THE Hong Kong Society of Accountants (HKSA) plans to go it alone - setting up independent examinations for accountants and its own benchmarks for Hong Kong practitioners.
The HKSA released a consultation paper yesterday - Into the 21st Century - setting out proposals for accounting examinations and accreditation in the next century.
This meant the HKSA would not renew a joint scheme agreement with the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA).
'The HKSA considers that the way forward is to have its own independent examination targeted at graduate entry,' the consultation paper said.
'Only degree graduates from courses offered by tertiary institutions and accredited by the society will be eligible to sit the examination of four to six papers.' Graduates without an accounting background would be required to undertake prescribed 'conversion courses' before they could sit the examinations, HKSA president Nicholas Etches said.
Graduates without a degree, but with basic accountancy training would be offered 'foundation courses', Mr Etches said.
The society's deadline for its first independent examination is December 1999.