Pitney Bowes 2007 Annual Report Download - page 55

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37
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Pitney Bowes Inc.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects,
the financial position of Pitney Bowes Inc. and its subsidiaries at December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the results of their
operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2007 in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement
schedule listed in the accompanying index presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read
in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all
material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 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 these financial statements and financial statement schedule, 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 Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.
Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements, on the financial statement schedule, and on the
Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance
with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our
audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating
the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting 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 audits also included
performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinions.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for
defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans effective December 31, 2006 and the manner in which it accounts for
uncertainty in income taxes in 2007.
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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and
dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) 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 (iii) 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.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Stamford, Connecticut
February 29, 2008