Topic 2
Chapter 16
The statement of comprehensive income and statement of changes in equity

Review questions
16.2 There is a general requirement that unless a specific accounting standard requires an item of income or expense to be recorded directly in equity, the expense or income amount is to be included in profit or loss. Specifically, paragraph 88 of AASB 101 states:
An entity shall recognise all items of income and expense in a period in profit or loss unless an Australian Accounting Standard requires or permits otherwise. As an example of one class of items that does not go to profit or loss we can consider the situation where an error from a prior period is discovered (perhaps the assets recorded last year were valued in excess of their recoverable value). In such a case the error is to be corrected retrospectively, as required by AASB 108 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates, and Errors. This would require a reduction in assets and a reduction in retained earnings to recognise the asset write-down expense. Although this is an expense that is recognised, it is a case of an expense being recognised directly in equity (retained earnings is an equity account). A number of other accounting standards also require certain income and expense items to be recorded directly in particular equity accounts rather than including them in a period’s profit or loss. These items form part of what is now referred to as ‘other comprehensive income for the year’—which when added to ‘profit or loss’ gives ‘total comprehensive income’ for the period. Paragraph 7 of AASB 101 defines ‘other comprehensive income’ as follows:
Other comprehensive income comprises items of income and expense (including reclassification adjustments) that are not recognised in profit or loss as required or permitted by other Australian Accounting Standards.
According to paragraph