Rodízio de firmas de auditoria e auditores na percepção dos auditores independentes

Abstract

The independent audit of the financial statements has as main objective to express an opinion on the adequacy of the Company's financial position, the results of operations, changes in equity and cash flows, enabling the formation of the Court in accordance with the accounting practices. To ensure greater reliability, transparency and independence of the auditor in relation to the auditee, was introduced in Brazil the rotation of audit firms adopted by the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM) Instruction No. 308, May 1999, for joint stock companies traded, registered in the stock values of Brazil (BOVESPA), with the objective of preserving the independence of the independent auditor and the reduction of errors and fraud contained in the financial statements. The rotation of audit firms is a coated subject of much controversy because it is a commercial and professional relationship with its customers and to the market for audit firms. The general objective of this research was to analyze the perception of respondents auditors regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the audit rotation to the auditor's independence, professional skepticism and quality of services provided. The sample of auditors covered the technical part of an audit company (branch) in the city of Belo Horizonte - MG, composed of 25 (twenty five) auditors, which sent the questionnaire. Among the 25 (twenty five) auditors, 24 (twenty four) responded to the survey satisfactorily. The results showed that the audit rotation ensures the preservation of independence, with effective increase in the quality of audit work, and contribute to the professional skepticism. In the same vein we performed the comparison of the results of this study with the results of a previous study related to the same topic. Analysis of these results in the perception of auditors, together with the results of the previous study based on the perception of managers proved to be opposites. That is, the perception of managers the rotation of audit firms no improvement to the external audit service, or contribute to independence. In the view of auditors, improvements in audit service are linked to the rotation and this minimizes the loss of independence. As a contribution to future studies, it has been the expansion of the sample and check the perception of these changes from the perspective of the client companies, regulatory agencies, and also analysts and investors.