National Board Calls for CPA Ethics Requirement

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/ksu-kpi060905.php

Some good news for a change: National Association of State Boards of Accountancy is calling strong ethics coursework requirements as a requirement before taking the CPA exam.

In all the talk about business ethics, it’s important to remember: the crooks need crooked accountants to carry out their crimes. As the most obvious example, Enron’s shenanigans would never have reached such proportions without the active assistance of auditors at Arthur Andersen–once the most prestigious accounting firm in the world.

This is an excellent idea, and let’s hope it’s not only adopted nationally, but that some pressure is put on the profession to require the training in order to maintain an existing CPA certification. After all, there are thousands of CPAs already practicing–most of them honorable, to be sure, but not all.

Personally, I’d also love to see a flood of CPAs signing the Business Ethics Pledge.

Note: I am leaving for vacation (no e-mail) for two weeks. If you leve a comment, I’ll respond later.