted to the Office of Buddhism by January 20 of the following year, with copies of all documents retained at the temple.
Furthermore, the circular encourages temples to consider using the electronic donation system (e-Donation) for complete donation records, with abbots ensuring compliance. The Office of Buddhism will oversee or coordinate with relevant agencies to audit the accounts and report the findings to the Sangha Supreme Council.