ICAI to Oppose Valuation Professionals Bill

The government’s move to create a separate breed of corporate valuers in the country is set to face stiff resistance from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), that trains and regulates the professional conduct of chartered accountants.The Institute is expected to tell the government that financial valuation of companies is best done by chartered accountants and this job be reserved for them. The government’s attempt is to institutionalise this profession with a well laid out code of conduct. It also wants to set up a panel of independent valuers that shareholders and clients would find credible.

ICAI is now studying global valuation models, where CAs or their professional equivalents play the dominant role. The study results may be used to tell the government to reserve the work of financial valuation for CAs.

The ministry of corporate affairs is expected to set up an expert panel to work out the modalities of a proposed law that will regulate the business of corporate valuation by creating a pool of government-recognised valuers. Even though the proposed panel of government-recognised valuers will comprise CAs in large numbers, the institute fears that such a move may affect its professional dominance, and also affect the quality of valuation work. Corporate valuation has always been a domain strength of chartered accountants because of their in-depth skills in auditing and finance.

Corporate valuation is an essential part of initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic corporate alliances and corporate restructuring. An official with ICAI said that world over, valuation of companies is done mainly by chartered accountants or certified public accountants (CPA), which is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the USA. The government’s expert panel that will decide on the draft valuation professionals bill is also likely to have representation from the ICAI, apart from other specialised bodies. The government intends to introduce the bill in the next session of Parliament, an official with the ministry of corporate affairs who did not want to be identified said. The proposed bill will seek to create a council of valuation professionals, which will set standards for the valuers, ensure for their training and monitor their performance.