查核影響力與審計公費

Audit Impact and Audit Fees

本研究透過引入一項嶄新的「查核影響力」衡量指標，評估強制性財務報表查核的價值。該指標以班佛定律為基礎，計算未經查核之季報與經查核之年報之間財務報表偏離度分數的差異。以台灣上市及上櫃公司為研究對象，實證結果顯示相較於事務所層級的特性，會計師個人層級的查核屬性與查核影響力的幅度具有顯著關聯；此外，研究結果也指出查核影響力變動與審計公費變動之間呈顯著正向關係，顯示客戶願意為較高的確信程度支付較高的公費。整體而言，這些研究結果為強制性財務查核所扮演的角色及其定價機制提供了新的洞見。

This study evaluates the value of mandatory financial audits by introducing a novel measure of audit impact—the difference in Financial Statement Divergence (FSD) scores, based on Benford’s Law, between unaudited quarterly and audited annual financial reports. Using data from firms listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and Taipei Exchange, we find that partner-level, rather than firm-level, audit attributes are significantly associated with the magnitude of audit impact. We also document a positive relationship between changes in audit impact and changes in audit fees, suggesting that the audit clients are willing to pay more for greater audit assurance. These findings offer new insights into the role played by and the pricing of mandatory financial audits.