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Audit committee financial expertise, corporate governance, and the voluntary switch from auditor-provided to non-auditor-provided tax services

Susan Albring, Dahlia Robinson and Michael Robinson

Advances in accounting, 2014, vol. 30, issue 1, 81-94

Abstract: A prime objective of the SOX is to safeguard auditor independence. We investigate the relation between audit committee quality, corporate governance, and audit committees' decision to switch from permissible auditor-provided tax services. We find that firms with more independent boards, audit committees with greater accounting financial expertise, higher stock ownership by directors and institutions, that separate the CEO and Chairman of the board positions, and with higher tax to audit fee ratios are more likely to switch to a non-auditor provider. Further, we document that firms are more likely to switch prior to issuing equity. We find no evidence that broad financial expertise on audit committees is related to the switch decision, suggesting that the SEC's initial narrow definition of expertise is more consistent with the objective of the SOX. Overall, our results suggest that accounting financial expertise and strong corporate governance contribute to enhanced audit committee monitoring of auditor independence.

Keywords: Auditor-provided tax service; Auditor independence; Audit committee expert (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G14 G34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:advacc:v:30:y:2014:i:1:p:81-94

DOI: 10.1016/j.adiac.2013.12.007

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