During Transnet’s 2015 financial year they recognised revenue under IAS 18: Revenue. During the same financial year a new standard to account for revenue was issued namely IFRS 15: Revenue from contracts with customers. The reasons for issuing a new standard was because IAS 18 was broad and therefore lead to confusion and inconsistencies in the treatment of similar transactions. The new standard results in different accounting implications in the annual financial statements of Transnet. To evaluate the accounting implications of IFRS15 it must be compared with IAS 18. One major implication is the change from recognising revenue from services rendered by using the percentage of completion method that is stated in IAS 18. IFRS 15 recognises revenue either over-time or at a point in time.
Introduction
In May 2014, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a new standard namely IFRS 15: Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This change in the standard occurred within the 2015 financial year-end of Transnet (SOC) Limited (hereafter referred to as Transnet). The reason for issuing IFRS 15 was that the previous revenue standards provided limited guidance and therefore it could be difficult to apply to complex transactions. This resulted in inconsistencies in the accounting treatment of economically similar transactions in different businesses. This report aims to discuss the accounting implications that this new standard will have on Transnet.
Accounting
Revenue recognition accounting standard ensures the correct revenue is recorded for each period of the income statement, it was previously based on the realization principle - requires revenue to be recognized when the earning process is virtually complete and is certain to collectability. FASB & IASB developed a new revenue recognition standard, Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” on May 28, 2014, ASU No 2014-09. (RRPA Revenue Recognition and Profitability Analysis-1-LO1-5).
As the responsibilities of the global harmonization of accounting standards IFRS and GAAP transfer to IASB, FASB’s influence is waning. Advantages of the convergence include high quality financial reporting, which lowers cost of capital for investors and the cost of borrowing for companies. However, there are disadvantages to be noted, such as the costs of introducing IFRS to current and potential accountants and the risk of reducing the uniformity of financial reports due to the lax rulings of IFRS, which promotes earnings management amongst companies. Although arguments regarding the convergence remain prevalent, the completion of IFRS and GAAP is inevitable. Come year 2015, accountants, investors, and companies alike will discover whether or not the pros outweighed the cons; or vice versa.
In 2018 it will be mandatory that AASB111 and AASB108 are replaced by AASB15. This new standards main principle necessitates entities to recognise revenue to portray the transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts that mirror the payment, of which the company expects to be entitled. AASB15 also provides regulation for transactions that were not previously addressed thoroughly, such as service revenue and contract modifications. Essentially it presents a 5 step system of Identifying the contracts with the customer, identifying the separate performance obligations in the contract, determining the transaction price, allocating the transaction price to certain performance obligations and recognizing revenue when or as the entity fulfils performance obligations – This is demonstrated towards the end of the report with a
The major benefit of this proposal is that agreement exists that there is more objectivity in measuring and determining changes in assets and liabilities than there is in measuring and determining the completion of the earning process. After taking comment letters on the discussion paper of December 2008 and an initial exposure draft in June of 2010, the boards issued a revision of the proposal in “Proposed Accounting Standards Update (Revised), Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) – Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Revision of Exposure Draft Issued June 24, 2010.” The new document left the basis of the proposal the same and added implementation guidance and a tentative date for adoption. Recognizing revenue under the standard would be a five-step
Since 2002, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) have been working toward “convergence” of US General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). They have made significant progress in efforts to converge critical accounting standards such as those dealing with revenue recognition, financial instruments and leases. Once these projects are complete, the "era" of convergence will be at an end. Nevertheless, the benefits for investors of eventually getting to consistently applied, high-quality, globally accepted accounting
Purpose of research. The purpose of research is to analyze and compare the revenue recognition under FASB and IFRS provisions. The research is built on other studies that focus on the revenue recognition model and converged standards. The value of this study cannot be overemphasized since the revenue is an essential metric of financial statements that provides a comprehensive knowledge to users of financial information. The revenue recognition framework is under the development and scrutiny since 2002.
The Company is planning to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the near future and should be made aware of the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) relevant accounting guidelines. While FASB has extensive revenue recognition guidelines, IASB only has one, IAS 18. IASB’s revenue recognition guideline for the sales of goods [IAS 18.14] states that revenue
A congruent between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is that both specification tend to use a statement of cash flows, income statement and a balance sheet (Nadel, 2010). When confronting cash equivalents and cash, both approaches are essentially similar in characteristic. Furthermore, the leading reciprocal is that both IFRS and GAAP assist in producing financial statements on an accrued basis; generally meaning that revenue is often recognized once it is realized (Nadel, 2010). In the course of time this will assist in a complete merger of both accounting principles in the near future; eventually a merger will assist with the differences associated with both IFRS and GAAP allowing for certain principles to be removed or restructured.
After over a decade of extensive deliberation, the IASB and FASB officially released their joint revenue recognition standard to be applied under both GAAP and IFRS. The FASB and IASB which they have been in collaboration for a converged revenue recognition principle since 2008. The new revenue recognition standard represents a milestone in the convergence process, as it is the first fully integrated joint standard. The purpose of the new revenue recognition principle is to standardize across the board how companies should recognize revenue recorded in financial statements.
IASB. 2010, "The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting" IFRS, pp. A21- A38, viewed 23 April 2014,
Before May 2014, FASB defines that revenues and gains generally are not recognized until it realized or realizable. Such as, when the sale has been completed or service has been provided, revenue can be realized. Besides broad standard, U.S.GAAP revenue recognition guidance has numerous particular revenue requirements for industries or transactions, which sometimes result in different numbers for economically similar transactions. To remove inconsistencies, in May 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to replace the existing rules and modifies the method that the majority of U.S. companies used. In addition, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue From
The introduction of the AASB 15 alters the existing accounting framework in regards to revenue recognition in contractual transactions. The new accounting standards require revenue to be recognised at the value that best represents the value that an entity would be entitled to, after it satisfying its contractual obligations. A 5-step model has been introduced to streamline the revenue reporting process.
Revenue recognition has been viewed routinely as one of the most difficult finance and accounting processes to get right. It represents one of the highest risks of material error on financial statements, and it is one of the leading causes of restatements. Before May 2014, revenue recognition guidance in U.S.GAAP comprised broad revenue recognition concepts together with numerous revenue requirements for particular industries or transactions, which sometimes result in different accounting for economically similar transactions. In May 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to replace the existing rules and modifies the method that the majority of U.S. companies used when to
With complete notion and awareness of how each country has their set of rules, “the goal of IFRS is to provide a global framework for how public companies prepare and disclose their financial statements” (Rouse, 2011). This view is meant to provide general guidelines, as well as international comparisons through conventional and edifying means. To bring broader and vivid objectives, IFRS replaced IAS, the older standards, in order to bring a more comprehensive and simplified accounting procedures.
First, The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issues The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on U.S securities and exchange companies listed.