January

IPSASB (International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board) (mid gray) Image

IPSASB aligns IPSASs with recent IASB pronouncements

23 Jan 2015

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has finalised 'Improvements to IPSASs 2014'. The changes incorporate relevant amendments made by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in the 2009-2011 and 2010-2012 cycles of annual improvements, and the changes made by 'Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation (Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38)'.

Improvements to IPSASs 2014 makes amendments made to four International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs):

  • IPSAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements - clarification of comparative information requirements;
  • IPSAS 17 Property, Plant and Equipment - classification of servicing equipment, clarification of the revaluation methodology, acceptable methods of depreciating assets;
  • IPSAS 28 Financial Instruments: Presentation - tax effects of distributions to holders of equity instruments; and
  • IPSAS 31 Intangible Assets - clarification of the revaluation methodology, clarification of acceptable methods of amortising assets.

All amendments are effective for annual financial statements covering periods beginning on or after 1 January 1 2015. Please click to access the finalised amendments on the IPSASB website.

Deloitte comment letter on tentative agenda decision on IAS 12 — Deferred tax on associates Image

We comment on a number of tentative agenda decisions of the IFRS Interpretations Committee

20 Jan 2015

We have published our comment letters on IFRS Interpretations Committee agenda decisions on IAS 12, IAS 19, IFRS 10 and IFRS 11, as published in the November 2014 IFRIC Update.

More information about the issues is set out below:

IssueMore information
IAS 12 Income Taxes — Selection of applicable tax rate for measurement of deferred tax relating to investment in associate
IAS 19 Employee Benefits — Should longevity swaps held under a defined benefit plan be measured at fair value as part of plan assets or on another basis as a qualifying insurance policy?
IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements — Control of a structured entity by an operating lessee
IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements — Control of a structured entity by a junior lender
IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements — Application issues

You can access all our comment letters to the IASB, IFRS Foundation, and IFRS Interpretations Committee here.

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Latest IASB ‘Investor Update’ issued

20 Jan 2015

The IASB has issued the fourth edition of its newsletter, "IASB Investor Update," to provide investors with quick access to information on current accounting and financial reporting issues. The newsletter aims to keep investors informed on new and changing guidance.

This issue features:

The IASB Investor Update newsletter is available on the IASB's website.

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IFRS Foundation appoints new Trustee

20 Jan 2015

The IFRS Foundation has announced the appointment of Kurt Schacht as Trustee of the IFRS Foundation. The appointment will begin with immediate effect and will expire on 31 December 2017.

Mr Schacht is Managing Director of the CFA Institute, leading its advocacy and regulatory affairs activities across Asia, Europe and the Americas. He currently serves as Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's Investor Advisory Committee and is on the advisory board of the Millstein Center for Global Markets at Columbia Law School.

For more information, see the press release on the IASB's website.
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Agenda for the January 2015 IFRS Interpretations Committee meeting

20 Jan 2015

The IFRS Interpretations Committee will meet at the IASB's offices in London on 27 January 2015. The agenda for the meeting is now available.

The Committee will:

  • continue discussion of issues arising on IAS 12, IAS 16, IAS 39, IAS 21, and IAS 32;
  • consider finalising tentative agenda decisions on IAS 28, IFRIC 21, IAS 39, IFRS 13, and IFRS 12;
  • consider new issues on IAS 40 and IAS 24.

The full agenda for the meeting can be found here. We will update this page for any changes to the agenda, and our Deloitte observer notes from the meeting as they become available.

Deloitte comment letter on IASB ED/2014/4 'Measuring Quoted Investments in Subsidiaries, Joint Ventures and Associates at Fair Value' Image

We comment on the proposed amendments for measuring quoted investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates at fair value

16 Jan 2015

We have published our comment letter on the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) Exposure Draft ED/2014/4 'Measuring Quoted Investments in Subsidiaries, Joint Ventures and Associates at Fair Value'.

The IASB's proposed amendments would confirm that the unit of account for investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates is the investment as a whole, but that the fair value measurement of quoted investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates should be the product of the quoted price multiplied by the quantity of financial instruments held, without adjustments. The IASB also proposed to align the fair value measurement of a quoted CGU to the fair value measurement of a quoted investment. Lastly, the proposed amendments also included an addition to the Illustrative Examples for IFRS 13 to illustrate the application of paragraph 48 of that standard to a net risk exposure of Level 1 financial assets and financial liabilities.

We disagree with the departure from the principle that fair value measurement should be consistent with the unit of account of the asset or liability to be measured.

Click for the full comment letter.

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European Union Image

US and EU remain committed to convergence, stress the importance of consistent application

16 Jan 2015

Participants in the U.S. - EU Financial Markets Regulatory Dialogue (FMRD) met on 12 January 2015 to exchange information on regulatory developments as part of their ongoing dialogue and discuss their strong cooperation and shared interests in continuing to implement and enforce robust standards, including those on the G-20 financial regulatory agenda.

Participants discussed recent developments regarding the use of IFRS and US GAAP and "reiterated their commitment to convergence on high quality accounting standards and committed to continue their efforts regarding consistency in the application of accounting standards in practice".

The FRMD has been the forum for discussion of EU and US regulators since 2002. It brings together representatives of the European Commission (DG MARKT), the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs - European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, European Securities and Markets Authority) and the U.S. Treasury and independent regulatory agencies, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Please click to access the full joint statement on the EC website. The next meeting of the FMRD will take place in Brussels, Belgium in July 2015.

Deloitte comment letter on IASB DP/2014/2 'Reporting the Financial Effects of Rate Regulation' Image

We comment on the IASB discussion paper on rate regulation

16 Jan 2015

We have published our comment letter on the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) Discussion Paper DP/2014/2 'Reporting the Financial Effects of Rate Regulation'.

Our comment letter offers an anylsis of the main points of the discussion paper and we agree that that the hybrid scheme described as 'defined rate regulation' captures many of the features of regulatory regimes encountered in practice. We also agree that a focus on the rights and obligations arising from rate regulation is necessary to determine whether these give rise to assets and/or liabilities that meet the criteria for recognition per the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. We recommend that the next step in the project be an accounting discussion paper preceding the development of any new Standard or amendment to existing standards.

Please click for a summary of our main points and access to the full comment letter. 

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Agenda for the Joint Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition meeting

15 Jan 2015

The agenda has been released for the third meeting of the Joint Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition (TRG), which is being jointly held at the offices of the IASB and FASB on 26 January 2015. The TRG will discuss a number of topics related to the boards’ new revenue standard, “Revenue From Contracts With Customers” (issued as IFRS 15 by the IASB and ASU 2014-09 by the FASB).

The TRG was formed in June 2014 and is responsible for soliciting, analysing, and discussing stakeholder issues arising from implementation of the new standards in order to assist the IASB and the FASB to determine what, if any, action will be needed to address those issues.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Monday, 26 January 2015

  • Introductory remarks
  • Research project update
  • Identifying promised goods or services
  • Incremental costs to obtain a contract
  • Transition: contract modifications
  • Noncash considerations
  • Stand-ready obligations
  • Islamic financing transactions
  • Collectibility
  • Variable consideration
  • Material rights, considerations payable to a customer, and significant financing component submissions

Agenda papers — including a submission log of issues compiled by Staff — for this meeting are available on the IASB's website.

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Applicants invited for IFRS Interpretations Committee membership

13 Jan 2015

The Trustees of the IFRS Foundation have invited applications for candidates to fill up to four vacancies on the International IFRS Interpretations Committee for terms that will expire on 30 June 2015. The IFRS Interpretations Committee is the interpretative body of the IASB.

Members are expected to attend approximately six two-day meetings each year held in London. Terms of membership will begin on 1 July 2015 and will expire on 30 June 2018. Membership is unpaid, but the IFRS Foundation meets members' expenses of travel on IFRIC business.

Applications are accepted until 6 March 2015.

Please click for more information on the IASB's website.

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