October

Agenda for joint IASB-FASB meeting

12 Oct 2006

The International Accounting Standards Board will hold a joint meeting with the US Financial Accounting Standards Board at FASB's offices in Norwalk, Connecticut USA on Monday and Tuesday, 23 and 24 October 2006. The joint meeting agenda is below.

Agenda papers for the meeting can be Downloaded from the IASB Website. If you want to listen to the webcast, please visit the FASB Website Board Meetings Page.

Agenda for Joint IASB-FASB Meeting23-24 October 2006, Norwalk, Connecticut USA

Monday 23 October 2006

  • Liabilities and Equity
  • Conceptual Framework:
    • Drafts of discussion materials for roundtables on measurement bases to be held in the first two months of 2007
    • Plans and procedures for finalising the common conceptual framework
    • Project status, plans, and priorities, focusing on the elements and recognition phase (B) of the project.
  • Insurance

Tuesday 24 October 2006

  • Memorandum of Understanding – Progress discussion
  • Business Combinations II – measurement attribute for business combinations and how to measure noncontrolling interests
  • Financial Statement Presentation
    • short-term and long-term sub-categories in the operating category;
    • presentation of information about liquidity in the notes to the financial statements;
    • the definition of financing liabilities, treasury assets, and investments (for purposes of determining what should be included in those categories);
    • application of the measurement working principle;
  • Revenue Recognition

Reminder about comment deadline on puttable instruments

11 Oct 2006

We remind you that the deadline for responding to the IASB's Exposure Draft 'Financial Instruments Puttable at Fair Value and Obligations Arising on Liquidation' is 23 October 2006. .

We remind you that the deadline for responding to the IASB's Exposure Draft Financial Instruments Puttable at Fair Value and Obligations Arising on Liquidationis 23 October 2006. Click for:

Update on accounting standards in Pakistan

11 Oct 2006

Asad Ali Shah, a partner in the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu member firm in Pakistan, spoke on Implementation of IFRS and SME Standards–Pakistan Experience at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR) in Geneva earlier this week.

ISAR is sponsored by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Click to download Mr Shah's Presentation (PDF 36k).

 

'An EU Integrated Globalised World'

11 Oct 2006

In a speech titled (PDF 80k) before the World Congress of Financial Executives in Berlin, EU Internal Markets Commissioner Charlie McCreevy touched on several IFRSs-related matters.

He noted that Japan is making progress in converging its accounting standards with IFRSs. And he mentioned that the European Commission will be addressing implementation of global standards including IFRSs and Basel II.

IASB will form an employee benefits working group

10 Oct 2006

The International Accounting Standards Board is seeking members for a new Working Group to help in its new project on Employee Benefits.

The project, to be conducted in two phases, will be a comprehensive review of the accounting required by IAS 19 Employee Benefits. The first phase will consider revisions that would achieve significant improvements in the short term, with a view to an interim standard being issued in three or four years' time. As the first step in its due process the IASB intends to publish a discussion paper in 2007. The issues to be included in the first phase of the project are:
  • accounting for intermediate risk plans (including cash balance plans), including definition of defined benefit and defined contribution arrangements
  • smoothing and deferral mechanisms
  • presentation and disclosure
  • treatment of settlements and curtailments.
The Working Group will provide a variety of expert perspectives on accounting for post-employment benefits, including those of actuaries, auditors and other experts, and preparers and users of financial statements, and regulators. Nominations for Working Group membership are invited by 17 November 2006. Click for Press Release (PDF 56k), which has details about the nomination process.

Papers from UK conceptual framework public meeting

08 Oct 2006

On 21 September 2006, the United Kingdom Accounting Standards Board (ASB) hosted a public meeting on the proposals in the IASB's and FASB's joint preliminary views discussion paper 'The Objective of Financial Reporting and Qualitative Characteristics of Decision-useful Financial Reporting Information'.

The roundtable was chaired by Ian Mackintosh, Chairman of the ASB. To provide a context for the roundtable, the ASB prepared a background paper discussing some of the issues arising from the preliminary views paper. That paper and other papers and presentations of roundtable participants have been posted to The ASB's Website.

Wording of audit reports on IFRS-compliant statements

07 Oct 2006

The United Kingdom Auditing Practices Board has published Bulletin 2006/6 Audit Reports on Financial Statements in the United Kingdom.

Bulletin 2006/6 provides illustrative examples of both unmodified and modified auditor's reports of financial statements of companies incorporated in the United Kingdom for periods commencing on or after 1 April 2005. The updated examples of auditors' reports included in the Bulletin take account of the revised standard formulation for expressing compliance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union. The sample audit reports include reports on:
  • Group financial statements that are prepared using 'IFRSs as adopted by the European Union'
  • Group financial statements that comply with both 'IFRSs as adopted by the European Union' and 'IFRSs as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board' (sometimes called 'dual reporting').

Heads Up on FASB's new pensions standard

06 Oct 2006

In our news story of 30 September 2006 we reported on FASB Statement No. 158 Employers' Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans.

Deloitte & Touche LLP (United States) has published a new edition of the Heads Up newsletter summarising FASB's new standards. Statement 158 requires most publicly-traded companies to fully recognise an asset or liability for the overfunded or underfunded status of their benefit plans in financial statements for years ending after 15 December 2006. For non-public entities, the effective date is fiscal years ending after 15 June 2007. Click to Download the Heads Up Newsletter (PDF 120k).

PCAOB standards-setting priorities for 2007

06 Oct 2006

The Standing Advisory Group of the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) met on 5 October 2006. At that meeting, PCAOB Chief Auditor Thomas Ray outlined the PCAOB's standards-setting priorities for 2007: Four standards projects PCAOB is currently working on: Revision of AS 2 An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Performed in Conjunction With an Audit of Financial Statements Principles of Reporting – this standard would reflect FASB Statement 154 Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, including the FAS 154 hierarchy of generally accepted accounting principles. Engagement Quality Review Risk Assessment, including fraud risk assessment Projects beginning over the next year: Related Parties (including consideration of fraud risk factors) Confirmations (including consideration of fraud risk factors) Specialists (including how specialists are used in fair value measurements) Activities removed from the priority list (these were on the 2006 list): Communications with Audit Committees Quality Control Standards Codification of PCAOB standards and authority of PCAOB interim standards Mr.

Ray also noted that the PCAOB is evaluating the need for revisions to or guidance on existing auditing standards on auditing estimates, auditing fair values, and using the work of specialists – all of which are pertinent to the audit of fair value measurements – in light of FASB Statement No. 157 Fair Value Measurements. Click to (PDF 38k).

Accounting Roundup – September 2006

06 Oct 2006

We have posted the (PDF 329k) published by Deloitte & Touche LLP (USA).

Topics covered in this issue include:

FASB Developments

  • FASB Issues New Pension Standard, Statement 158
  • FASB Issues Statement No. 157 Fair Value Measurements
  • FSP on Planned Major Maintenance Activities
EITF Developments
  • EITF Meeting of 7 September 2006
GASB Developments
  • Statement on Accounting for Sales and Pledges of Receivables and Future Revenues
  • GASB Adds Project to Technical Plan to Enhance Disclosure Requirements of Governmental Pension Plans
AICPA Developments
  • Exposure Draft Proposing New and Revised Interpretations Under Rule 101 Independence
SEC Developments
  • SAB 108 Provides Guidance on Materiality
  • OCA Expresses Its Views on the Appropriate Application of the Stock Option Accounting Literature
  • SEC Moves Forward with Its Commitment to XBRL
International Developments
  • IFRIC Publishes Proposed Guidance on Customer Loyalty Programs
Other Developments
  • Interagency Guidance Issued on Nontraditional Mortgage Products
You will find past issues of Accounting Roundup Here.

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.