A new or significantly changed accounting standard often provides the key focus for examination of the financial statements of listed companies by national enforcers who issue common enforcement priorities. These priorities are often highlighted because of significant changes to accounting practices as a result of new or changed standards or because of the challenges faced by entities as a result of the current economic environment. Recent priorities have included recognition and measurement of deferred tax assets and impairment of financial and non-financial assets.
Required:
(a) (i) Discuss the key practical considerations, and financial statement implications which an entity should consider when implementing a move to a new IFRS. (7 marks)
(ii) Discuss briefly the reasons why regulators might focus on the impairment of non-financial assets and deferred tax assets in a period of slow economic growth, setting out the key areas which entities should focus on when accounting for these elements. (8 marks)
(b) Pod is a listed company specialising in the distribution and sale of photographic products and services. Pod’s statement of financial position included an intangible asset which was a portfolio of customers acquired from a similar business which had gone into liquidation. Pod changed its assessment of the useful life of this intangible asset from ‘finite’ to ‘indefinite’. Pod felt that it could not predict the length of life of the intangible asset, stating that it was impossible to foresee the length of life of this intangible due to a number of factors such as technological evolution, and changing consumer behaviour.
Pod has a significant network of retail branches. In its financial statements, Pod changed the determination of a cash generating unit (CGU) for impairment testing purposes at the level of each major product line, rather than at each individual branch. The determination of CGUs was based on the fact that each of its individual branches did not operate on a standalone basis as some income, such as volume rebates, and costs were dependent on the nature of the product line rather than on individual branches. Pod considered that cash inflows and outflows for individual branches did not provide an accurate assessment of the actual cash generated by those branches. Pod, however, has daily sales information and monthly statements of profit or loss produced for each individual branch and this information is used to make decisions about continuing to operate individual branches.
Required:
Discuss whether the changes to accounting practice suggested by Pod are acceptable under International Financial Reporting Standards. (8 marks)
Professional marks will be awarded in question 4 for clarity and quality of presentation. (2 marks)