Costco 2007 Annual Report Download - page 47

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Costco Wholesale Corporation:
We have audited Costco Wholesale Corporation’s (the Company) internal control over financial
reporting as of September 2, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal Control Integrated
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over
financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting, included in the accompanying management’s annual report on internal control over financial
reporting included in Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained
in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial
reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design
and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included
performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that
our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for
external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal
control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the
maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and
dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are
recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made
only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or
disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the
risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial
reporting as of September 2, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal Control Integrated
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of September 2, 2007 and
September 3, 2006, and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity and
comprehensive income, and cash flows for the 52-week period ended September 2, 2007, the 53–week
period ended September 3, 2006, and the 52-week period ended August 28, 2005, and our report dated
October 24, 2007 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.
Seattle, Washington
October 24, 2007
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