Business Faculty Publications

Title

Audit fee discounting in the post-SOX environment

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-3-2017

Publication Title

Managerial Auditing Journal

Keywords

Audit fees, Audit pricing, Internal control, SOX 404, Audit fee discounting

Disciplines

Accounting | Business

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate whether the expected implementation of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX 404(b)) (the integrated audit requirement) caused auditors to discount their audit fees for non-accelerated filers in anticipation of expected increased future economic rents from those clients.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper predicts that auditors charged their non-accelerated filer clients lower audit fees during the years 2005-2007 (in anticipation of increased expected future economic rents from the implementation of the SOX 404(b) requirement) compared with the years 2010-2012 (when it had been determined that non-accelerated filers were permanently exempt from complying with SOX 404(b)). The authors use ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine whether audit fees increased significantly for non-accelerated filers after the permanent exemption announcement.
Findings – The results show a significant positive association between the exemption announcement and audit fees, supporting the theory that auditors discounted their audit fees for non-accelerated filers in the preexemption announcement period. This finding is robust when sensitivity tests are used.
Practical implications – The findings of audit fee discounting literature related to the post-SOX period are mixed. This study adds to this stream of literature by supporting the notion that audit fee discounting is being practiced post-SOX and is a potential unintended consequence of SOX 404 and the exemption. Thus, investors will be interested in the results of this paper when making their investment decisions with regard to non-accelerated filers.
Social implications – The results of this paper show that, even in the post-SOX environment, auditors will employ the use of audit fee discounting if a change in regulation incentivizes it. This commentary on the present state of the audit pricing market should be of interest to audit pricing policymakers.
Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to study audit fee discounting outside the realm of initial audit engagements.

DOI

10.1108/MAJ-03-2016-1335

Volume

32

Issue

7

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