The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants® (IESBA®) today released revisions to the Non-Assurance Services (NAS) and fee-related provisions of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code). The revised NAS and fee-related provisions significantly strengthen the guardrails around auditor independence in two important areas that have the potential to create incentives influencing auditor behavior—non-assurance services provided to audit clients and fees.

“Independence is fundamental to the role of auditors as corporate guardians and ultimately to public confidence in financial reporting and market integrity,” said IESBA Chairman Dr. Stavros Thomadakis. “With the significant strengthening of the NAS and fees provisions, we have taken bold steps to set an even higher bar for the standards of independence required of auditors globally, especially in relation to public interest entities. We believe these changes represent a major advance in the public interest.”

The package of new measures includes:

• A far-reaching prohibition on audit firms from providing a NAS that might create a self-review threat to an audit client that is a public interest entity.
• New provisions to enable and promote more robust engagement between auditors and those charged with governance of public interest entities about independence matters relating to NAS and fees.
• Strengthened provisions to address undue fee dependency on audit clients.
• Provisions to stimulate greater public transparency about fees paid by audit clients that are public interest entities to assist stakeholder judgments about auditor independence.
• Comprehensive guidance to steer auditors’ threat assessments and actions in relation to NAS and fees.

“The revised NAS and fee-related provisions reflect current public interest expectations with respect to auditor independence in two important areas," said Gaylen Hansen, IESBA Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) Chair. "The IESBA CAG, with its diverse membership base, has unanimously supported and encouraged the IESBA’s formidable leadership in effecting these changes.”

The revised NAS and fee-related provisions have been informed by extensive research, global roundtables and other outreach to investors, the corporate governance community, regulators, audit oversight bodies, national standard setters, accounting firms, preparers of financial statements, and others. In addition, the development of the provisions has benefited from close coordination with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB).

The revised NAS and fee-related provisions become effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2022. Early adoption is permitted and encouraged.

In support of global adoption and implementation of the new standards, the IESBA has developed Bases for Conclusions and other resources which are available on the IESBA’s website. Additional support materials and resources will be published in 2021.

The revisions to the fee-related provisions of the code include a prohibition on firms allowing the audit fee to be influenced by the provision of services other than audit to the audit client; in the case of PIEs, a requirement to cease to act as auditor if fee dependency on the audit client continues beyond a specified period; communication of fee-related information to TCWG and to the public to assist their judgments about auditor independence; and enhanced guidance on identifying, evaluating and addressing threats to independence.

The revised NAS provisions contain substantive revisions that will enhance the International Independence Standards (IIS) by clarifying and addressing the circumstances in which firms and network firms may or may not provide a NAS to an audit or assurance client. The revised provisions include new requirements that expressly prohibit firms and network firms from providing certain types of NAS to their audit clients, especially when they are public interest entities (PIEs).

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC), in collaboration with The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA), will be hosting a two-day workshop on Enhancing Public Financial Accountability and Management in the Caribbean on May 11 – 12, 2021 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (Eastern Time).

IFAC, the International Federation of Accountants, which comprises 180 member and associate organizations and represents more than 3 million professional accountants globally, welcomes the publication of the much-anticipated draft text of the European Union’s revised Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

This ambitious proposal demonstrates leadership on the issue of corporate reporting. The legislation seeks to put sustainability-related reporting on the same footing as traditional financial reporting. This is long overdue. Specific proposals, such as where sustainability information is reported, mandatory assurance, a digital reporting taxonomy, and expanded scope for oversight by audit committees, are all important elements of enhancing the corporate reporting ecosystem to include sustainability-related information.  

As progress on the IFRS Foundation’s Sustainability Standards Board accelerates, IFAC believes policymakers have a unique opportunity to build a truly global system for sustainability reporting. We hope the EU’s important work ultimately contributes to—and amplifies the impact of—the emerging global system.

IFAC CEO Kevin Dancey said, “It is great to see a commitment to the needs of investors as well as other stakeholders, and to cooperation and alignment with international initiatives, including proposed work of the IFRS Foundation as well as the efforts of various public authorities. IFAC urges the IFRS Foundation to move with speed so that the benefits of baseline standards for enterprise value reporting will be available to all jurisdictions, while preserving the flexibility for disclosures that meet local needs addressing wider sustainability development goals. These are truly exciting times. We will continue to engage with the various stakeholders in this space as we all work toward the shared goal of a global system for reporting sustainability-related information in the public interest.”

Read Kevin Dancey’s recent letters to IFAC member organizations here and here.

About IFAC
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 180 members and associates in 135 countries and jurisdictions, representing more than 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

The IAASB Public Report details progress to support the public interest between July 2019 and December 2020. During this 18-month period, the IAASB completed five major standards aimed at enhancing audit and assurance quality, adopted a four-year strategy focused on the public interest, and established a new work plan focused on emerging issues. During this period, the IAASB responded to a new environment sparked by the global pandemic by issuing guidance and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders in order to sustain trust in audit and assurance.