Oubliette, It was easy enough to tell where honest numbers were really important.
Congregation Financial Accounts: Two brothers are to collect money from the boxes and sign receipts to make sure nothing gets "lost". Expenses must have approval and receipts on file. All accounts are audited within the congregations and thoroughly reexamined during the COs visit. Every cent must be accounted for and balanced.
Congregations Publisher Reports: Haphazard collection from a box, service group conductors, and individual publishers. Almost nobody ever asks to see the cards until the CO visit. No type of audit to check for accuracy. Missing reports and low numbers will be met with harsh words from the CO. Filled records and high numbers will be met with silence or praise. Accuracy of reports are never confirmed.
If having accurate publisher records was really important, they would have arranged for a system to confirm and reward accuracy. Instead, their procedure for recording publisher activity was full of holes that could be stuffed with fake numbers.
The whole procedure is so bizarre to me since WT proudly reports all these publisher totals that are not confirmed or audited for accuracy, yet they don't report WT financial records that would have been carefully tracked and reported at all levels of the organization... well, except for the very top. Financials there are all cloaked in secrecy.
