Expenditures

The United States Navy ordered a computerized bookkeeping system that was to have cost $33 million. As the project was being built the price climbed steadily higher. Finally, the price grew so high, the Navy gave up without completing the job. The Navy spent $230 million of our money and got absolutely nothing.

In a similar case, the Internal Revenue Service spent $187 million just to decide if they should buy a $1.8 billion computerized tax return system. They decided no.