Emissions over Time – The 1 Best read

27/02/2024 by 75385885

Emissions over Time

The GHG Protocol is designed to enable reporting entities to track and report consistent and comparable emissions data over time. The first step to tracking emissions over time is the establishment of a base year. A base year is a benchmark against which subsequent emissions can be compared to create meaningful comparisons over time and may be used for setting GHG reduction targets.

To comply with the GHG Protocol principles of relevance and consistency, a reporting entity is required to establish and report a base year for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions. A base year is only required for Scope 3 emissions when Scope 3 performance is tracked or a Scope 3 reduction target has been set. That is the case whether the entity is reporting under the Corporate Standard or the Scope 3 Standard (see below How to apply the Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance and Scope 3 Standard?).

How to apply the Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance and Scope 3 Standard?
An entity reporting under the Corporate Standard is not required to disclose Scope 3 emissions. As a result, there are three options under the GHG Protocol for reporting Scope 3 emissions, as described in the following table, which is based on Table 1.1 in the Scope 3 Standard:
Option	Description	Applicable GHG criteria
1	A reporting entity reports its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and either (1) no Scope 3 emissions or (2) Scope 3 emissions from activities that are not aligned with any of the prescribed Scope 3 categories (the latter is very rare).	Corporate Standard Scope 2 Guidance
2	A reporting entity reports its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and some, but not all, relevant and material Scope 3 GHG emissions in accordance with the Scope 3 calculation guidance but not with the Scope 3 Standard.	Corporate Standard Scope 2 Guidance Scope 3 Guidance
3	A reporting entity reports its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and all relevant and material categories of Scope 3 GHG emissions	Corporate Standard Scope 2 Guidance Scope 3 Standard Scope 3 Guidance

Consider this!

The GHG Protocol encourages reporting entities to begin reporting GHG emissions information and improve the completeness and precision of that information over time.

While the GHG Protocol requires a company to establish and report a base year for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, a reporting entity that recently started to report GHG emissions information and has not established an emissions reduction target may choose not to set a base year until the precision and completeness of their emissions inventory have improved.

In this situation, the reporting entity should disclose that a base year has not yet been established and the reason for not establishing a base year.

Landlord Lease modifications

03/12/2021 by 75385885

Landlord Lease modifications / Rental modifications

Accounting for lease modifications has become a hot topic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many tenants seeking rent concessions and other changes to lease agreements.

Unlike IAS 17, IFRS 16 provides detailed guidance on the lessor accounting for lease modifications, with separate guidance for modifications to finance leases and operating leases.

A lease modification is a change in the scope of a lease, or the consideration for a lease, that was not part of its original terms and conditions. Common examples are:

decreasing the scope of the lease by removing the right to use one or more underlying assets;
decreasing the scope of the lease by shortening the contractual lease term; and
changing the consideration in the lease by increasing or decreasing the lease payments.

Changes that result from renegotiations of the original contract are lease modifications.

The exercise of an option included in the original lease contract is not a modification. There is no lease modification when a lessor reassesses the lease term if:

the lessee exercises an option not previously included in the lessor’s determination of the lease term;
the lessee does not exercise an option previously included in the lessor’s determination of the lease term;
an event occurs that contractually obliges the lessee to exercise an option not previously included by the lessor; or
an event occurs that contractually prohibits the lessee from exercising an option previously included by the lessor (see Changes in the lease term).

The following diagram summarises the accounting for lease modifications by a lessor/landlord.

Original lease is a finance lease Change to contractual terms and conditions			Original lease is an operating lease
Increase in scope of lease by adding right of use for one or more underlying assets and at stand-alone price for increase	All other contract modifications. Classification at inception if modification had been in effect then as:
	Operating lease	Finance lease
Separate lease	Not a separate lease	Apply IFRS 9	Modifications to operating leases

Food for thought – When does a lessor account for a lease modification?

Similar to a lessee, a lessor accounts for modifications to operating and finance leases on the effective date of the modification. This is the date when both parties agree to the lease modification. (IFRS 16.79–80, IFRS 16.87)

Going concern and pandemics

15/11/2021 by 75385885

Going concern and pandemics

IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements requires management, when preparing financial statements, to make an assessment of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, and whether the going concern assumption is appropriate.

Furthermore, disclosures are required when the going concern basis is not used or when management is aware, in making their assessment, of material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt upon the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Disclosure of significant judgement is also required where the assessment of the existence of a material uncertainty is a significant judgement.

In assessing whether the going concern assumption is appropriate, the standard requires that all available information about the future, which is at least, but not limited to, twelve months from the end of the reporting period, should be taken into account.

This assessment needs to be performed up to the date on which the financial statements are issued.

Refer to ‘Current vulnerability due to concentration and liquidity risks‘ below for further discussion on the current vulnerability entities are facing due to concentration and liquidity risks.

Landlord Lease term – IFRS 16 Best complete read

12/10/2021 by 75385885

Landlord Lease term

New guidance on lease term could impact the period over which operating lease incentives are recognised in profit or loss, particularly for renewable and cancellable leases.

1 Overview of landlord lease term

Determining the lease term is a critical estimate that is significant for the lessor. The lease term may affect the lease classification. For operating leases, it impacts the period over which lease incentives are recognised.

The lease term is the non-cancellable period of the lease, together with:

optional renewable periods if the lessee is reasonably certain to extend; and
periods after an optional termination date if the lessee is reasonably certain not to terminate early. (IFRS 16.18)

To determine the lease term, a lessor first determines the length of the non-cancellable period of a lease and the period for which the contract is enforceable. It can then determine – between those two limits – the length of the lease term.

The lessor determines the lease term at the commencement date.

The lease term starts when the lessor makes the underlying asset available for use by the lessee. It includes any rent-free periods. (IFRS 16 Definition, IFRS 16.B36)

Example accounting policies

21/09/202107/06/2021 by 75385885

Example accounting policies

Get the requirements for properly disclosing the accounting policies to provide the users of your financial statements with useful financial data, in the common language prescribed in the world’s most widely used standards for financial reporting, the IFRS Standards. First there is a section providing guidance on what the requirements are, followed by a comprehensive example, easy to tailor to the specific needs of your company.

Example accounting policies guidance

Whether to disclose an accounting policy

1. In deciding whether a particular accounting policy should be disclosed, management considers whether disclosure would assist users in understanding how transactions, other events and conditions are reflected in the reported financial performance and financial position. Disclosure of particular accounting policies is especially useful to users where those policies are selected from alternatives allowed in IFRS. [IAS 1.119]

2. Some IFRSs specifically require disclosure of particular accounting policies, including choices made by management between different policies they allow. For example, IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment requires disclosure of the measurement bases used for classes of property, plant and equipment and IFRS 3 Business Combinations requires disclosure of the measurement basis used for non-controlling interest acquired during the period.

3. In this guidance, policies are disclosed that are specific to the entity and relevant for an understanding of individual line items in the financial statements, together with the notes for those line items. Other, more general policies are disclosed in the note 25 in the example below. Where permitted by local requirements, entities could consider moving these non-entity-specific policies into an Appendix.

Change in accounting policy – new and revised accounting standards

4. Where an entity has changed any of its accounting policies, either as a result of a new or revised accounting standard or voluntarily, it must explain the change in its notes. Additional disclosures are required where a policy is changed retrospectively, see note 26 for further information. [IAS 8.28]

5. New or revised accounting standards and interpretations only need to be disclosed if they resulted in a change in accounting policy which had an impact in the current year or could impact on future periods. There is no need to disclose pronouncements that did not have any impact on the entity’s accounting policies and amounts recognised in the financial statements. [IAS 8.28]

6. For the purpose of this edition, it is assumed that RePort Co. PLC did not have to make any changes to its accounting policies, as it is not affected by the interest rate benchmark reforms, and the other amendments summarised in Appendix D are only clarifications that did not require any changes. However, this assumption will not necessarily apply to all entities. Where there has been a change in policy, this will need to be explained, see note 26 for further information.

What happened in the reporting period

15/04/202108/04/2021 by 75385885

What happened in the reporting period

There is no requirement to disclose a summary of significant events and transactions that have affected the company’s financial position and performance during the period under review (or simply what happened in the reporting period). However, information such as this could help readers understand the entity’s performance and any changes to the entity’s financial position during the year and make it easier finding the relevant information. However, information such as this could also be provided in the (unaudited) operating and financial review rather than the (audited) notes to the financial statements.

Covid-19
At the time of writing, the biggest impact on the financial statements of entities all around the world is related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most entities will be affected by this in one form or another and should discuss the impact prominently in their financial statements. However, as the events are still unfolding, this publication is not providing any illustrative examples or guidance. See how to account for Covid-19 to get an up-to-date discussion.

Going concern disclosures [IAS1.25]
When preparing financial statements, management shall make an assessment of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Financial statements shall be prepared on a going concern basis unless management either intends to liquidate the entity or to cease trading, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Beware of COVID 19 Rent concessions IFRS accounting

14/02/2021 by 75385885

Beware of COVID 19 Rent concessions IFRS accounting

IFRS 16 amendments Corona Rent concessions provide relief to lessees in accounting for rent concessions.

IFRS 16 Rent concession amendments in a nutshell

The lessee perspective

The amendments to IFRS 16 add an optional practical expedient that allows lessees to bypass assessing whether a rent concession that meets the following criteria is a lease modification:

it is a direct consequence of COVID-19; Beware of COVID 19 Rent concessions IFRS accounting
the revised lease consideration is substantially the same as, or less than, the original lease consideration;
any reduction in the lease payments applies to payments originally due on or before June 30, 2021; and
there is no substantive change to the other terms and conditions of the lease.

Lessees who elect this practical expedient account for qualifying rent concessions in the same way as changes under IFRS 16 that are not lease modifications. The accounting will depend on the nature of the concession, but one outcome might be to recognize negative variable lease payments in the period in which the lessor agrees to an unconditional forgiveness of lease payments.

Lessees are required to apply the practical expedient consistently to similar leases and similar concessions. They must also disclose if they elected the practical expedient and for which concessions, as well as the amount recognized in profit and loss in the reporting period to reflect changes in lease payments that arise from rent concessions to which they have applied the practical expedient.

The amendments are effective for reporting periods beginning after June 1, 2020, with early application permitted.

How to best account for COVID-19 under IAS 10

05/12/202013/04/2020 by 75385885

How to best account for COVID-19 under IAS 10 Events after the reporting period? The question is whether the COVID-19 crises is an adjusting event of a non-adjusting event for the Financial Statements for the period ended 31 December 2019 that have not been authorised for final distribution to stakeholders or for filing at a chamber of commerce or similar institute. If it is a non-adjusting event what disclosures does it still require in the financial statements or management report accompanying these financial statements? In terms of accounting implications, the current consensus is that an entity shall not adjust the amounts recognized in its financial statements (IAS 10 10 Non-adjusting events) as at 31 December 2019 to reflect events caused … Read more