| |
| |
|
Taxes Information |
|
|
|
Taxing Overseas Firms for SOX Compliance
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, also called the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 was signed into law on July 30, 2002 by President Bush. In the aftermath of Enron, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, and WorldCom, SOX promises greater corporate accountability and transparency. Named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael G. Oxley, SOX focuses on the importance of ethical behavior in corporate governance-across the United States and now?overseas. All countries have government-required laws like Sarbanes Oxley. In the UK, it's the "Combined Code on Corporate Governance," in The Netherlands it's the "Code Tabaksblatt," Germany has a "Bilanz Reform" and a "Bilanz Kontroll Gesetz." But then, why do we need SOX overseas since we already have the required laws? It's because companies with U.S. headquarters must ensure that all foreign outposts meet federal standards. This is the major cause of concern in the management and accounting circles. According to some experts, the Sarbanes Oxley Act might have dictated convoluted rules and regulations on the U.S. businesses. While the rules are concrete ideologies that prevent accounting scandals, the constant flux in the policies confuses businesses around the globe. SOX compliance by vendors and business partners outside the U.S. is a frightening task. The risks and complications involved in enforcing the regulations for multiple firms around the world are enormous. The U.S. firms should keep themselves abreast of the data operations and data management followed by overseas vendors. This complicates the case further as the data should be integrated in financials or entered in balance sheets. Cumbersome processing of data would step up IT-related expenses. The global impact of SOX is tremendous. At the moment, the UK Big Four firms are feeling SOX repercussions in their consulting sectors. Big4.com -a website for global Big4 alumni- receives periodic updates on the latest news and trends at the Big Four firms. The Big Four in UK reportedly lost GBP250 million in consulting fees since 2002-a direct outcome of Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Among the Big Four firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers faced a huge decline in their consulting fees. Causes for this decline can be attributed to: · The increased cost of compliance that usurped consulting budgets. · Independence restrictions in Sarbanes-Oxley have restrained companies from utilizing their auditors for many consulting services. There is an apparent role reversal in consulting fees and audit services. If consulting fees have declined, audit fees have considerably increased. A whopping 30% increase in Big Four audit fees has been observed over a period of two years. This spike does not compensate for the revenues lost for consulting. Consulting was the major strength of the Big Four in the UK. But, in the present conditions, the significant decline in consulting fees clearly demarcates the performance of the Big Four in the UK. According to a survey by an European firm, many overseas firms with their shares listed in the U.S. were not ready to meet the deadlines of Sarbanes-Oxley. Since European firms already have specific regulations, SOX compliance is extremely difficult. Some overseas firms have been attempting to get delisted from the U.S. stock markets since SOX's inception. Foreign firms about to get listed on overseas exchanges are also resisting to get listed in the U.S. These problems would take toll on the U.S. market performance and economy. But, the exit of foreign firms from the U.S. exchanges is not that easy. As per SEC guidelines, foreign firms holding 300 or more shareholders in the U.S. cannot delist from the U.S. exchange where they trade. In the light of these problems, the Securities and Exchange Commission-in its bid to offer sustained flexibility-started modifying rules for overseas firms listed in the U.S. The SEC would facilitate foreign firms to delist their securities that are traded on the U.S. exchanges. Modifying SEC rules to accommodate European firms would create a state of unrest among the American managements. The SOX compliance should be an "all-encompassing" formula-that which enables governments and managements worldwide to function efficiently and in rhythm. A level headed approach to weed out this disconcert would improve the situation. Hi. I am Neil and am a Big4.com Alumni Member. I have been writing articles since my college days. Would love to interact and share my articles with other writers.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Employment Taxes - What Are They? If you have employees, you are responsible for paying a variety of taxes at the federal, state, and local levels. You must also withhold certain taxes from the paychecks of your employees. IRS Reports Tax Gap of $300 Billion The Internal Revenue Service is reporting that the difference between what U.S. Employment Taxes - Depositing With The IRS If your business has employees, you must pay employment taxes. The payment system can be a bit confusing, so this article discusses how to go about depositing employment taxes with the IRS. 10 Tax Tips to Reduce Costs and Increase Income No one likes paying tax. Everyone understands that tax is a necessary evil and that without it our government would not be able to afford our roads, health services, education, welfare system etc. The Implications of Income Tax Charge on Estate Planning OverviewIn the Pre-Budget Report of December 2003 the Chancellor Gordon Brown announced proposals to levy an Income Tax charge from 6th April 2005 in those circumstances where the transferor of an asset retains and interest or continues to benefit from that asset. In the instance of real property, the 'benefit' envisaged is the transferor continuing to reside in the property he/she has allegedly given away. Knock-Knock-Knock Knock-Knock-KnockWho's there?The IRS!The next quarterly payment of estimated income tax forthe self-employed is not far off. Network marketers whoreceive a form 1099 at the end of the year, and/or whoare expected to owe $1,000 or more in taxes, must filea form 1040-ES Payment Voucher quarterly to avoidpaying a penalty. IRS Lock-In Letters - What's An Employer To Do? Employers often ask employees to designate the amount of tax withholdings for paychecks. Occasionally, employees will fail to withhold a sufficient amount in the eyes of the IRS. Tips and Simple Guidelines on How to Calculate Payroll Taxes Managing a business small, medium or big requires you to pay your taxes, as well as your employees taxes. Managing a payroll can be an arduous and taxing job, no pun intended. Need a Copy of Your Tax Return Information? Taxpayers have two easy and convenient options for getting copies of their federal tax return information - tax return transcripts and tax account transcripts - by phone or by mail.A tax return transcript shows most line items from the tax return (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) as it was originally filed, including any accompanying forms and schedules. Deducting Points On Home Refinances Deduction of Refinance PointsAny points that you pay in the refinancing of your residence are tax deductible over the length of the loan in question. The deduction is allowable only if the residence is your primary home and the new mortgage replaces a previous one and/or is used to improve the residence. Electronic Commerce Taxation and Pakistan Assume a buyer in Pakistan downloads software from the Internet for a 30-day trial. If he likes the software, he submits his credit card information and receives an authorization code that allows him unrestricted use of the software. How To Get An Extension To File Your Business Tax Returns Yes, the tax season is upon with the first filing date for some businesses being March 15, 2005. If you can't imagine getting your tax returns together by that date, you need not worry. Small Business Tax Issues for Self-Employed Individuals The United States is a nation of entrepreneurs. There are literally tens of millions of self-employed individuals that enjoy pursuing their dream business. How to Reduce the Estate Tax Using the A-B Revocable Living Trust In a past article I relayed the plight of the widow who stated:"I didn't realize what an A-B Revocable Living Trust meant and that it had to be divided between the survivor and the deceased spouse and that I am limited as to what I can use from his share."She told me that she only learned of this after her husband passed away. Tax Trap #3 -- IRS Penalties, Interest and Love Letters As a small business owner or self-employed person,one of the easiest ways to keep Uncle Sam off your backand out of your life is to file your forms, payments andother paperwork on time.Over the next four months there are several key datesthat you dare not forget! Here they are -- all in one place,along with links to the IRS website PDF file for thatparticular form, where appropriate. Take Control of Your Taxes As everyone in the U.S. Hurricane Katrina - How To Use Your Business Loss To Get A Refund on 2004 Taxes With the massive losses caused by Katrina, the economy of the Gulf Coast region is in extremely bad shape. Fortunately, there is a quirk in the tax code that can help you generate a large refund from your 2004 taxes. Rental Property Tax Deductions Own residential rental properties? This article discusses how income from those properties impacts your taxes.What Constitutes Revenue?Generally, rental income is defined as any revenue you receive from the occupancy or use of residential property. Keeping Your Own Money - NOT Handing It Over To The Taxman Most people trying to make a crust online (or offline for that matter) are so focused on doing just that, they ignore taking simple steps to ensure that they hang on to just as much of it as they can. Instead, they hand over large lumps of their hard-earned money in tax, usually in one of two mistaken beliefs. Complaince of Tax Return in Electronic Commerce Taxation Emerging Legal issues of Tax compliance of e-business Self-assessment system relies on taxpayers voluntarily meeting their tax obligations by tax payee. This concept is recognised in all tax statutes, which sets out taxpayers' primary obligations to fill tax return on self-assessment, and clearly spells out that taxpayers are required to determine the amount of tax payable correctly and to pay it on time.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
