Conference Audit, Taxes, Accounting and Economic Analysis at Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration (TSEBA), Estonia

The presentation by Professor Jaan Alver, director of the Department of Accounting, TUT, discussed the main terms used in normative documents regulating accounting in Estonia. The speaker pointed out disagreements with international financial reporting standards and different formulations of the same concepts in Estonian normative documents. Professor Lehte Alver discussed changes in underlying principles of international standards and their impact on financial reports. The presentation made by Associate professor Margus Tinits and master’s student Nele Närep was about the sustainability of enterprises in the reports of sworn auditors who had audited insolvent enterprises.  The research demonstrated that 44% of the auditors’ opinions did not contain any hint to sustainability related problems in insolvent enterprises. Only 31% of the auditors reports published immediately before the bankruptcy doubted whether the enterprise could continue operation. The research about income tax, conducted at the University of Tartu (presented by Velda Buldas, doctoral student of the Faculty of Economics, UT) demonstrated that the Estonian system of income tax exemption has a very small impact on the reduction of equality  and that the tax exemption targeted only at first income deciles is actually basic exemption. Researches have demonstrated that inequality is increasing with time. This research also pointed out that the tax exemption system used in Estonia does not reduce inequality in economically difficult periods and inequality in 2010 was higher than in 2008. The presentation by Emilia Startseva, lector and doctoral student at the Department of Accounting, TUT, was dedicated to the role of operating profit in assessing an enterprise’s strategy implementation. Anne Nuut, member of the Accounting Standards Board, spoke about near future developments in accounting in the light of new Euro directives.

It is a good tradition also to recognise meritorious faculty members at the conferences held by the Department of Accounting, TUT.  At this conference the participants said thanks to Assoc. Prof. Emeritus Inga Lõoke, who celebrated her jubilee last year, and Vello Järve, meritable member of faculty of the University of Tartu who recently attained the age of 80 years.

The accounting conferences held in Estonian date back to the year 1997 when the first conference was held at TUT. In the beginning the conferences were held alternately at Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu and at the Estonian University of Life Sciences. After the University of Tartu and the University of Life Sciences opted out the Department of Accounting, TUT has continued organising the conference. Scientific conferences in Estonian have been held in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and in 2012, including in 2006 and 2008 as Estonian sections within the international conference.