Chapter 4: Digital Aspects of Internal Audit of Tax Differences: Practical Experience of Ukraine

Purpose: Development of an approach, methods to the internal audit of tax differences, analysis of the peculiarities of the application of internal audit procedures of tax differences and their reflection in the software in Ukraine.

Need for the Study: One of the most important general economic and accounting problems both in practical and scientific terms is the problem of determining the financial results of the enterprise, the methodology of its calculation and methods of taxation.

Questions of consistency of indicators of tax and financial accounting arise constantly as the results revealed according to tax accounting data, considerably deviate from real financial results of activity of the enterprise according to financial accounting data. This leads to tax differences. Moreover, significant deviations can be both in one direction and in the other. These indicators are important for study and analysis.

Methodology: The method of a systematic approach was used to reveal the content of tax differences and build the methodology of internal audit. Selective research, grouping, generalisation are used to study the state of the methodology and organisation of accounting for tax differences and their internal audit.

Findings: The study of the organisation and methods of internal audit allowed the authors to develop their methods of internal audit of tax differences. The chapter highlights such elements of internal audit as sources of information, audit directions, objects of audit and possible typical errors that may be identified during the internal audit. Sources of information for internal audit of tax differences are divided into groups: primary documents, accounting records, reporting and legislation. The authors systematised tax differences and analysed their impact on the pre-tax financial result. Possible errors in accounting for tax differences and ways to correct them are considered. The authors present options for displaying tax differences in software products used in Ukraine.

Practical Implications: This chapter examines the key components of the methodology of auditing the financial statements of the enterprise in terms of indicators of tax differences, the use of which ensures the reliability of reporting, avoids penalties from the tax authorities and ensures the prospects for the organisation. The possibility of digitalisation of accounting for tax differences on the example of software that is popular in Ukraine is considered. The pre-tax financial result is a consolidated, aggregate indicator that is determined by comparing income and expenses from different activities recognised per accounting rules and in most cases cannot be used to calculate income tax without appropriate adjustments.