臺灣與亞洲鄰近市場審計公費水準以及決定因子之比較

A Comparative Analysis of Audit Fee Levels and Determinants between Taiwan and Nearby Asian Markets

審計公費是審計產業發展之重要指標，偏低的公費可能會對會計專業的提升和人才吸引造成不良影響。本文發現，在控制公司及市場特性變數後，台灣審計公費低於樣本中大部分之其他鄰近亞洲市場，進一步分析發現主要是因為台灣的四大會計師事務所對於客戶公司規模的差別取價比起其他市場低廉許多。本文亦發現在這七個亞洲市場中，排除公司治理與監理機制較特殊之日本後，在相對嚴格的投資人保護市場，審計公費比在相對不嚴格的市場高。

The audit fee is an important indicator of the development of the audit industry, and a disproportionately low audit fee may have a negative impact on the enhancement of the accounting profession and attraction of talent. This study finds that, after controlling for company and country-specific variables, audit fees in Taiwan are lower than in most other neighboring Asian markets in the sample. Further analysis reveals that this is mainly due to the fact that the Big 4 accounting firms in Taiwan charge significantly lower fees based on client company sizes compared to other markets. The study also finds that, among these seven Asian markets, excluding Japan, audit fees are higher in markets with relatively strict investor protection compared to those in markets with relatively lax investor protection.