TRADING FUND REPORT 2023/24

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Independent Auditor’s Report
To the Legislative Council

Opinion

I certify that I have examined and audited the financial statements of the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund, which comprise the statement of financial position as at 31 March 2024, and the statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity and statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including material accounting policy information.

In my opinion, the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund as at 31 March 2024, and of its results of operations and cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards (“HKFRSs”) issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“HKICPA”) and have been properly prepared in accordance with the manner provided in section 7(4) of the Trading Funds Ordinance (Cap. 430).

Basis for opinion

I conducted my audit in accordance with section 7(5) of the Trading Funds Ordinance and the Audit Commission auditing standards. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of my report. I am independent of the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund in accordance with those standards, and I have fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with those standards. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Responsibilities of the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund for the financial statements

The General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund is responsible for the preparation of financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with HKFRSs issued by the HKICPA and section 7(4) of the Trading Funds Ordinance, and for such internal control as the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund is responsible for assessing the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with the Audit Commission auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with the Audit Commission auditing standards, I exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. I also:

  • identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control;
  • obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund’s internal control;
  • evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund;
  • conclude on the appropriateness of the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund’s ability to continue as a going concern. If I conclude that a material uncertainty exists, I am required to draw attention in my auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund to cease to continue as a going concern; and
  • evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

I communicate with the General Manager, Office of the Communications Authority Trading Fund regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that I identify during my audit.

Terry Mok

Terry Mok
Assistant Director of Audit
for Director of Audit

Audit Commission
6th Floor, High Block
Queensway Government Offices
66 Queensway
Hong Kong

13 September 2024