Placement of Emphasis of Matter ParagrapPlacement of Emphasis of Matter Paragraphs and Other Matter Paragraphs in the Auditor’s Report (Ref: Para. 9, 11)

Placement of Emphasis of Matter Paragraphs and Other Matter Paragraphs in the Auditor’s Report (Ref: Para. 9, 11)

1. The placement of an Emphasis of Matter paragraph or Other Matter paragraph in the auditor’s report depends on the nature of the information to be communicated, and the auditor’s judgement as to the relative significance of such information to intended users compared to other elements required to be reported in accordance with ASA 700. For example:

Emphasis of Matter Paragraphs

 When the Emphasis of Matter paragraph relates to the applicable financial reporting framework, including circumstances where the auditor determines that the financial reporting framework prescribed by law or regulation would otherwise be unacceptable,[12] the auditor may consider it necessary to place the paragraph immediately following the Basis of Opinion section to provide appropriate context to the auditor’s opinion.

 When a Key Audit Matters section is presented in the auditor’s report, an Emphasis of Matter paragraph may be presented either directly before or after the Key Audit Matters section, based on the auditor’s judgement as to the relative significance of the information included in the Emphasis of Matter paragraph. The auditor may also add further context to the heading “Emphasis of Matter”, such as “Emphasis of Matter–Subsequent Event”, to differentiate the Emphasis of Matter paragraph from the individual matters described in the Key Audit Matters section.

Other Matter Paragraphs

 When a Key Audit Matters section is presented in the auditor’s report and an Other Matter paragraph is also considered necessary, the auditor may add further context to the heading “Other Matter”, such as “Other Matter – Scope of the Audit”, to differentiate the Other Matter paragraph from the individual matters described in the Key Audit Matters section.

 When an Other Matter paragraph is included to draw users’ attention to a matter relating to Other Reporting Responsibilities addressed in the auditor’s report, the paragraph may be included in the Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements section.

 When relevant to all the auditor’s responsibilities or users’ understanding of the auditor’s report, the Other Matter paragraph may be included as a separate section following the Report on the Audit of the Financial Report and the Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements.

1. Appendix 3 is an illustration of the interaction between the Key Audit Matters section, an Emphasis of Matter paragraph and an Other Matter paragraph when all are presented in the auditor’s report. The illustrative report in Appendix 4 includes an Emphasis of Matter paragraph in an auditor’s report for an entity other than a listed entity that contains a qualified opinion and for which key audit matters have not been communicated.