Non-audit Service Fees Research Articles

Non-Audit Services (NAS) and Auditor Independence (AI): Moderating Role of Regulatory Environment

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the influence of non-audit services (NAS) on audit independence (AI) among non-financial companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Specifically, it investigated the relationship between NAS fees and AI, with a focus on how regulatory quality moderates this relationship. Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in agency theory, which suggests that conflicts of interest may arise when auditors provide NAS, potentially compromising their independence. The research also explores the role of regulatory quality in mitigating such conflicts, contributing to the broader understanding of corporate governance in emerging markets. Method: An ex-post facto research design was employed, analysing secondary data from 280 firm-year observations across 20 companies in nine industry groups on the NSE over a 15-year period (2006-2020). Audit independence was proxied by discretionary accruals, while NAS was measured using the NAS fee ratio (NFR) and the natural logarithm of NAS fees (LNNF). The hypotheses were tested using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models with the aid of Stata v15. Results and Discussion: The findings reveal that higher NAS fees (LNNF) are significantly associated with reduced audit independence, as indicated by increased discretionary accruals. However, this negative impact is moderated by the quality of the regulatory framework, which helps preserve AI. Contrary to initial expectations, the NAS fees ratio (NFR) was found to be positively associated with discretionary accruals, further emphasizing the critical role of regulatory quality in safeguarding audit independence. Research Implications: The study underscores the importance of robust regulatory frameworks in maintaining audit independence in the presence of NAS. It offers practical insights for policymakers and regulators to enhance corporate governance and financial reporting integrity in Nigeria. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence from an emerging market, demonstrating the significance of regulatory quality in moderating the relationship between NAS and audit independence. It offers valuable guidance for policymakers, regulators, and practitioners aiming to strengthen corporate governance practices.

Effect of female representation in audit committees on non-audit fees: evidence from China

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether gender diversity in audit committees affects the purchase of nonaudit services in China. Results from family and nonfamily firms are compared and the critical mass participation of females are further examined.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises 1,834 Chinese listed companies from 2012 to 2021, among which 910 are family firms. The Heckman (1979) two-stage model is used to mitigate the potential endogeneity issue in the selection of gender diversity. Propensity score matching is also used to further alleviate the endogeneity problem in relation to family firms.FindingsResults show a significant and negative correlation between the gender diversity in audit committees and nonaudit service fees. This association is more apparent in nonfamily than in family firms. Findings are consistent and robust to endogeneity tests and sensitivity analyses. The analysis of critical mass and symbolic participation shows that three female directors can more significantly restrain nonaudit fees than one to two females on the board.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to literature on resource dependence theory, which posits that audit committees help enterprises establish contact with auditors, improve the company legitimacy, assist in communication and provide relevant expertise. This study also relates to agency theory, which holds that differences in the severity of types I and II agency problems between family and nonfamily firms lead to differences in auditor selection and related costs.Originality/valueExtending from previous research on the relation between the gender diversity in audit committees and nonaudit fees, the present study delves into this connection within the context of China, an emerging economy. As a result, this investigation offers novel insights and expands upon current knowledge. In addition, the correlation between the gender diversity of audit committees and nonaudit fees is explored for family and nonfamily firms.

Why do audit clients voluntarily disclose the compliance and planning components of auditor provided tax services?

Criticisms of audit firms marketing and devising tax avoidance strategies for their audit clients have led to calls from regulators, investors, and proxy advisors for more detailed disclosures on the composition of tax non-audit services (NAS). Using a hand-collected dataset, we examine the determinants of audit clients’ voluntary bifurcation of total tax NAS fees into the tax planning and compliance components, and the effect of these voluntary disclosures on firm value. We find that firms with higher levels of tax NAS are more likely to provide this disclosure, as well as firms that engage in higher levels of tax avoidance and have accounting experts serve on the audit committee. Using textual analysis, we find that among voluntary tax NAS fee breakdown disclosers, firms with higher total tax and, specifically, tax planning NAS fees have longer and less similar tax NAS fee disclosures relative to the prior period disclosure. Our firm value analyses indicate higher valuations for firms providing voluntary breakdown disclosures when these disclosures reveal high tax NAS fees generally, and high tax planning NAS fees specifically. The firm valuation effects are incrementally more pronounced when voluntary tax NAS fee breakdown firms report higher tax avoidance and expert audit committee oversight. Our results suggest that the voluntary disclosure of private information regarding the nature of tax NAS is one mechanism through which firms facing scrutiny over the implications of these services can alleviate information asymmetry and stakeholder skepticism of tax NAS.

EXTERNAL AUDIT ATTRIBUTES AND INCOME SMOOTHING OF LISTED BANKS IN NIGERIA

The present study seeks to examine the effect of external audit attributes on income smoothing-INSM in listed deposit money banks in Nigeria covering a study period of ten (10) years spanning from 2012 to 2021 over ten (10) banks. The regressed is income smoothing measured by loan loss provision while the regressor is external audit attributes measured by Audit Firm Size (AFS), Non-audit Service Fees (NASF), Audit Tenure (ATN), and Joint Audit (JOA). The study covered ten selected deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NEG) as at 31st December 2021 while data were collected from the annual reports of the selected banks. Further, the ex-post facto research design was used and emphases were laid on banks’ data. The study adopted panel data multiple regression estimation technique while data were analyzed through the Eviews-9 statistical package for data analysis. The study reported that, Audit Firm Size (AFS) exerted a negative significant effect on INSM of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. Meanwhile, Non-audit Service Fees (NASF) and Audit Tenure (ATN) exerted a positive significant effect on INSM of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. However, Joint Audit (JOA) exerted a negative yet minimal effect on ISMN of quoted banks in Nigeria in. Hence, the paper concludes that, external audit attributes have mixed effects on ISMN tendencies of bank managers in Nigeria. As such, bank owners must ensure that they engage the services of credible auditing firms with track records of delivering reports that show the actual situation of the bank. Meanwhile, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) should have stiffer penalty for bank managers/auditing firms caught engaging in the act of ISMN.
 Keywords: External Audit Attributes, Audit Firm Size (AFS), Non-audit Service Fees (NASF), Audit Tenure (ATN), and Joint Audit (JOA), Income Smoothing.

Voting on Auditor Ratification by Shareholder Type: Impact of Institutional Shareholder Dissent on NAS Fees and Audit Quality

Institutional investors have a better understanding of corporate performance than non-institutional investors, and their presence tends to improve the overall governance mechanism of a company and discipline top management against taking self-serving or myopic decisions. In this study, we examine shareholder voting patterns on auditor reappointments in Indian companies and examine whether institutional shareholder dissent on auditor reappointment acts as a disciplining mechanism on subsequent auditor actions and leads to improvement in audit quality. Our results indicate that institutional shareholder dissent on auditor reappointment is positively related to relative magnitude of non-audit services (NAS) fees in the previous year. More importantly, we observe that auditors are sensitive to institutional dissent and respond by charging a lower amount of NAS fees and providing superior audit quality in the subsequent year to signal increased independence and objectivity. Similar results are not observed in the case of retail shareholders. Our findings reinforce the role of institutional shareholders as important monitors in the corporate governance process and call for regulation to mandate the participation of shareholders in the auditor appointment process.

The impact of auditor-provided non-audit services on audit quality: A review of the archival literature

The paper gives an overview of the results of a structured literature review. It covers archival studies on the relationship between non-audit services (NAS) fees and factual as well as perceived audit quality published in journals included in the accounting subject category of the SCImago Journal Ranking. It also includes a critical evaluation of the research methods applied in prior research and offers avenues for future research. The provision of NAS to audit clients creates threats to auditor independence. Consequently, regulators have focused on the simultaneous provision of audit and NAS for many years and restricted it over time. This paper aims to assess which regulatory actions are justified in light of related archival research findings. Overall, prior research does not clearly prove a negative impact of non-audit services on factual audit quality. However, it demonstrates a negative relationship between non-audit fees and audit quality perceptions. Moreover, it also reveals that tax consulting fees are less problematic

The interdependence between market structure and the quality of audited reports: the case of non-audit services

This paper addresses the effects of a prohibition of providing non-audit services (NAS) to audit clients. By combining a strategic auditor–client game with a circular market-matching model that has an endogenous number of auditors, we take into account the interdependence between the auditors’ and clients’ incentives, the market structure, and the quality of audited reports. We show that the regulation’s effects depend on the preexisting audit market concentration and the types of blacklisted NAS. In sharp contrast to the effects that regulators desire, a prohibition of providing NAS to audit clients can further increase audit market concentration and decrease the quality of audited reports if the fees that auditors previously earned from providing the blacklisted NAS were relatively high, compared to the reduction in audit costs that result from spillovers. In contrast, a prohibition of the NAS that generate intense spillovers and low NAS fees can have the unexpected—but desired—effect of decreasing market concentration; however, reporting quality also decreases.

The audit market for listed Australian companies from 2012 to 2018: A state of play

Motivated by recent regulatory scrutiny of auditing in Australia, we provide an overview of the audit market for Australian listed companies from 2012 to 2018. Using descriptive analyses, we explore audit market competition, the provision of non-audit services (NAS), and audit firm tenure. We find that the Australian audit market is highly segmented. Big 4 firms increasingly dominate the larger client segment, while Non-Big 4 firms focus on medium and smaller clients. Auditor-provided NAS fees represent a relatively small fraction of audit fees for smaller clients, but a relatively high fraction for larger clients. We further observe that the share of total revenue from NAS of Big 4 firms increases over time. Finally, a relatively small percentage of clients has long audit firm tenure, and that long tenure is more common in the larger client segments. We discuss the implications of these findings and research opportunities that emerge. JEL Classification: D40, L11, M42, L84

Non-audit services and auditor independence in stable and unstable economic conditions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the association between non-audit service fees provided by the auditor and auditor independence in stable and unstable economic conditions. Further, this study investigates whether client importance impairs auditor independence in two different Australian economic environments.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on financially distressed firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange from 2005 to 2014. The data is obtained from SIRCA and the Morning Star databases. The probit method is used as a baseline regression model, the two-stage least squares and the sensitivity of control variable tests are used to control for any endogeneity and self-selection bias concerns.FindingsThis study shows that in stable economic conditions, non-audit service fees provided by auditors impair auditor independence. This suggests that economic bonding between auditor and client serves as a threat to the auditor’s independence, perhaps because of the importance given to the larger clients. In contrast, the authors find no association between non-audit service fees and auditor independence in unstable (highly regulated) economic conditions largely because of higher litigation risk. The results of this study are robust to alternative model specifications and endogeneity concerns.Practical implicationsThis study provides an important implication to regulators that macro-economic conditions influence the strength of incentives related to non-audit services for auditors. Furthermore, this study enhances the understanding of regulators (Australian Security Investment Commission) and the strategies adopted by Australian auditors in response to economic incentives and market-based incentives.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the existing literature by providing evidence that there is a tradeoff between market-based incentives (i.e. lower litigation costs) and economic incentives (i.e. non-audit services fees) with economic uncertainty influencing the importance of these incentives to auditors.

The effect of non-audit fees and industry specialization on the prevalence and accuracy of auditor’s going-concern reporting decisions

The issue of auditors impairing their independence when providing non-audit services (NAS) to audit clients continues to be subject of global regulatory concern. However, the profession has long argued that knowledge gained from providing NAS can spill over to other areas and can serve to improve audit quality. Accordingly, we revisit the effect that NAS have on the likelihood of an auditor issuing a going concern modified opinion (GCMO) to distressed clients, as well as the accuracy of those opinions. We also examine whether industry specialization is associated with GCMO decisions and their accuracy. Our analysis of Australian company audits finds a significant negative association between auditors rendering a GCMO and the magnitude of NAS fees, and that increasing NAS fees are associated with fewer GCMO-related reporting misclassifications. Our analyses also find no strong evidence of an industry specialist auditor effect on GCMO reporting or report accuracy. In sum, our analysis of audit reporting decisions in Australia supports the concerns of regulators regarding reduced GCMOs when NAS fees increase, and also supports the contention of the accounting profession that providing NAS improves the quality of audit decision-making, leading to improved accuracy of GCMO reporting decisions.

Auditors' Incentives and Audit Quality: Non-Audit Services versus Contingent Audit Fees

I develop a model that provides new insights into the consequences of the provision of non-audit services (NAS) by audit firms to audit clients. I also investigate the joint implications of NAS and contingent audit fees (CAF) for audit quality. In the model, litigation and reputation costs do not provide sufficient incentives to auditors to exert audit effort. Investors of client firms may therefore let auditors provide NAS because of an incentive effect. Indeed, the possibility of providing NAS contingent on detecting financial misstatements increases auditors' incentives to exert audit effort. However, the provision of NAS also reduces auditor independence, which may decrease audit quality and in turn render the provision of NAS by auditors undesirable. Thus my analysis uncovers an interesting tradeoff for regulators between the positive incentive effect and the decrease in auditor independence. Removing the current restrictions on CAF may offset the ex post decrease in audit quality while preserving the ex ante incentives. My analysis also generates a number of testable empirical predictions.

Corporate social responsibility and non-audit service fees

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the purchase of non-audit service (NAS). Due to the information asymmetry between stakeholders and managers, stakeholders are generally concerned about auditor’s independence and the firms’ reporting quality. We argue that firms engaging in CSR are more concerned about meeting stakeholder expectations and protecting their reputation of being socially responsible; therefore, they tend to purchase less NAS due to the concern of impaired audit quality. Consistent with our argument, we find that firms with higher CSR ratings incur lower NAS fees. We also document that the negative association of CSR-NAS fees is stronger for firms facing greater stakeholder demand, those with more reputation concerns, and those subject to higher litigation risk.

Do high-reputation companies pay more non-audit fees?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the association between companies’ reputation and their purchase of non-audit services (NAS).Design/methodology/approachThis study measures company reputation using the reputation scores from Fortune’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” list. Multivariate analysis is performed to examine the association between public companies’ overall reputation and their decision of NAS purchase. Robustness checks are performed to control for self-selection bias and alternate measures are used to proxy for company reputation and NAS fees.FindingsThis study finds that high-reputation companies on average pay more NAS fees than their counterparts. The results suggest that due to less severe agency conflicts, high-reputation companies tend to purchase more NAS from their incumbent auditors to appreciate the potential benefits of the auditors’ knowledge spillovers.Originality/valueThe findings of this study on the association between company reputation and NAS fees contribute to the literature by providing additional insight on the factors influencing companies’ NAS purchases. The results of this study suggest that a unique company-level characteristic, company reputation, is significantly associated with companies’ NAS purchase, and therefore has both policy and practical implications for the demand of NAS. This study also adds to the growing literature on the influence of company reputation on corporate behavior by documenting the important role that company reputation plays in the managerial decision-making process.

The Importance of Partner Naming when Examining Auditor Independence and Non-Audit Services

We examine whether the naming of partners provides a benefit to the public in the context of allowing researchers to empirically collect evidence on the economic importance of non-audit services (NAS) at the partner level. We provide evidence showing that auditor independence is impaired when auditors provide higher NAS using actual auditor provided NAS fees and the type and dollar value of those fees. Specific NAS are not banned and the identity of the audit engagement partner, NAS fees and description of the type and value of NAS from the audit firm are publicly disclosed in Australia. These data allow us to examine actual auditor provided NAS fees and type and dollar value of fees at the partner, office and firm level in an environment where NAS is not constrained by regulation. We find that higher NAS fee-based client importance is associated with fewer going concern opinions at the partner, office and firm level for distressed firms, and more earnings management at the partner level. In additional tests, we find that the observed associations are driven by non-tax NAS fee-based measures of client importance to the audit engagement partner. Hierarchical linear modelling analyses also show that reduced audit quality associated with higher NAS fees is mainly explained by partner, rather than firm and office level fees.

Internal Auditing Outsourcing, Nonaudit Services, and Audit Fees

SUMMARYThis study examines the relationship between outsourced internal audits, nonaudit services, and audit fees. We use Malaysian data to show that client firms that outsource their internal auditing function (IAF) are associated with lower external audit fees than those with in-house IAF. Moreover, this negative relationship is significantly stronger for firms that purchase greater amounts of nonaudit services (NAS) from the auditor. The results suggest that an auditor who provides NAS to a client and thus earns additional overall revenue is willing to accept lower audit fees provided a high audit quality can be achieved through reliance on outsourced IAF.JEL Classifications: M42.

The Moderating Effect of Non-audit Services Fee on Aggressive Tax Planning: Empirical Evidence From Malaysian Listed Companies

The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of non-audit services fees on the relationship between size, profitability, leverage, capital intensity, inventory intensity, financial distress and ethnicity with aggressive tax planning. This study uses a sample from companies listed on the Malaysian (Access, Certainty, Efficiency (ACE) Market from 2014 to 2018, comprising of 105 firm year-observations. The finding shows that the non-audit services fee moderate the relationship between size, profitability, leverage, inventory intensity, financial distress and ethnicity with aggressive tax planning except for capital intensity. It is hoped that the finding can assist readers in understanding the nature of companies listed on the ACE Market, particularly their behaviour towards tax planning. This study contributes to knowledge in the areas of financial accounting and taxation specifically on aggressive tax planning, by introducing the moderating variable of non-audit services fee. The uniqueness of the use of companies listed on the Malaysian ACE market will provide new avenue on the discussion on an aggressive tax planning issue, which usually more focus on big firms. The framework used in the present study could serve as a basis for research in other developing countries or regions.

Audit committee effectiveness and non-audit service fees: Evidence from UK family firms

This study examines whether the presence of an ineffective audit committee at family and non-family firms can influence the firms’ non-audit service purchases from the incumbent auditor. Using a sample of 1736 observations of UK-listed companies from 2005 to 2013, we find a significant positive association between ineffective audit committees and non-audit service fees. This association is more pronounced for family than for non-family firms, suggesting that in the UK, family firms with ineffective audit committees tend to buy more non-audit services from their incumbent auditors than non-family firms. The results also show that family firms with ineffective audit committees pay higher non-audit service fees when their family members own shares or hold board positions, indicating that both types of involvement lead to larger non-audit service expenditures.

The Association between Human Resource Investments in the Internal Accounting Control System and Non-audit Fees: Evidence from South Korea

This study empirically examines the relationship between human resource investments in the internal accounting control system (IACS) and firms' non-audit fees. By using hand-collected data on the IACS for firms listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) markets, we find that human resource investments in the IACS are positively associated with firms' nonaudit service fees. Specifically, the findings show that the number of employees working in the IACS positively relates to firms' non-audit fees from the KOSPI and KOSDAQ sample. Our results indicate that this positive association is more prominent for large-sized than small-sized firms and KOSPI than KOSDAQ firms.

Have Critical Audit Matter Disclosures Indirectly Benefitted Investors by Constraining Earnings Management? Evidence from Tax Accounts

Does the initial disclosure of tax-related critical audit matters (CAMs) constrain tax-related earnings management? If so, it would support the PCOAB’s expectation that investors indirectly benefit from CAMs through the increased attention given to the matters underlying the CAMs. We examine auditors’ initial CAM disclosures of large U.S. accelerated filers and find that tax-related CAM disclosures are associated with a lower likelihood that the audited company uses tax expense to meet analysts’ after-tax consensus forecasts. We find that tax-related CAM disclosures are associated with subsequent increases in the length of and use of uncertain language in tax footnotes. However, we do not find tax-related CAMs are associated with increased audit fees or tax-related non-audit service fees. Our results indicate that the disciplinary benefit of CAMs appears primarily driven by management’s response to CAM disclosures.

Common Auditors in Mergers and Acquisitions: The Impact on Post-Acquisition Financial Reporting Quality

Prior research documents improvements in pre-acquisition outcomes when acquirer and target firms engage the same audit firm to perform their financial statement audits. We examine whether the advantages of engaging a common auditor prior to an acquisition translate into improved post-acquisition outcomes. We find that common auditors improve post-acquisition financial reporting quality as evidenced by a decreased likelihood of misstatement and of missed internal control material weaknesses following an acquisition. These benefits are attributable to same-office common auditors rather than common auditors from different audit offices. We also find that the effects of common auditors are more pronounced when the acquisition is more material to the acquirer and when the time between acquisition completion and the combined entity’s year-end is shorter. Finally, we find that common auditors are associated with lower non-audit service fees. Our findings suggest that common auditors, especially same-office common auditors, provide important post-acquisition benefits.