Basis For Conclusions on IFRS 13 Cost Benefit Considerations

Basis For Conclusions on IFRS 13 Cost Benefit Considerations

The objective of general purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the reporting entity that is useful to existing and potential investors, lenders and other creditors in making decisions about providing resources to the entity. To meet that objective, the IASB seeks to ensure that an IFRS will meet a significant need and that the overall benefits of the resulting information justify the costs of providing it. Although the costs to implement a new standard might not be borne evenly, users of financial statements benefit from improvements in financial reporting, thereby facilitating the functioning of markets for capital and credit and the efficient allocation of resources in the economy.

The evaluation of costs and benefits is necessarily subjective. In making its judgement, the IASB considers the following:

(a) the costs incurred by preparers of financial statements;

(b) the costs incurred by users of financial statements when information is not available;

(c) the comparative advantage that preparers have in developing information, compared with the costs that users would incur to develop surrogate information; and

(d) the benefit of better economic decision-making as a result of improved financial reporting.

Basis For Conclusions on IFRS 13 Cost Benefit Considerations

IFRS 13 defines fair value, provides a framework for measuring fair value and requires disclosures about fair value measurements. A clear definition of fair value, together with a framework for measuring fair value that eliminates inconsistencies across IFRSs that have contributed to diversity in practice, should improve consistency in application, thereby enhancing the comparability of information reported in financial statements.

The disclosures about fair value measurements would increase transparency and improve the quality of information provided to users of financial statements. In developing the disclosure requirements in IFRS 13, the IASB obtained input from users and preparers of financial statements and other interested parties to enable the IASB to assess whether the disclosures could be provided within reasonable cost-benefit constraints.

Although the framework for measuring fair value builds on current practice and requirements, some methods in IFRS 13 may result in a change to practice for some entities. Furthermore, some entities will need to make systems and operational changes, thereby incurring incremental costs. Other entities also might incur incremental costs in applying the measurement and disclosure requirements. However, the IASB concluded that the benefits resulting from increased consistency in application of fair value measurement requirements and enhanced comparability of fair value information and improved communication of that information to users of financial statements will continue. On balance, the IASB concluded that improvements in financial reporting resulting from the application of the requirements in IFRS 13 will exceed the increased costs of applying the requirements.

Basis For Conclusions on IFRS 13 Cost Benefit Considerations

The International Financial Reporting Standards, usually called the IFRS Standards,are standards issued by the IFRS Foundation and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to provide a common global language for business affairs so that company accounts are understandable and comparable across international boundaries. They are a consequence of growing international shareholding and trade and are particularly important for companies that have dealings in several countries. They are progressively replacing the many different national accounting standards. They are the rules to be followed by accountants to maintain books of accounts which are comparable, understandable, reliable and relevant as per the users internal or external. IFRS, with the exception of IAS 29 Financial Reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies and IFRIC 7 Applying the Restatement Approach under IAS 29, are authorized in terms of the historical cost paradigm. IAS 29 and IFRIC 7 are authorized in terms of the units of constant purchasing power paradigm.

IFRS began as an attempt to harmonize accounting across the European Union but the value of harmonization quickly made the concept attractive around the world. However, it has been debated whether or not de facto harmonization has occurred. Standards that were issued by IASC (the predecessor of IASB) are still within use today and go by the name International Accounting Standards (IAS), while standards issued by IASB are called IFRS. IAS were issued between 1973 and 2001 by the Board of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). On 1 April 2001, the new International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) took over from the IASC the responsibility for setting International Accounting Standards. During its first meeting the new Board adopted existing IAS and Standing Interpretations Committee standards (SICs). The IASB has continued to develop standards calling the new standards “International Financial Reporting Standards”.

Basis For Conclusions on IFRS 13 Cost Benefit Considerations

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