How much do you know about IAS 8 Changes in accounting policies, estimates and errors?
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Question
You are the Chief Accountant at DEF PLC.
Steve, the Accounts Officer, has brought to you the following matters for an assessment of their impact on the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2014 which are in the process of being finalized.
Determine the amounts to be recognized in respect of the following transactions and balances for the current period as well as the prior period comparative s to be reported in the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2014.
Part A
DEF PLC has been valuing inventory on the basis of Average Cost Method (AVCO) until 30 June 2013.
DEF PLC is involved in a seasonal business and the use of AVCO method dilutes the effect of seasonal fluctuation on the cost of inventory.
Management believes FIFO Method will provide more relevant information regarding the value of inventory held by DEF PLC and has decided to apply it for the first time starting from the current period.
Value of inventory calculated using the two basis is as follows:
| As at 30 June 2014 | As at 30 June 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
|
FIFO |
$275,000 |
$250,000 |
|
AVCO |
$300,000 |
$200,000 |
What amount of inventory should be presented in the financial statements under consideration for:
a) Current Year End As at 30 June 2014
$275,00
Correct.
Change in inventory valuation method constitutes a change in the accounting policy.
A change in accounting policy is acceptable where it results in the presentation of more relevant and reliable financial statements.
$300,000
Incorrect.
b) Comparative Year End As at 30 June 2013
$250,00
Correct.
As per IAS 8, the change is applied retrospectively whereby the prior period comparative figure of inventory balance should be restated in accordance with the new valuation method.
$200,000
Incorrect.
Part B
Last year, DEF PLC was involved in a litigation.
The litigation against the Company was in progress in a civil court at the time of issuance of the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2013 and a disclosure was included to this effect. No liability had been recorded however since the Company’s legal advisors firmly believed in a favorable outcome.
As per the expectation of the legal advisors, the Company won the case in civil court this year. However, the decision of the civil court was subsequently overturned by the High Court and the Company was forced to pay $500,000 to the claimants on 31 May 2014.
What amount of liabilities, if any, should be reported in respect of the legal claim in the financial statements under consideration for:
a) Current Year End As at 30 June 2014
Nil
Correct.
The adverse decision of the Court and the resulting liability merely shows that the management's estimate regarding the likely outcome of the litigation was incorrect.
As the claim was settled during the current period, no liability will be presented at the current year end.
$500,000
Incorrect.
b) Comparative Year End As at 30 June 2013
Nil
Correct.
Hindsight cannot be used to classify this occurrence as a prior period error which is why the comparative figures need not be restated.
$500,000
Incorrect.
Part C
DEF PLC acquired a factory on 1 July 2012 for $1,000,000.
In the last accounting period, DEF PLC depreciated the factory building on straight line basis assuming a useful life of 10 years.
In the current period, the useful life of the factory premises has been revised to 20 years instead of 10 years assessed last year.
Amounts of depreciation expense calculated using the different assumptions are as follows:
| Net Book Value | Useful Life | Depreciation Expense |
|---|---|---|
|
$1,000,000 |
10 years |
$100,000 |
|
$1,000,000 |
20 years |
$50,000 |
|
$900,000 |
19 years |
$47,368 |
|
$950,000 |
19 years |
$50,000 |
What amount of depreciation expense should be presented in the financial statements under consideration for:
a) Current Year End As at 30 June 2014
$100,000
Incorrect.
$50,000
Incorrect.
$47,368
Correct.
The revision of the useful life of factory premises represents a change of estimate.
Prospective application requires that the effect of the revision should be accounted for in the current and future accounting periods.
b) Comparative Year End As at 30 June 2013
$100,000
Correct.
Depreciation already charged in the previous accounting period (i.e. $100,000) need not be restated.
$50,000
Incorrect.
$47,368
Incorrect.
Part D
DEF PLC has a policy of recognizing revenue upon the sale of their goods by its distributors to the retailers.
This year has been particularly hard for the Company’s business. In order to improve the profitability of DEF PLC, Steve has suggested recognizing sales revenue upon the delivery of goods to the Company’s distributors instead of delaying it until the sales are made to retailers.
Comparison of the sales revenue using the different revenue recognition policies is as follows:
| Sales for the current year ended 30 June 2014 | Sales for the comparative year ended 30 June 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Old policy |
$2,500,000 |
$3,000,000 |
|
New policy |
$3,500,000 |
$2,800,000 |
What amount of revenue should be presented in the financial statements under consideration for:
a) Current Year End As at 30 June 2014
$2,500,000
Correct.
Accounting policies should be applied consistently over the period of time to promote comparability of information presented in the financial statements.
$3,500,000
Incorrect.
b) Comparative Year End As at 30 June 2013
$3,000,000
Correct.
Accounting policies cannot be changed unless required by the IFRS or if it leads to more relevant and reliable financial statements.
Further, accounting policies cannot be changed merely for achieving a desired presentation of results as in this case.
$2,800,000
Incorrect.