The IFAC Small- and Medium- Practices Advisory Group (SMPAG) welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) Exposure Draft on the proposed revisions to the Code addressing tax planning and related services.

This tool will help professional accountancy organizations take leading roles in the anti-corruption fight in their jurisdictions. Global Fight, Local Actions: Anti-Corruption Advocacy Workbook for PAOs equips PAOs and accountancy profession leaders with the background and framework to craft bespoke approaches and messages that best fit their jurisdiction and needs.

The Staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released a database of Public Interest Entity (PIE) definitions by jurisdiction (jurisdictional PIE database) to further support the adoption and effective implementation of the revisions to the definitions of listed entity and PIE (PIE revisions) in the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code). The revised PIE provisions specify a broader list of categories of entities as PIEs whose audits should be subject to additional independence requirements to meet stakeholders’ heightened expectations concerning auditor independence when an entity is a PIE.

The IESBA Staff has developed the jurisdictional PIE database as a resource to assist regulators, national standard setters, and other relevant bodies in developing or revising their definitions of PIE at the local level based on the IESBA’s PIE definition. This database covers 78 jurisdictions in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Among other things, the PIE revisions:

• Expanded the list of PIE categories in the Code, including a new category, “publicly traded entity,” to replace the category “listed entity.”
• Recognize the essential role local bodies responsible for the adoption of the Code play in delineating the specific entities that should be scoped in as PIEs in their jurisdictions, encouraging them to properly define the PIE categories in the expanded definition and adding any other categories relevant to their environments.
• Introduce a transparency requirement for firms to publicly disclose the application of independence requirements for PIEs where they have done so.

The PIE revisions become effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted and encouraged.

About the IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants serves the public interest by setting ethics standards, including independence requirements, as a cornerstone to ethical behavior in business and organizations, and to public trust in financial and non-financial information. Along with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, the IESBA is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit. The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees IESBA and IAASB activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards. For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please visit Permissions.