ot;fudge" their income so they do not have to pay into a higher tax bracket. What incentive does the accountant have for doing this? The customer or client may offer to pay the accountant a fee for doing as they ask; however in doing so, while the accountant may benefit in the long-term, as may the client, the accountant may face severe penalties should their actions become uncovered, because as everyone knows, not reporting income is illegal. Not only that, an accountant has a moral and ethical obligation, even if there were no legal precedent, to inform their client that such actions are not acceptable (Yetmar & Rioux, 2004). An accountant has a duty to refuse to work with individuals that would engage in illegal practices (Swails, 2000).
             The advantages of using the consequentialist or utilitarian approach is that it asserts how important it is for accountants to perform actions that lead to just consequences and results while still working in a way that allows them to satisfy "human desires" (Riahi-Belkaoui, 1992, p. 26). Cruz, Elias & Monsour (2006) note that in recent years, accounting professionals have faced increasing pressures to follow more stringent ethical standards in tax preparation, "from regulators and the public in the wake of corporate accounting scandals" (p. 155). The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or AICPA emphasizes and encourages accountants to engage in ethical business practices especial
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