Whalesbook
Toh hua kya hai ki MCA ne Companies Act ke andar auditor independence ko aur mazboot karne ke liye kuch bade changes propose kiye hain. Jo sabse naya aur controversial point hai woh hai ye 3 saal ka 'cooling-off' period. Iska matlab hai ki audit khatam hone ke baad next 3 saal tak audit firm kisi bhi tarah ki non-audit services (jaise consultancy) apne purane clients ko offer nahi kar sakti. Iska motive corporate governance behtar karna aur conflicts of interest ko rokna hai. International standards mein bhi aise rules hain, par India mein ye explicit 3 saal ka ban sabhi non-audit services par shayad pehli baar ho raha hai.
Ab ye rule sunte hi audit firms ki toh neend hi ud gayi hai. India mein audit market pehle se hi 'Big Six' firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, Grant Thornton, aur BDO – kaafi control rakhti hain, jo zyada tar bade listed companies ko audit karti hain. Firms ka kehna hai ki ye ban bade firms ko aur bhi zyada powerful bana dega, kyunki woh log shayad advisory income ka short-term loss manage kar lenge. Lekin chhote aur mid-sized firms ke liye ye badi problem ho jayegi, kyunki unki earning ka ek acha-khasa hissa advisory work se aata hai. Isse overall market mein concentration badhega aur companies ke paas auditor ke liye options kam ho jayenge. Upar se, firms ko audit fees bhi badhani pad sakti hain losses recover karne ke liye.
Aur ye toh ek alag hi kahani hai ki ye naye strict rules government ke hi ek dusre plan ke saath bilkul ulte chal rahe hain. Government toh 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' vision ke tahat companies ko ek hi chhat ke neeche legal, accounting, aur consulting jaisi alag-alag services dene wali multidisciplinary firms banane ko encourage kar rahi hai. Taki hamari domestic firms global level par compete kar saken. Lekin agar audit firm 3 saal tak client ko audit ke alawa koi service de hi nahi payegi, toh ye integrated service model banega kaise? Ye toh uss 'sab milakar service do' wale goal ko hi kamzor kar dega.
Iss poori policy mein kuch unintended negative impacts bhi ho sakte hain. Pehla, chhote audit firms jo alag-alag income streams par depend karte hain, unko zyada nuksan ho sakta hai. Aur isse audit market aur bhi concentrated ho jayega, jisse companies ke paas choice kam ho jayegi. Dusra, audit tenure (jo waise bhi limited hota hai) ke saath mila kar, ye total 8 saal (audit tenure + 3 saal ban) ka period firms ko client choose karne mein bahut strict bana sakta hai. Iska matlab hai ki choti ya nayi companies ko auditor dhundhne mein mushkil ho sakti hai. Aur ek baat, ye policy multidisciplinary firms banane ke goal ke liye bhi problem create karegi. Agar firm audit ke baad client ko 3 saal tak koi aur service nahi de sakti, toh audit se mili detailed knowledge ko advisory mein use karne ka opportunity khatam ho jayega, jo client relationships ka ek important part hai.