This study examines whether auditor independence is impaired through the provision of tax
services by focusing on auditors’ issuance of going-concern opinions among a sample of
bankruptcy-filing firms. The evidence from the bankruptcy setting is important to the continuing
debate on auditor independence because the bankruptcies of several large corporations such as
Enron brought the issue to center stage and motivated several provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002. SOX severely restricted many types of nonaudit services audit firms could provide to
their clients while allowing some tax services, suggesting some beneficial effect from auditorprovided
tax services.