Spanish audit legislation: the leading role of the penalties system for auditor's independence infringements

Abstract

Recent financial scandals have provoked the loss of confidence in the financial information, forcing changes in the audit legislation. In this sense, one of the most important aspects to improve the audit quality is the auditor’s independence, a key point regarding the trust in the audited financial information. For this reason, it has been a very discussed and controversial issue; however, the alternative solution of establishing an effective system of sanctions for auditor’s independence infringements has never been analysed. A proper regulation of influential features and an appropriate degree of control and disciplinary activity could control the auditor’s independence and, in turn, it could increase the financial information credibility. The current law has improved those aspects, especially in the field of EIP, but, further studies are needed to clarify its effectiveness by monitoring all infringements and sanctions.