1. ACCOUNTING
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
Pronouncements Effective for Annual Periods Beginning on or After January 1, 2014
Investment Companies and Segregated Accounts of Life Insurance Enterprises
Mandatory date for first-time adoption of IFRS by investment companies and segregated accounts of life insurance enterprises - fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2014.
Investment Entities (Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 27)
Amendment to IFRS 10 introduces an exception for investment entities to the principle that all subsidiaries are consolidated. Amendments define investment entities and require them to measure subsidiaries at fair value through profit or loss. In addition, IFRS 12 has been amended to include disclosure requirements for investment entities. IAS 27 has been amended to require investment entities to measure investments in subsidiaries at fair value through profit or loss when separate financial statements are presented.
IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation
Offsetting Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Amendments to IAS 32): amendment addresses inconsistencies identified in applying some of the offsetting criteria.
IAS 36 Impairment of Assets
The standard was amended to modify certain disclosure requirements about the recoverable amount of impaired assets if that amount is based on fair value less costs of disposal.
IAS 39 Financial Instruments
The standard was amended to allow hedge accounting to continue in a situation where a derivative, which has been designated as a hedging instrument, is novated to effect clearing with a central counterparty as a result of laws or regulation, if specific conditions are met (in this context, a novation indicates that parties to a contract agree to replace their original counterparty with a new one). Similar relief will be included in IFRS 9 Financial Instruments.
IFRIC 21 Levies
This new interpretation provides guidance on the accounting for levies imposed by governments. The Interpretation clarifies the obligating event that gives rise to a liability to pay a levy.
Pronouncements Effective for Annual Periods Beginning on or After July 1, 2014
IAS 19 Employee Benefits
Amendment to IAS 19 simplifies the accounting for contributions to defined benefit plans that are independent of the number of years of employee service.
Annual Improvements 2010-2012 Cycle
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IFRS 2 Share-based Payments |
Clarification of the definition of 'vesting conditions' by separately defining a 'performance condition' and a 'service condition' |
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IFRS 3 Business Combinations |
Clarification of the accounting for contingent consideration in a business combination |
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IFRS 8 Operating Segments |
Addition of a disclosure requirement about the aggregation of operating segments and clarification of the reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments' assets to the entity's assets |
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IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement |
Clarification on guidance related to the measurement of short-term receivables and payables |
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IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment and IAS 38 Intangible Assets |
Clarification of the requirements for the revaluation model regarding the proportionate restatement of accumulated depreciation |
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IAS 24 Related Party Disclosures |
Clarification of the identification and disclosure requirements for related party transactions when key management personnel services are provided by a management entity |
Annual Improvements 2011-2013 Cycle
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IFRS 1 First-time Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards |
Clarification that if a new IFRS is not yet mandatory but permits early application, that IFRS is permitted, but not required, to be applied in the entity's first IFRS financial statements |
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IFRS 3 Business Combinations |
Modification to the scope exception for joint ventures to exclude the formation of all types of joint arrangements and clarification that the scope exception applies only to the financial statements of the joint arrangement itself |
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IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement |
Clarification that the portfolio exception applies to all contracts within the scope of IAS 39 or IFRS 9, regardless of whether they meet the definitions of financial assets or financial liabilities as defined in IAS 32 |
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IAS 40 Investment Property |
Clarifying the interrelationship between IFRS 3 and IAS 40 when classifying property as investment property or owner-occupied property |
Pronouncement Effective for Annual Periods Beginning on or After January 1, 2015
Entities with rate-regulated activities
Mandatory date for first-time adoption of IFRS by entities with rate-regulated activities - fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2015.
Pronouncement Effective for Annual Periods Beginning on or After January 1, 2016
IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements and IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures
These standards were amended to eliminate an inconsistency between IFRS 10 and IAS 28 in dealing with the sale or contribution of assets between an investor and its associate or joint venture. Subsequent to the amendments, a full gain or loss is recognized when a transaction involves a business (whether it is housed in a subsidiary or not) and a partial gain or loss is recognized when a transaction involves assets that do not constitute a business, even if these assets are housed in a subsidiary.
This standard has not yet been issued by the AcSB in Part I of the Handbook, expected for Q4 of 2014.
IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements
Amendments add new guidance on how to account for the acquisition of an interest in a joint operation that constitutes a business.
IFRS 14 - Regulatory Deferral Accounts
This interim standard permits first-time adopters to continue to recognize amounts related to rate regulation in accordance with previous GAAP requirements when they adopt IFRS. However, to enhance comparability with entities that already apply IFRS and do not recognize such amounts, the standard requires that the effect of rate regulation must be presented separately from other items. An entity that already presents IFRS financial statements is not eligible to apply the Standard. Earlier application is permitted.
IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment and IAS 38 Intangible Assets
Amendments clarify that the use of revenue-based methods to calculate the depreciation of an asset is not appropriate because revenue generated by an activity that includes the use of an asset generally reflects factors other than the consumption of the economic benefits embodied in the asset. The IASB also clarified that revenue is generally presumed to be an inappropriate basis for measuring the consumption of the economic benefits embodied in an intangible asset. This presumption, however, can be rebutted in certain limited circumstances.
IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment and IAS 41 Agriculture
These standards were amended to require bearer plants to be accounted for in the same way as property, plant and equipment in IAS 16 because their operation is similar to that of manufacturing. Bearer plants are used solely to grow produce over several periods. At the end of their productive lives they are usually scrapped. Once a bearer plant is mature, apart from bearing produce, its biological transformation is no longer significant in generating future economic benefits. The only significant future economic benefits it generates come from the agricultural produce that it creates. The amendments include bearer plants within the scope of IAS 16 instead of IAS 41. The produce growing on bearer plants will remain within the scope of IAS 41.
IAS 27 Separate Financial Statements
The standard was amended to allow entities to use the equity method to account for investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates in their separate financial statements.
The final amendments have not yet been issued by the AcSB in Part I of the Handbook, which are expected for Q4 of 2014.
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