This paper investigates auditor influence on the association between discretionary changes in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance (VA) and changes in future pretax earnings. Investors should be able to infer changes in future earnings from changes in the VA because the VA estimation...

Two forms of expertise can influence audit quality: industry and task-specific expertise. Anecdotal evidence suggests that tax knowledge is task-specific, rather than industry-specific and audit offices with increased exposure to complex tax issues develop this task-specific expertise. Using...