13/01/2021
The accounting profession has a vital role and obligation to society and public in addition to its fiduciary duty to employers and clients. In recent days, however, we see the accounting profession compromising on basic principles of ethics ingrained in ethical codes applicable on professionals. The recent massive leaks of financial documents under Panama and Paradise papers have exposed the vulnerability of accountants and auditors in acting as a facilitator of tax evasion practices instead of being a gatekeeper as traditionally acknowledged. This has perturbed the global accounting profession about the need for a more stringent mechanism for ethical compliance of their members and increasing role towards protecting the public interests.