Global Accounting Ethics Board Issues Standards for Tax Planners

A global ethics board is issuing a code of ethics for tax planners, in the hopes of encouraging them to take the public interest into account after a recent spate of tax-avoidance scandals.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants released revisions to its ethical standards Monday covering tax planning and related services—the first time the board’s ethics code has addressed the subject. The board’s code is currently used in more than 130 countries.

• The standards are aimed at guiding accountants in dealing with the complexities and uncertainties of tax planning, the board said. ...