ABSTRACT
When appraising the function, the duties, the certificate and the responsibility of the public accountant in the Netherlands it should be borne in mind that the position of the accountant in that country has evolved entirely out of the free play of forces arising from the needs of business intercourse and the desire for development of those practising the profession. Notwithstanding repeated representations and endeavours, there has as yet been no statutory regulation of the accountancy profession. The law does not require that the annual accounts of public companies be audited. Legislative directives concerning the duties to be performed by the accountant are almost completely lacking; those that do exist have at least had no essential influence on the practice of the profession. Judicial rulings on which the accountant might base the exercise of his profession are just as little in evidence.
