The Independent Revenue Group, commonly referred to as the IRG, was an independent auditing group famously associated with the Independent Party (Robloxia). They were the leading force during Nine Year Review, looking at the finances of institutions throughout Robloxia.
History
Early Days (1976-1988)
Founded in 1976, the IRG was created by then party leader, Micheal Sherman-White who wanted a group to review the finances of politicians running in elections throughout Robloxia. They were extremely meticulous with how they worked, opting to leave no page unturned. Their biggest break came in 1987 when they were tasked with looking up the finances of known Conservative and "big business bigwig" (as described by Sherman-White), Nathan Krill. The group searched his entire background and found a suspicious 1.2 Million R$ payment to dangerous terrorist group Are We Cool Yet?. While the reason AWCY? received this money was never truly discovered, the scandal was enough to disrupt Krill's chances of getting the Conservative nomination and he dropped out 1988 election just eight days after the information went public.
The Nine Year Review (1989-1998)
While reviewing Krill's finances, the IRG also found that he had received several "off the books" donations from the University of Bloxburg Valley. Upon further review, they found that much of the 1.2 Million R$ krill sent to AWCY? was from the school. While they opted to not include this information in their report on Krill, curiosity convinced Sherman-White to authorize an audit to UBV in March of 1989. This officially began what historians now refer to as the "Nine Year Review" where the IRG began investigating the finances of schools.
A Gold Star rating awarded to the Engineering University of Romont in 1993.
During the review, the IRG audited nearly 70 universities and colleges' finances and gave them a Financial Responsibility Grade.
The Nine Year Review ended in 1998 when a court ordered the group to cease their "unconstitutional attack on the vaults of our fine institutions" (a quote that received enormous backlash by Progressives and Robloxian Reformist). However, the damage to the credibility of the university system had already been done. The Lizo Report (named after Finance Secretary, Andrea Lizo) unveiled at least 26 instances of intentional fraudulent activity and/or large scale malpractice, and dozens more reports of minor mistakes.
Closure and lasting impact
The IRG officially closed it's offices in 1999 in compliance with the court order. Despite this, the effect of the IRG continued to impact the higher education system. Many universities still sport their Financial Responsibility Grade. in 2007, the University System Of Robloxia was created to address the concerns of credibility raised by the IRG.
Rating System
- Gold Star - A University with a perfect financial record
- Silver Star - A University with a great financial record with minor stains (incorrect refunds, small debt)
- Bronze Star - A University with a mediocre finance record with some major stains (mismanagement without intent, large debt, missing documents)
- Paper Star - A University with a terrible finance record with records of intentional mismanagement, large debt and poor record keeping.