Corporate social responsibility disclosure and environmental disclosure and audit fees: the moderating role of Oman Vision 2040

Purpose The aim of this study is to empirically examine the effect of corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) and environmental disclosure (ED) on audit fees. It also examines the role of Oman Vision 2040 (OV 2040) disclosure in moderating the relationship between CSRD, ED and audit fees. Design/methodology/approach The study sample consists of 280 firm-year observations, data were collected from Muscat Borsa and Refinitive Eickon database for five years: 2019–2023. The study tests two models of the association between CSRD, ED and audit fees; Model 1 tests this association in the absence of the moderating variable, while Model 2 tests the association in the presence of the moderating variable. Multiple statistical techniques are used to examine the relationships between the variables and validate the results. Findings The study documents that high CSRD and ED are significantly and positively associated with audit fees. More importantly, OV 2040 plays a moderating role in the association between CSRD, ED and audit fees suggesting that this vision is important for auditors in their audit risk assessment practices. The findings support the argument that socially responsible companies that develop their strategic plan considering OV 2040 should be rewarded with a reduction in their audit fees. The study conducted dynamic analysis which show that these results are valid over time. Originality/value The findings provide support for the argument that socially responsible companies that are building their strategic plan considering OV 2040 should be rewarded with a reduction in their audit fees.