Accounting Comparability and Audit Effort

Abstract

Audit fee, which is one of the signs of an audit effort, is an important factor in the acceptance or rejection an audit by owners and auditors. The characteristics of the client and especially the characteristics of financial reporting are important factors that can affect the timing of the audit and subsequently the audit fee. The main purpose of this research is to investigating the relationship between accounting comparability (as qualitative financial reporting characteristic) and audit fees. For this purpose, a sample of 70 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange between 2015 and 2019 has been studied. Research hypotheses have been tested using regression analysis based on cross-section data. Evidence research shows that there is a negative and significant relationship between the accounting comparability and audit fees. This conclusion can be interpreted in terms of inherent risk of audit and information efficiency, because accounting comparability reduces audit risk and evidence acquisition costs. Also, the results show that there is a significant negative relationship between comparability and audit delay. In addition, the results suggest that there is not a significant negative relationship between audit fees and board independent, ownership concentration and institution ownership as corporate governance mechanisms.

Keywords

• accounting comparability
• audit fees
• audit delay
• corporate governance mechanisms