Organization and conduct of audit is one of theEffective tools to ensure effective business conduct. Among other things, it forms the necessary link between the business community and the fiscal system of the state, but not at the level of direct interactions to collect taxes and payments, but about improving accounting.
The purpose of any audit activity isthe identification of an adequate and reliable opinion on the quality of financial activities and its compliance with the established rules and patterns of accounting and reporting accounting documentation. At the same time, as the main principles of auditing activity provide, the auditor can express and state his opinion on the state of financial reporting on all important aspects.
It is important to take into account the fact that the opinionof the auditor is counter-positive, that is, the audited person does not have the right to accept, let alone represent to third parties, the auditor's opinion as evidence of the correct conduct of business. The converse is also true, but the practice of auditing shows that in any case, the audit contributes to the growth of the quality of financial activity and the growth of confidence in it by the audit structures.
As the federal rules provide,the standards of auditing activity should be built taking into account the international requirements for conducting this activity, which consist in the declaration of unified goals and principles of audit.
Modern federal auditing standardsactivities are the provisions, the main of which are: independence, compliance with confidentiality rules during inspections, honesty and objectivity of the audit and conclusions on its results, professional competence and integrity, professional conduct. In addition, each auditor in the performance of his duties, must comply with the norms that are established by international and national associations of auditors (standards).
Existing federal auditing standardsactivities include the standards for auditing, developed by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. At the moment they are structurally composed of first-level standards and second-stage standards, with some of the standards of the first stage (from the fifth to the 15th) lost their validity. In total, for the time being federal auditing standards consist of 29 provisions that fully comply with international standards of auditing.
The principle of independence is necessarythe auditor does not have any opinion on the audited entity and its activities, which ensures the objectivity of the audit. Also, this principle presupposes the absence of any kind of dependence of the auditor on the person who is audited. For example, an audit can not be conducted by auditors who are founders of enterprises of audited entrepreneurs, to be members of them or other responsible persons in close family ties.
The principle of completeness, as suggested by federalauditing standards, is expressed in the verification of the entire necessary list of documents to obtain accurate information on the status of financial activities.
The principle of confidentiality (also calledaudit secret) is to provide the auditors with the integrity of the reporting documentation and its security. In addition, they must not transfer these documents to third parties or allow anyone to use them during the audit. The principle of confidentiality must be respected also when the dissemination of information about the audited entity may be inflicted on it materially financial or image damage.
The system of audit standards is not only a corporate code, but also a legal institution whose regulation and authorization is the prerogative of the state.
