Final Pronouncement - Revisions to the Code Addressing Tax Planning and Related Services

Moving away from a purely mechanical and legalistic approach, the goal of the IESBA's Tax Planning Standards is to provide a principles-based framework and a global ethical benchmark applicable to tax planning services and activities. This will establish a consistent point of reference for all professional accountants, as well as other tax professionals who are strongly encouraged to use the standards, when dealing with tax planning, to ensure due consideration of public interest as well as potential reputational, commercial, and wider economic consequences for their clients or employing organizations.

These standards are especially relevant in the context of rising public scrutiny of tax avoidance schemes which can harm companies’ credibility and corporate reputation, as well as risking litigation and harming the public interest. Responding to increased public interest concerns, the fundamental goal of these standards is to ensure an ethical, credible basis for advising on tax planning arrangements, thereby restoring public and institutional trust on a topic that is core to the social contract between corporations and the market which supports them.