پذیرش کامل IFRS در برزیل: کیفیت سود و هزینه سرمایه متعلق به آن Full adoption of IFRSs in Brazil: Earnings quality and the cost of equity capital

1. Introduction The transition process from the Brazilian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (BR GAAPs) to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) occurred in two steps, in contrast to the process in the European Union countries that have adopted all the IFRSs since 2005. Since there are no reports about similar cases, the Brazilian convergence process can be characterized as unique, raising interest in investigating whether the economic consequences identified in other cases of IFRS adoption (Barth et al., 2008; Li, 2010) apply to Brazil. In this context, the tax neutrality in accounting practices introduced by the IFRSs was achieved through a legal instrument, contributing to financial statements that are more useful to investors and creditors. Before adopting the IFRSs, financial accounting in Brazil was strongly influenced by the interests of tax rules to the detriment of other users of accounting information. Therefore, it is expected that users of accounting benefit from more informative accounting reports, which can assist them in making decisions regarding the allocation of resources in the capital market and contribute indirectly to reducing the cost of capital for public companies on the stock exchange. However, the extent to which such benefits may occur is not known, considering that the Brazilian convergence occurred in two stages, in addition to the institutional aspects that can influence the quality of financial statements. Brazil is classified as a code law country, which provides less protection for investors, besides being a poorly developed capital market (La Porta et al., 1997). Furthermore, the Brazilian economy shows a weak institutional environment (Anderson, 1999) with corporate governance practices that do not ensure the shareholders’ rights (Chong and Lopez-De-Silanes, 2012), representing a disincentive to attract foreign capital. In this context, accounting practices can serve opportunistic purposes rather than the informational needs of external users, as noted by Lopes and Walker (2012). Thus, IFRS adoption occurs in an unfavorable scenario to increase the quality of accounting information, necessitating an investigation of the benefits advertised by IFRS proponents. Although these specific characteristics discourage the enhancement of financial information quality, the Brazilian market consists of heterogeneous companies with different economic incentives. To give an example, large companies with good investment projects can seek funding in the capital market at a competitive cost, provided that they are able to show transparency and protection of shareholder rights. Given the incipient nature of the Brazilian market and the need for greater funding, many Brazilian companies sought resources in the North American market through ADRs (American Depositary Receipts), and therefore had to adapt to strict corporate governance rules like the SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act). This group of companies also had to adapt to the USGAAP (United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), which can influence efforts towards the adoption of the IFRS, given the similarities between both GAAPs.