Pronunciamentos contábeis brasileiros: evidências do entendimento dos auditores independentes do Brasil

Abstract

Faced with the need for comparable financial information, regulators, accounting professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders are immersed in a scenario where the use of international standards in the financial statements of companies around the world has been increasingly required. Progress is visible, since approximately 120 countries have already adopted International Financial Reporting Standards. However, the concern of a few authors regarding effective comparability of financial information still persists. Such concerns from researchers like Doupnik and Riccio (2006), Nobes (2006), and Chand, Patel and Day (2008), are based on the possibility that cultural, political, social, and even behavioral differences between accounting officers are determining factors for disparate applications and interpretations, even with the use of identical standards. Therefore, this study aims to identify what the interpretations of independent auditors of companies indexed in the CVM are regarding the four Brazilian Accounting Pronouncements that address deferred taxes, borrowing costs, provisions and contingent liabilities, and intangible assets. Data was collected from a questionnaire adapted from Chand, Patel and Patel (2010). Based on the answers, the goal was to identify the existence of the association of auditors' responses with five variables pertaining to the size of the company, the familiarity with the standards, the level of conservatism, and professional experience in auditing and in IFRS-related activities. The Chi-square Test was used, and, as a result, a lack of consensus on the answers of the auditors of the sample was highlighted. It was also noticed that the different interpretations of experienced auditors were statistically similar. However, such interpretations were statistically distinct in function: the size of the undertaking and of familiarity with IFRS (significance: 5%), and the level of conservatism and experience with IFRS-related activities (significance: 10%). In the light of these results, it can be inferred that, within the use of the same standard, there is a possibility that Brazilian professionals have different interpretations and, therefore, make decisions that will produce non-comparable accounting reports.