The converged Indian Accounting Standards have about 69 major and
minor carve-outs.
Converged Indian Accounting Standards are notified with some major
carve-outs and deferrals of certain critical standards and
interpretations to suit the local purposes apart from major departures
for the first time convergence. The Ministry is reportedly open for
more carve-outs if the industry requires.
The carve-outs originally suggested by the ICAI in the Exposure Draft
were very minimal and restricted to the definition of related party
disclosures whether to include brothers, sister, father mother of key
individuals as close family members which was considered as matching
with the social environment of India, and eliminating the ‘corridor
approach' in accounting for post-employment benefit schemes.
Carve-outs in the finalisation stage range from presentation issues to
fundamental IFRS accounting principles such as elimination of fair
value option in investment property, deferral of lease interpretation
and service concession arrangements, widening the scope of other
comprehensive income, deferral of certain exchange fluctuation loss,
adopting percentage of completion basis revenue recognition in real
estate development business, to list a few.
Also there is a suitable first time adoption guidance that helps in
smooth transition based on carrying amount of assets as on March 31,
2007. With about sixty nine major and minor carve-outs, still it got
IFRS flavour! At least there are matching code numbers, sequence of
IFRS paragraphs and clear demarcation of the carve-outs. It looks like
IFRS. Now only there is another round waiting for the resolution of
tax issues arising out of IFRS.
IFRS sans fair value
Fair value carve-out of investment property is a surprise element in
Ind AS 40. IFRS offers cost alternative as well for those who prefer
historical cost. This move may have approbation of ‘ conservative
accountants,' but misses an important aspect of fair value advantage.
Companies having land bank and wishing to unlock the value should not
be able to demonstrate the fair value.
The prospective investor will remain handicapped to discover the fair
value of such a company through financial analysts rather than looking
through balance sheet lenses.
One of the critical advantage of fair value measurement is
demonstration of ‘fair presentation' of the financial statements and
thus to reduce the gap between speculative market valuation and
fundamental fair value. Although real property market is quite
volatile but financial asset like equity is no less volatile. If IAS
39 fair valuation becomes acceptable, then reservation for fair
valuation of investment property is confusing. As against 28 per cent
annual volatility of Nifty (as per NSE screen), annualised volatility
of real property is just 4.5 per cent computed based on Makaan
National Index). If balance sheet can tolerate 28 per cent volatility
of equity assets, it could reasonably withstand 4.5 per cent
volatility.
Real estate development
Real estate developers can now treat the agreement to construct real
estate as construction contract without having any ‘agreement to
construct' with any third party! All that they have are ‘ agreements
to forward sale'. IFRIC 15 states it is not sale of goods unless the
risk and reward of ownership passes to the buyer and revenue
recognition is not possible. “Brick by brick” transfer approach is
missing in such contracts. Ind AS 11 Construction Contracts may still
embrace such ‘agreements to sale' as ‘agreements to construct'.
Perhaps Ind AS 11 becomes riskier in its scope through carve-outs than
IFRIC 15 allowing to recognise profit by stage of completion based on
forward sale contracts. Whereas developer of investment property
cannot opt for ‘fair value' model as Ind AS 40 carved out the fair
value option. Such real estate developer has to follow cost model and
can book profit only on sale of goods. This does not cocktail well.
Bargain purchase
Business acquisition profit is a fair value gain to be encashed over a
period of time. No rational entrepreneur would like to sell business
at less than the fair value. It normally arises because of forced sale
and there in an inherent gain. Major concern against recognising
bargain purchase gain as profit is possible misuse by intentional
overstatement of fair value of assets, which the IASB did not wish to
mitigate through accounting entries.Ind AS 103 Business Combinations
carves out the accounting treatment of ‘fair value gain' and pushed to
other comprehensive income. If there is overvaluation of asset
acquired, then equity is overstated which is considered as less
harmful in India.
(The author is Professor, Institute of Management Technology, Dubai.)
minor carve-outs.
Converged Indian Accounting Standards are notified with some major
carve-outs and deferrals of certain critical standards and
interpretations to suit the local purposes apart from major departures
for the first time convergence. The Ministry is reportedly open for
more carve-outs if the industry requires.
The carve-outs originally suggested by the ICAI in the Exposure Draft
were very minimal and restricted to the definition of related party
disclosures whether to include brothers, sister, father mother of key
individuals as close family members which was considered as matching
with the social environment of India, and eliminating the ‘corridor
approach' in accounting for post-employment benefit schemes.
Carve-outs in the finalisation stage range from presentation issues to
fundamental IFRS accounting principles such as elimination of fair
value option in investment property, deferral of lease interpretation
and service concession arrangements, widening the scope of other
comprehensive income, deferral of certain exchange fluctuation loss,
adopting percentage of completion basis revenue recognition in real
estate development business, to list a few.
Also there is a suitable first time adoption guidance that helps in
smooth transition based on carrying amount of assets as on March 31,
2007. With about sixty nine major and minor carve-outs, still it got
IFRS flavour! At least there are matching code numbers, sequence of
IFRS paragraphs and clear demarcation of the carve-outs. It looks like
IFRS. Now only there is another round waiting for the resolution of
tax issues arising out of IFRS.
IFRS sans fair value
Fair value carve-out of investment property is a surprise element in
Ind AS 40. IFRS offers cost alternative as well for those who prefer
historical cost. This move may have approbation of ‘ conservative
accountants,' but misses an important aspect of fair value advantage.
Companies having land bank and wishing to unlock the value should not
be able to demonstrate the fair value.
The prospective investor will remain handicapped to discover the fair
value of such a company through financial analysts rather than looking
through balance sheet lenses.
One of the critical advantage of fair value measurement is
demonstration of ‘fair presentation' of the financial statements and
thus to reduce the gap between speculative market valuation and
fundamental fair value. Although real property market is quite
volatile but financial asset like equity is no less volatile. If IAS
39 fair valuation becomes acceptable, then reservation for fair
valuation of investment property is confusing. As against 28 per cent
annual volatility of Nifty (as per NSE screen), annualised volatility
of real property is just 4.5 per cent computed based on Makaan
National Index). If balance sheet can tolerate 28 per cent volatility
of equity assets, it could reasonably withstand 4.5 per cent
volatility.
Real estate development
Real estate developers can now treat the agreement to construct real
estate as construction contract without having any ‘agreement to
construct' with any third party! All that they have are ‘ agreements
to forward sale'. IFRIC 15 states it is not sale of goods unless the
risk and reward of ownership passes to the buyer and revenue
recognition is not possible. “Brick by brick” transfer approach is
missing in such contracts. Ind AS 11 Construction Contracts may still
embrace such ‘agreements to sale' as ‘agreements to construct'.
Perhaps Ind AS 11 becomes riskier in its scope through carve-outs than
IFRIC 15 allowing to recognise profit by stage of completion based on
forward sale contracts. Whereas developer of investment property
cannot opt for ‘fair value' model as Ind AS 40 carved out the fair
value option. Such real estate developer has to follow cost model and
can book profit only on sale of goods. This does not cocktail well.
Bargain purchase
Business acquisition profit is a fair value gain to be encashed over a
period of time. No rational entrepreneur would like to sell business
at less than the fair value. It normally arises because of forced sale
and there in an inherent gain. Major concern against recognising
bargain purchase gain as profit is possible misuse by intentional
overstatement of fair value of assets, which the IASB did not wish to
mitigate through accounting entries.Ind AS 103 Business Combinations
carves out the accounting treatment of ‘fair value gain' and pushed to
other comprehensive income. If there is overvaluation of asset
acquired, then equity is overstated which is considered as less
harmful in India.
(The author is Professor, Institute of Management Technology, Dubai.)
No comments:
Post a Comment