IASB issues a number of narrow-scope amendments

The following is a summary of the amendments:

IAS 16: ‘Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E) – Proceeds before Intended Use’

IAS 16 requires that the cost of an asset includes any costs attributable to bringing the asset to the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. One of those costs is testing whether the asset is functioning properly.

The amendment to IAS 16 prohibits an entity from deducting from the cost of an item of PP&E any proceeds received from selling items produced while the entity is preparing the asset for its intended use (for example, the proceeds from selling samples produced when testing a machine to see if it is functioning properly). The proceeds from selling such samples, together with the costs of producing them, are now recognised in profit or loss. An entity will use IAS 2, ‘Inventories’, to measure the cost of those items. Cost will not include depreciation of the asset being tested because it is not ready for its intended use.

The amendment also clarifies that an entity is ‘testing whether the asset is functioning properly’ when it assesses the technical and physical performance of the asset. The financial performance of the asset is not relevant to this assessment. An asset might therefore be capable of operating as intended by management and subject to depreciation before it has achieved the level of operating performance expected by management.

The amendment requires entities to separately disclose the amounts of proceeds and costs relating to items produced that are not an output of the entity’s ordinary activities. An entity should also disclose the line item in the statement of comprehensive income where the proceeds are included.

This amendment could have a significant impact on entities where items are produced and sold as part of bringing an item of PP&E to the location and condition necessary for its intended use, and where management has previously considered an asset’s operating performance in its assessment of whether the asset is ready for use (for example, in the mining industry). Management might need to introduce processes to track the cost of items sold and to account for an asset as ready for its intended use earlier than before.

IAS 37: ‘Onerous Contracts – Cost of Fulfilling a Contract’

lAS 37 defines an onerous contract as one in which the unavoidable costs of meeting the entity’s obligations exceed the economic benefits to be received under that contract. Unavoidable costs are the lower of the net cost of exiting the contract and the costs to fulfil the contract. The amendment clarifies the meaning of ‘costs to fulfil a contract’.

The amendment explains that the direct cost of fulfilling a contract comprises:

• the incremental costs of fulfilling that contract (for example, direct labour and materials); and
• an allocation of other costs that relate directly to fulfilling contracts (for example, an allocation of the depreciation charge for an item of PP&E used to fulfil the contract).

The amendment also clarifies that, before a separate provision for an onerous contract is established, an entity recognises any impairment loss that has occurred on assets used in fulfilling the contract, rather than on assets dedicated to that contract.

The amendment could result in the recognition of more onerous contract provisions, because previously some entities only included incremental costs in the costs to fulfil a contract.

IFRS 3: ‘Reference to the Conceptual Framework’

The Board has updated IFRS 3, 'Business combinations', to refer to the 2018 Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting, in order to determine what constitutes an asset or a liability in a business combination. Prior to the amendment, IFRS 3 referred to the 2001 Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting.

In addition, the Board added a new exception in IFRS 3 for liabilities and contingent liabilities. The exception specifies that, for some types of liabilities and contingent liabilities, an entity applying IFRS 3 should instead refer to IAS 37, ‘Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets’, or IFRIC 21, ‘Levies’, rather than the 2018 Conceptual Framework. Without this new exception, an entity would have recognised some liabilities in a business combination that it would not recognise under IAS 37. Therefore, immediately after the acquisition, the entity would have had to derecognise such liabilities and recognise a gain that did not depict an economic gain.

The Board has also clarified that the acquirer should not recognise contingent assets, as defined in IAS 37, at the acquisition date.

Annual Improvements to IFRS Standards 2018–2020

Fees included in the 10% test for derecognition of financial liabilities
The amendment to IFRS 9 addresses which fees should be included in the 10% test for derecognition of financial liabilities. Costs or fees could be paid to either third parties or the lender. Under the amendment, costs or fees paid to third parties will not be included in the 10% test.

Illustrative examples accompanying IFRS 16, ‘Leases’
The Board has amended Illustrative Example 13 that accompanies IFRS 16 to remove the illustration of payments from the lessor relating to leasehold improvements. The reason for the amendment is to remove any potential confusion about the treatment of lease incentives.

Subsidiary as a first-time adopter
IFRS 1 allows an exemption if a subsidiary adopts IFRS at a later date than its parent. The subsidiary can measure its assets and liabilities at the carrying amounts that would be included in its parent’s consolidated financial statements, based on the parent’s date of transition to IFRS, if no adjustments were made for consolidation procedures and for the effects of the business combination in which the parent acquired the subsidiary. The Board has amended IFRS 1 to allow entities that have taken this IFRS 1 exemption to also measure cumulative translation differences using the amounts reported by the parent, based on the parent’s date of transition to IFRS. The amendment to IFRS 1 extends the above exemption to cumulative translation differences, in order to reduce costs for first-time adopters. This amendment will also apply to associates and joint ventures that have taken the same IFRS 1 exemption.

Taxation in fair value measurements
The Board has removed the requirement for entities to exclude cash flows for taxation when measuring fair value under IAS 41, ‘Agriculture’. This amendment is intended to align with the requirement in the standard to discount cash flows on a post-tax basis. 

When do the amendments apply?

All of the amendments are effective 1 January 2022. Earlier application is permitted. The transitional provisions are as follows: