...BUS5613 | Will the U.S. Adopt IFRS? | U.S. Integration of IFRS | | Christopher Anglin | 5/3/2015 | | Will the U.S. Officially Adopt IFRS? Initially, as a student relatively new to the study of international accounting standards and regulations, I assumed that the United States would be leading the efforts of an internationally accepted accounting standard, and I was both correct and incorrect in that assumption. The fact that the U.S. has the economic influence that it has, and its ties around the world, my assumption that other countries would follow suite, in hind sight, was naive. Days into my research, after being flooded with circumstantial evidence and factual evidence and information both supporting and denouncing the United States influence on this topic, I came up with one conclusion and one conclusion only, the U.S. will adopt IFRS or a future IFRS-like standard that is fully recognized by the international community, and it will not be U.S. GAAP. I am not stating that U.S. GAAP will no longer exist; I am saying that IFRS will be accepted as an equal to the U.S. GAAP and in the future, U.S. domestic reports will reflect and be tailored to IFRS requirements ultimately taking precedents over domestic accounting principles in an effort to save time and money. As we have all learned over the years, large scale changes in the United States take time and they are often slowly integrated over the years to not upset the delicate balance of domestic politics...
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...Standards (IFRS) An AICPA Backgrounder 1 Table of Contents Get Ready for IFRS ........................................................................................ 2 Worldwide Momentum ................................................................................. 2 SEC Leadership in International Effort .......................................................... 3 The SEC Work Plan........................................................................................ 4 FASB and IASB Convergence Efforts............................................................. 5 AICPA Participation ....................................................................................... 7 Two Sides of the Story ................................................................................... 7 Differences Remain Between U.S. GAAP and IFRS ....................................... 8 What CPAs Need To Know ............................................................................ 8 Appendix ..................................................................................................... 10 Organizations Involved ................................................................................ 12 1 Get Ready for IFRS The growing acceptance of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a basis for U.S. financial reporting represents a fundamental change for the U.S. accounting profession. The number of countries that require or allow the use of IFRS for the preparation...
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...day we don’t have to talk about the story of convergence between International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and U.S. GAAP (“GAAP”). I believe that they will be fully converged someday in the future. It is generally assumed that, all standard setters would agree on a single, high-quality accounting standard and it can meet everyone’s need. However, there is also a long road to achieve this ultimate goal. Fortunately, the steps of convergence never stop. There are more than 100 countries are adopting or processing adopting IFRS, it has already become the most popular international accounting standard in the world. Early in 2002, the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) agreed that a common set of high quality, global accounting standards was priority of both Boards. Then, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed a Roadmap for the potential use of financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB by U.S. issuers for purposes of their filings with the Commission in 2008 which can be seen as a milestone as the upcoming fully convergence. Although in May 2011, the SEC staff released a paper which describe a slower process of incorporating IFRS into the US financial reporting system, it doesn’t change the fact that the convergence still processing. And the SEC plays a role as a promoter. There is no doubt that the United States is only “Superpower” owning the most...
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...abroad to have financial cohesion. Unfortunately the United States has yet to adjust their financial standards, but many feel this necessary change is coming. Signs of a possible change arose when the SEC approved the use of International Financial Reporting Standards by non-U.S. registrants as long as they included reconciliation between the IFRS and the U.S. GAAP standards. Further signs of change arose when the SEC dropped this reconciliation requirement only a year after enacting it. As the SEC is noticing, the need for a uniform financial standard is not only growing but it is a necessary change as there is many advantages to having one set of accounting standards. One of these advantages is that having one global set of accounting standards will eliminate the costs of preparing multiple financial statements under various standards. Another advantage is that this will also reduce the need for multiple audit opinions that multinational firms currently deal with. Having one set of accounting standards will also allow for more efficient and centralized accounting functions that will reduce costs along with confusion. Lastly these financial statements can be produced centrally and distributed globally, leading to the upmost efficiency in financial reporting. Since the IFRS is based on principles rather than rules, it is easier to...
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...Definition There is significance between accounting harmonisation and accounting standardisation where harmonisation allows countries to have different accounting standards provided that they do not have logical conflict with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Therefore the accounting standards in different countries are not identical but very similar from one to another which allows convergence of accounting practices. However, standardisation of accounting has the direct opposite meaning of harmonisation where the standardisation requires all accounting practices in various countries to be exactly the same. Harmonisation tends to be associated with IASB which carries out the process of coordination whereas standardisation is the process of uniformity that can be seen in the European Union (EU) where transnational legislation occurs. According to various accounting scholars, they said it is important to distinguish between harmonisation of accounting practices (de facto) and harmonisation of accounting regulations (de jure). De facto is often associates with harmonisation while de jure is associated with standardisation. Reasons for Harmonisation RELIABILITY OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE USERS One of the reasons that international harmonisation of accounting standards should be carried out is to ensure comparability, reliability and quality of financial reports and disclosure of foreign enterprises. This allows investors and financial analysts to understand...
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...1. Gcjg 2. Kn 3. Jb 4. a. According to the SEC document “Staff Paper: Exploring a Possible Method of Incorporating IFRS,” the staff will study different ways to incorporate IFRS into the U.S. financial reporting system and ask the public for feedback if needed. The staff has observed “…how other jurisdictions incorporate IFRS into their reporting systems and how those jurisdictions address concerns regarding the regulatory responsibility of the jurisdiction’s capital market regulators, the impact on national standard setters, and the consequences for other bodies responsible for the broader accounting standard-setting process” (page 4). The staff’s research has shown that “…jurisdictions generally have incorporated or intend to incorporate IFRS into their reporting requirements for listed companies by either: (1) full use of IFRS as issued by the IASB or (2) use of IFRS after some form of national or multinational incorporation process, which could lead to a full use of IFRS as issued by the IASB or some local variation thereof” (page 4). According to the staff’s research, very few jurisdictions use the first approach. Majority of jurisdictions use the second approach because it is easier to address country-specific issues, yet, it could impact the use of a single set of globally accepted accounting standards. The SEC and its staff continue researching different approaches to figure out which one will help lead to a consistent set of accounting standards,...
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...Convergence of IFRS and GAAP on Auditors Acc 576 Auditing and Business Concepts Abstract The convergence of IFRS and GAAP continues to present professional challenges for U.S. auditors, it also presents career opportunities for auditors who encompasses the idea of globalized change. The convergence of accounting standards is changing the attitudes of CPAs and CFOs as far as internal accounting is concerned and how the quality of the International Accounting Standards will affect it and the efforts made toward converging IFRS and the GAAP standards. Create an argument for or against the IFRS and GAAP convergence process versus a pure adoption of IFRS in the context of impact to the public accounting profession. With Business and finance globalization, almost a hundred countries have adopted IFRS. Approximately 120 nations and reporting jurisdictions permit or require IFRS for domestic listed companies, although approximately 90 countries have fully conformed with IFRS as announced by the IASB and include a statement acknowledging such conformity in audit reports. Motivations for convergence include the belief that it will result in increased comparability between financial statements, which will benefit a variety of stakeholders. One would need to weigh the benefits of a one time cost for transitioning fee, the ability to compare reports, and the benefit of using a single reporting standard for businesses. Assess the cost impact for or against IFRS and GAAP convergence...
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...set of laws that will make analyzing each other’s industry easier and more reliable. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are a set of accounting standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Most certainly in a near future the world will be using one set of accounting rules. The eventual implementation of IFRS by all countries is expected to be market driven. Recently an associate of the S.E.C., Kathleen L. Casey, said in a speech that “the commission should move promptly to accept the international standards, investors would benefit from accounting standards that provide investors with highly comparable, decision-useful information about businesses without regard to their domicile” According to the IRS some of the advantages of adopting IFRS are the ability to compare statements using the same accounting language; comparison between companies will be easier; and companies could benefit if they want to raise funds offshore. The disadvantages in the other hand are U.S. GAAP is considered a model of excellence, therefore there is a fear that some quality will be lost in the case United States fully adopts IFRS, this system provides fewer detailed regulations than U.S. GAAP. IFRS also provides restricted industry-specific direction. Lastly there is a strong opinion that major expenses linked to adopting IFRS overshadow the benefits. At the moment we are going through what is considered the conversion period. Currently, both boards...
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...surprising that we at the IASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have worked so successfully in partnership over the past decade. I am delighted to present at the same event as my friend and colleague, Leslie Seidman. This event on the future of financial reporting is timely. Years from now, we will look back on 2011 as a year when the future path of financial reporting was determined. There are two key activities coming to a head this year. First, the IASB and the FASB are now nearing the completion of a nine-year programme to improve International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and to bring about their convergence. Second, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will make a decision on the use of IFRSs by US domestic companies. The SEC’s decision will be felt well beyond the borders of the United States. Today, more than 100 countries either require or permit the use of IFRSs for listed companies in their domestic markets. This includes, among the Group of 20 (G20) members, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the 27 member states of the European Union, Korea and Mexico. However, China, India and Japan have yet to make a formal and full commitment to domestic adoption of IFRSs. Their work towards adopting IFRSs in their countries has been, in part, predicated on the implicit...
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...Running head: XBRL: THE NEW REPORTING XBRL: The New Reporting Julie Mercer Strayer University Chapter One Introduction This chapter consists of research ideas relating to eXtensible Business Reporting Language or XBRL, also how the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are moving towards this type of reporting. The chapter consists of context of the problem, statement of the problem, research question and sub-questions, significance of the problem, research design and methodology, and organization of study. The chapter will also include a tentative reference list. Context of the Problem There is a time limit as to when an organization has to report financials to the SEC. There are several forms that are required to be filed to the SEC by public organization, for the purpose of this research paper we will focus on quarterly statements (10-Q) and yearly statements (10-K). For the 10-Q the organization has forty-five days, after each of the first three quarter ends to file the report with the SEC and ninety days, after the fiscal year end. (Yuille, n.d.) Given the time-frame organizations have to report the quarterly earnings, it would seem to be enough, but let us look at an organization that has an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, along with Hyperion Financial Manager (HFM). The ERP system captures data from all the locations, if the organization has more...
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...the investors in doing their business. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are two main accounting principles that is widely used in the majority of the companies. However, there will be still conflict in the interpreting and understanding each other financial statements due to these two different approaches. Therefore, to overcome this problem, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) are working on it by taking the necessary steps as time passes to close down the gap and standardised the accounting principles globally making it easier for all parties. (157 words) 1.0 Introduction In the world of globalization, a number of countries had been experiencing the convergence of their local GAAP and IFRS in order to apply the international accounting standard to suit the growing business world. This does not left out the people of the United States who are also trying to converge the accounting standards of US GAAP and IFRS in order to close down the gap between the accounting standards. FASB and IASB are the main international bodies assisting the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to achieve this goal. 2.0 Benefits 2.1 Facilitate international business and economy growth There are a number of benefits that people can gain from the convergence of US GAAP and IFRS. For example, the convergence of these accounting standards will...
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...issuing of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Today, over 100 countries including Canada, India, and Japan have adopted these standards for financial reporting. The growth of multinational companies such as Coca Cola and the increasing desire of cross-border investing have made it apparent that the U.S.accounting standards known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) can no longer remain separate from IFRS. Under the request of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), FASB and IASB signed the Norwalk Agreement, which promised the convergence of GAAP and IFRS by as early as 2015. As a result, it appears that the importance of FASB will decline as IASB becomes the primary responsibility holders of the new merging accounting standards. What advantages and disadvantages can come of GAAP and IFRS integration? Once finalized, the convergence of GAAP and IFRS will create high quality financial reporting that will be uniform amongst companies both domestic and abroad. This will allow investors to interpret and compare financial statements from domestic and foreign countries according to the same accounting standards, which will enable them to make better investment decisions.As the ease of interpretation of financial records increases for investors, the risk of the investment and cost of capital decreases as investors are willing to accept a lower return. What is known as the cost of capital...
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...IFRS in the United States: If, When and How Donna L. Street s described by Erchinger (2012), for decades various United States (US) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairs and Chief Accountants have expressed support for the development of one set of globally accepted accounting standards. Since the formation of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in 2001, SEC leaders have repeatedly indicated that the logical choice for globally accepted standards is the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the IASB. However, in line with other large economies, such as Japan, India and China, as of June 2012 the US had not adopted IFRS.1 This paper explores when and how, and indeed if, IFRS will become the basis for the financial reporting of domestic SEC registrants in the US. Readers are encouraged to first review Erchinger’s (2012) history of the SEC’s consideration of IFRS in the US included in this forum and especially Table 1 of this article, which provides a chronology of SEC releases regarding incorporation of IFRS into the US financial reporting model. This paper complements Erchinger’s by assessing approaches recently explored by the SEC for incorporating IFRS into the US financial reporting model. A decision can lead to correct or incorrect action. However, as articulated by many SEC constituents, uncertainty associated with repeated delays and hence ‘no decision’ by the SEC is clearly not in the best interest of investors and other financial...
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...Pros & Cons of GAAP and IFRS Convergence The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was formed in an attempt to bring uniform accounting standards within international countries through its issuing of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Today, over 100 countries including Canada, India, and Japan have adopted these standards for financial reporting. The growth of multinational companies such as Coca Cola and the increasing desire of cross-border investing have made it apparent that the U.S.accounting standards known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) can no longer remain separate from IFRS. Under the request of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), FASB and IASB signed the Norwalk Agreement, which promised the convergence of GAAP and IFRS by as early as 2015. As a result, it appears that the importance of FASB will decline as IASB becomes the primary responsibility holders of the new merging accounting standards. What advantages and disadvantages can come of GAAP and IFRS integration? Once finalized, the convergence of GAAP and IFRS will create high quality financial reporting that will be uniform amongst companies both domestic and abroad. This will allow investors to interpret and compare financial statements from domestic and foreign countries according to the same accounting standards, which will enable them to make better investment decisions.As the ease...
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...goals of the International Accounting Standards Committee include all of the following except a. To improve international accounting. b. To formulate a single set of auditing standards to be applied in all countries. c. To promote global acceptance of its standards. d. To harmonize accounting practices between countries. 2. Which of the following is true about the FASB after the mandatory adoption of IFRS by US companies? a. The FASB will serve in an advisory capacity to the IASB. b. The FASB will remain the designated standard-setter for US companies, but incorporate IFRS into US GAAP. c. The role of the FASB post-IFRS adoption has not been determined. d. The FASB will cease to exist. 3. Milestones in the transition plan for mandatory adoption of IFRS by US companies include all of the following except: a. Improvements in accounting standards. b. Limited early adoption of IFRS in an effort to enhance comparability for US investors c. Mandatory use of IFRS by US entities. d. All of the above are milestones in the transition plan for mandatory adoption of IFRS by US companies. 4. The roles of the IASC Foundation include a. establishing global standards for financial reporting. b. coordinating the filing requirements of stock exchange regulatory agencies. c. financing IASB operations. d. all of the above are roles of the IASC Foundation. 5. Which of the following statements is true regarding the IASC? a. The IASC is a public-sector, not-for-profit organization...
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