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Lifo to Be Accepted as a Costing Method

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LIFO to be accepted as costing method?
I. Introduction
In the United States, the SEC is expected to eventually mandate the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). U.S. standards setters have been working toward this eventuality through a process of convergence. The SEC issued a statement in early 2010 that updated its timeline and indicated that companies could be required to adopt IFRS as early as 2015 (see SEC, "Commission Statement in Support of Convergence and Global Accounting Standards," Release Nos. 33-9109; 34-61578, February 24, 2010, at www.sec.gov/nles/other/2010/33-9109.pdf). The SEC plans to revisit the issue this year. The general consensus suggests, however, that under IFRS, the last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory valuation method will no longer be permitted for financial or tax reporting.

The adoption of IFRS is a contentious issue for companies currently using LIFO as an inventory valuation method. In order to claim the tax benefits of LIFO, companies must also present financial statements using the same method, as required by the conformity rule (IRC section 472 [c]). LIFO is not permitted under IFRS, which means U.S. companies must switch from LIFO to first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost upon adoption of IFRS. Although only a small subset of U.S. companies currently uses LIFO for at least some of their operations, a change in inventory valuation method can have a significant impact on reported income, inventory balances, tax liabilities, and key financial ratios. Indeed, various groups advocate the retention of LIFO (for example, the LIFO Coalition, www.Save LIFO.org). Their primary concern is the tax burden resulting from the release of accumulated LIFO reserves when switching from LIFO to another inventory valuation method. The impact of the switch is influenced by the amount of the LIFO reserve, inflation, tax

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