Pittsburgh Controller's Office signs on to end use of racially derogatory acronym in annual reports

Following guidance from its national professional association, the Pittsburgh Controller’s Office will no longer use “CAFR” as shorthand for “comprehensive annual financial reports.”

The long-standing acronym sounds like “Kaffir,” an offensive term used by Apartheid-era South Africans for the Blacks who live there. The Government Finance Officers Association, the trade group for government financial professionals, released guidance Tuesday to end use of CAFR.

“Kaffir” is defined as “Black African: a contemptuous term” by Webster’s New World College Dictionary, which guides the style of The Associated Press and many news organizations.

Important: Today #GFOA launched a new “End the Acronym” Initiative and released a new policy recommendation that will have widespread impact on the government finance industry. https://t.co/vGG93z3nq9 #ENDTHEACRONYM pic.twitter.com/vRtg2wiw2G

— GFOA (@GFOA) March 9, 2021

The GFOA “recommends referring to the report by either the full name or by using a shortened format that does not include the four-letter acronym,” the guidance states. “This recommendation is the result of increasing professional awareness that the acronym, when pronounced aloud, sounds the same as a derogatory term historically used in other parts of the world.”

Effectively immediately, Controller Lamb has instructed our office to discontinue the use of the acronym associated with the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. We applaud @GFOA's leadership on this issue. #ENDTHEACRONYM pic.twitter.com/BNVz1MCjQc

— Office of the City Controller (@PGHController) March 9, 2021

The Controller’s Office is ending use of the term and will make changes to its boilerplate documents that use it, Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb said Tuesday.

“To me it’s just an issue of basic thoughtfulness and consideration of others,” Lamb said. “It’s not a big problem for us. When we have the opportunity to be thoughtful and considerate of others, we ought to take advantage of it and do it.”

Deputy Controller Rachael Heisler welcomed the news. If another country’s financial professionals were using a term that was insensitive to Americans, people would be outraged, she said.

“I’m glad they have recognized the need to move forward with modifications,” Heisler said.

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner’s office wasn’t aware of the new guidance, but will be looking into the issue, spokesman Lou Takacs said.

“We’re certainly open to the communication of it from anyone who’s concerned,” Takacs said. “We’d never want to publish anything that is offensive. Now that we’re aware of it, we’ll take in under consideration as we publish this year’s reports.”

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board, which establishes accounting and financial reporting standards for U.S. state and local governments, is formally considering an end to the term CAFR. The process began in December 2020.