IAS40會計選擇對可比性和攸關性的影響

Abstract

本研究探討攸關性（relevance）與可比性（comparability）之間的潛在權衡，並分析《國際會計準則第40號》（IAS 40）所允許的衡量模式選擇如何影響這兩項資訊品質。我們分別從配對公司與個別公司層面檢驗攸關性差距與會計政策一致性對可比性的影響，並評估公允價值是否提升攸關性。結果顯示，企業攸關性愈接近同業，可比性愈高；若採用與產業主流不同的衡量模式，則可比性下降，支持De Franco et al.（2011）所提出「會計制度一致性有助提升可比性」的觀點。而在攸關性方面，公允價值並未顯著優於成本模式。

This study examines the potential trade-off between relevance and comparability in financial reporting and analyzes how the accounting choice permitted under IAS 40—specifically, the option to measure investment properties using either the cost model or the fair value model—affects these two qualitative characteristics. We empirically test, at both the firm-pair and firm-level, the effect of relevance divergence and accounting policy alignment on comparability, and assess whether fair value measurement enhances relevance. The results show that the closer a firm’s relevance is to that of its peers, the higher its comparability. Besides, when firms adopt measurement models that deviate from the industry norm, comparability declines, supporting the argument by De Franco et al. (2011) that consistency in accounting systems contributes to greater comparability. As for relevance, fair value does not exhibit a statistically significant advantage over the cost model.