Applying GAAP or GAAS of Another Country
24.143 An audit team may be applying the accounting or auditing standards of another country in the following situations:
• the firm is reporting that the client’s financial statements are in compliance with another country’s GAAP
• the firm is reporting that the financial statements have been audited in accordance with another country’s GAAS
• the firm is issuing a specialized report covered by auditing standards of another country (e.g., audits of service organization controls)
• the firm is reporting that the financial statements are in accordance with IFRS (e.g., IFRS is not the GAAP of the firm’s country and the firm does not have IFRS expertise)
Inaccuracies in these reports may damage both the reputation of the member firm in the country where the report is being used (“the local firm”) and the GTI brand.
24.144 Managing this risk requires timely and effective communication and consultation. Therefore, the audit team is required to consult with the Head of Assurance of the member firm, in the country whose GAAP or GAAS will be reported under prior to accepting an engagement. Such engagements include:
• issuing assurance reports on financial statements prepared in accordance with the local firm’s GAAP
• issuing assurance reports under the local firm’s GAAS
• advising a client about regulatory requirements or other matters such as listing requirements, raising capital, corporate structure or acquisitions in the country of the local firm
24.145 The action taken as a result of the consultation will depend on a number of factors, including the client characteristics, the activity being reported on and the experience of the foreign firm with the relevant matters. It is expected that at a minimum such consultation with the Head of Assurance in the applicable country will address:
• the involvement of the local firm (if any) in the planning and execution of the engagement
• the method used to comply with the local firm country’s GAAS and GAAP (for example, the Head of Assurance may require the member firm to use the local firm’s Voyager masterfile)
• the quality control procedures over the GAAP, GAAS, and regulatory requirements that will be performed
24.146 [Tailor this paragraph to reflect your procedures] When reporting on financial statements prepared under IFRS, the audit team should contact the NPSG IFRS specialists to arrange for the review the financial statements prior to release.
24.147 There may be implications of the decisions arising from consultation (including timing of the service delivery and cost), which will need to be communicated to the client.