The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), an independent standard-setting board within the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), has issued an exposure draft proposing to strengthen three components of the independence requirements contained in the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code).
In December 2006, as a result of a comprehensive review, the IESBA issued an exposure draft proposing revisions to the existing independence requirements contained in the Code. In that exposure draft, the IESBA indicated that there were three areas that the IESBA would revise in a future exposure draft:
- Provision of internal audit services to an audit client;
- Independence implications related to the relative size of fees received from one assurance client; and
- Contingent fees for services provided to assurance clients.
The IESBA is now seeking comment from interested parties on these three matters.
"This second exposure draft addresses the three additional elements that the IESBA considers are appropriate to protect the public interest," states Richard George, IESBA Chair. "The IESBA intends to issue the revisions from this exposure draft in mid 2008 simultaneously with the revisions to the matters that were exposed in December 2006."
How to Comment
Comments on the exposure draft are requested by October 15, 2007. The exposure draft may be viewed by going to http://www.ifac.org/EDs. Comments may be submitted by email to edcomments@ifac.org. They can also be faxed to the attention of the IESBA Senior Technical Manager at +1 (212) 286-9570 or mailed to IFAC, 545 Fifth Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA. All comments will be considered a matter of public record and will ultimately be posted on IFAC's website.
About the IESBA and IFAC
The IESBA develops ethical standards and guidance for use by professional accountants. It encourages member bodies of IFAC to adopt high standards of ethics for their members and promotes good ethical practices globally. The Public Interest Oversight Board oversees the activities of the IESBA and, as one element of that oversight, establishes the criteria for its due process and working procedures.
Founded in 1977, IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 155 members and associates in 118 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. Through its independent standard-setting boards, IFAC sets ethics, auditing and assurance, education, and public sector accounting standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.