What is meant by a self-review threat?

A self-review threat arises when a professional is in a position of having to evaluate their own previous work or judgments. This situation can create a conflict of interest because the individual may be biased in their assessment, potentially leading to a lack of objectivity. The risk is that the evaluation may not be as rigorous or impartial as it would be if conducted by someone independent.

In the context of tax practice, a self-review threat could occur when, for example, a tax professional prepares a tax return and is later responsible for reviewing the same return for compliance or accuracy. The concern is that the professional might overlook errors or fail to question their own judgments, which could result in misleading conclusions or findings.

Other options pertain to different types of threats or influences that do not specifically involve assessing one's own past judgments. For instance, promoting a biased opinion is more related to engaging in advocacy for a position that might not be objective. Similarly, reviewing a judgment made by another member pertains to the review of external work, which does not carry the same bias as self-review. Lastly, being too sympathetic to a client's needs reflects a different ethical consideration, showing potential undue influence rather than a self-review scenario.