Part I - IFRS

New IASB website launched

Jun 12, 2017

On June 12, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) launched its redesigned and restructured website. Here's a brief overview of the new structure.

The new website follows a strict access to projects through the work plan. The work plan itself can be filtered by kind of project (research, standard-setting, maintenance) and by project name, project type and projects with documents that are open for comment. Under each project you can then filter for project stage, news, meeting notes, published documents etc.

Here is a list of links to the most frequently sought after sub pages on the IASB's website:

For historical information, the IASB has also set up an archive. However, that archived information will not be updated anymore and it is not clear how long the archive will remain available.

The IASB has currently set a 2014 cut-off date for its new website.

With the IASB moving to a completely restructured website, most of the links and bookmarks you have saved will be broken. We have replaced our links with links to the IASB archive for all historical information. However, on the both sites you might come across broken links.

Review the IASB press release and the 'getting started' page, which will give you more information about how to use and navigate the new site.

Decisions reached during the redeliberations on the Conceptual Framework

Jun 12, 2017

On June 12, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) released a summary of tentative decisions on the Conceptual Framework project.

The IASB completed redeliberations of the May 2015 Exposure Drafts in March 2017 and expects to publish the revised Conceptual Framework in the second half of 2017.

Review the press release and the decision summary on the IASB's website.

IASB updates on the materiality projects

Jun 12, 2017

On June 12, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) released a message indicating that at its June 2017 meeting, the Board will discuss whether to confirm the proposed guidance on covenants in the draft IFRS Practice Statement "Making Materiality Judgements".

The publication of the Practice Statement and the Exposure Draft, Definition of Materiality will be postponed until after the sweep issues have been discussed by the Board.

The Exposure Draft proposes minor amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements and IAS 8, Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors.

Review the press release on the IASB's website.

Non-authoritative Material – Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Jun 09, 2017

On June 9, 2017, the Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) released a message that the Basis for Conclusions and Illustrative Examples issued by the IASB that accompany, but are not part of, IFRS 15 have been added to Part I of the CPA Canada Handbook – Accounting (in both cases excluding amendments made subsequently by the IASB for Clarifications to IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers).

The AcSB stated that it is taking a phased approach to adding non-authoritative material issued by the IASB to the Handbook.

CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection is available to members on knotia.ca.

May 2017 IASB podcast on new IFRIC 23 and IFRS 17

Jun 08, 2017

On June 8, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) released a podcast where Sue Lloyd, Vice-Chair of the IASB, and Darrel Scott, Board member, cover the May Board meeting and the new insurance contracts standard, IFRS 17.

In this podcast, Sue provides an overview of implementation and maintenance activities discussed at the May Board meeting – including the IFRIC Interpretation on IAS 12, Income Taxes and an upcoming amendment to IAS 28, Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures. She also talks about the ongoing Post-implementation Review of IFRS 13, the fair value measurement Standard.

Darrel provides an overview of IFRS 17, which was issued in May, before Sue summarises some of the other activity during the month – including the activities during the Trustees meeting in Tokyo, Japan, and a new agreement the IFRS Foundation has signed with the World Bank.

Listen to the podcast on the IASB's website.

New Interpretation on accounting for uncertainties in income taxes

Jun 07, 2017

On June 7, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published IFRIC 23 "Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments" developed by the IFRS Interpretations Committee to clarify the accounting for uncertainties in income taxes.

 

Content of IFRC 23

Scope

The interpretation is to be applied to the determination of taxable profit (tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates, when there is uncertainty over income tax treatments under IAS 12.

Issues and consensus

Whether tax treatments should be considered collectively

An entity is required to use judgement to determine whether each tax treatment should be considered independently or whether some tax treatments should be considered together. The decision should be based on which approach provides better predictions of the resolution of the uncertainty.

Assumptions for taxation authorities' examinations

An entity is to assume that a taxation authority with the right to examine any amounts reported to it will examine those amounts and will have full knowledge of all relevant information when doing so.

Determination of taxable profit (tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates

An entity has to consider whether it is probable that the relevant authority will accept each tax treatment, or group of tax treatments, that it used or plans to use in its income tax filing.

  • If the entity concludes that it is probable that a particular tax treatment is accepted, the entity has to determine taxable profit (tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits or tax rates consistently with the tax treatment included in its income tax filings.
  • If the entity concludes that it is not probable that a particular tax treatment is accepted, the entity has to use the most likely amount or the expected value of the tax treatment when determining taxable profit (tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates. The decision should be based on which method provides better predictions of the resolution of the uncertainty.

Effect of changes in facts and circumstances

An entity has to reassess its judgments and estimates if facts and circumstances change.

Disclosures

The interpretation does not contain any new disclosure requirements. Instead it highlights existing disclosure requirements in IAS 1 and IAS 12.

Effective date and transition

An entity applies IFRIC 23 for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. Earlier application is permitted.

The requirements are applied by recognizing the cumulative effect of initially applying them in retained earnings, or in other appropriate components of equity, at the start of the reporting period in which an entity first applies them, without adjusting comparative information. Full retrospective application is permitted, if an entity can do so without using hindsight.

Review the press release on the IASB's website.

 

Hedging may get easier under new FASB accounting standard

Jun 07, 2017

On June 7, 2017, the Journal of Accountancy published an article where they discuss how a new standard for hedge accounting that FASB expects to approve soon is designed to provide better information to investors and eliminate accounting obstacles that prevented some organizations from using hedge accounting.

Financial statement preparers told FASB that they had difficulties applying hedge accounting and that their risk management techniques are not aligned with the accounting under the current standard.

FASB Chairman Russell Golden said in a news release that the new standard will create better alignment between companies’ risk management activities and the accounting rules. The standard will better reflect the economic results of hedging in the financial statements and will simplify hedge accounting treatment.

After FASB approves the standard on the written ballot, it is expected to be issued in mid-August.

Review the press release on the Journal of Accountancy's website.

AICPA issues 12 revenue working drafts

Jun 06, 2017

On June 6, 2017, the AICPA’s revenue recognition task forces have released for public comment 12 working drafts on accounting issues associated with the implementation of the new revenue standard for asset management, engineering and construction, gaming, health care, hospitality, and software entities.

The working drafts address the following topics:

  • Management fee revenue, management fee waivers, incentive or performance fee revenue, and incentive-based capital allocations (asset management)
  • Impact of termination for convenience on contract duration (engineering and construction contractors)
  • Income statement presentation of wide-area progressive operators’ fees, participation and similar arrangements, and accounting for loyalty points redeemed with third parties (gaming)
  • Presentation and disclosure (health care)
  • Consideration to customer (key money) (hospitality)
  • Transfers of control for distinct software licenses and considerations in estimating stand-alone selling prices (software)

Comments on the working drafts are due by August 1, 2017.

Review the revenue recognition page on the AICPA’s website.

IASB announces timing of its website upgrade

Jun 02, 2017

On June 2, 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) announced that its major website upgrade will occur on June 10–11, 2017. There is a potential for site slowness and outages during this period.

Regarding older content, it notes:

Because we store thousands of documents on our current server, we are migrating content to the new website in phases. Content yet to be migrated will remain in an archive of the current website, which will be available to access via archive.ifrs.org.

Review the press release on the IASB's website for the changes being made to its website.

Responses to the IASB exposure draft regarding prepayment features with negative compensation

May 29, 2017

In May 2017, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) posted the comment letters it received on its exposure draft ED/2017/3 "Prepayment Features with Negative Compensation (Proposed amendments to IFRS 9)". The majority of stakeholders' responses are negative, but for different reasons.

The responses to ED/2017/3 seem to fall into three major categories:

  • Those who believe that there never was an issue with IFRS 9;
  • Those who believe that changes to IFRS 9 are needed, but the approach is wrong/might have unintended consequences; and
  • Those who believe that changes to IFRS 9 might be warranted, but the timing is wrong.

The IASB is in the process of posting all responses to the exposure draft to its website.

Review the comment letters on the IASB's website.

Correction list for hyphenation

These words serve as exceptions. Once entered, they are only hyphenated at the specified hyphenation points. Each word should be on a separate line.