Mandatory Accounting Disclosure by Small Private Companies

Abstract

Computerised databases and the Internet have recently made publication of company accounts potentially less costly and more useful, thanks to electronic filing and universal online access to credit information systems. These developments advise against simplification policies that would reduce the scope of mandatory publication. Instead, they encourage policies pursuing a broader efficiency goal, achievable by reducing costs and enhancing value through administrative reforms of filing, archive and retrieval systems. Survey and registry evidence on how the information in the accounts is valued and used by firms fully supports these claims.

Keywords: financial disclosure, company accounts, credit registries, business simplification

JEL Classification: G32, K22, M41, M45