Next, we consider whether the separation of audit and tax services impacts the
relation between missing earnings targets and ETR changes between the third and
fourth quarters. Frankel, Johnson, and Nelson (2002) find that nonaudit service
(NAS) fees are positively associated with small earnings surprises and discretionary
accruals. This result suggests that excessive NAS fees, including tax fees, may
compromise auditor independence. However, inconsistent with Frankel et al. 2002,
subsequent studies of the relation between NAS and discretionary accruals find no