In conjunction with ACT - the Tax Technology Association, we recently hosted a webinar to discuss the new disclosure requirements under FASB Topic 832 and how to prepare from a technology standpoint. While many have forgotten about this ASU (accounting standards update) due to tax reform and other accounting standards affecting tax, it's set to be finalized by June 30, 2018.
Infographic - FASB Topic 832 Timeline (updated)
A Future of Data Transparency
Imagine if all public government information were to become transformed into standardized, open data? The Data Coalition not only envisions this, they are the world’s only trade association that is completely dedicated to making this happen. Their sister organization, the Data Foundation, seeks to define an open future for our data for a better government and society through research, education, and programming.
FASB Nears the Finish Line on Materiality
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been working through a project on materiality for the past year-and-a-half, because up to now, there has been no explicit U.S. GAAP accounting standard for the accounting of government assistance.
Materiality is integral to Topic 832, Accounting Standards Update, Government Assistance in terms of defining a threshold for which government incentives will ultimately have to be disclosed.
FASB Topic 832 Redeliberations
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) convened on May 4, 2016 for the first time after the Exposure Draft Comment Period closed on Topic 832 to discuss feedback from staff on the comment letters and other input from various outreach performed by the staff. Overall most stakeholders are supportive of the FASB's efforts to increase transparency in government incentives & address the diversity in practice that exists today in accounting for government assistance.
99% of Companies Subscribe to this Proverb
According to Wikipedia, the source that popularized this pictorial maxim is a 17th-century carving over a door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. The three wise monkeys symbolize the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". There are many meanings associated with this proverb and it's often used to describe someone turning a blind eye.
FASB to Redeliberate Disclosures on Government Incentives
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been deliberating its project for a proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU), Government Assistance (Topic 832): Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance since January 29, 2014. BIGcontrols, submitted a comment letter on the FASB's Exposure Draft for Topic 832 on the February 10, 2016 deadline.
The Elephant in the Boardroom
Part 3 of a 3-Part Series
I just returned from the Credits & Incentives Symposium, hosted by IPT (Institute for Professionals in Taxation). One of the consistent themes I heard in many of the sessions I attended was a concern around compliance management of tax credits & incentives - from both industry and government agencies.
The Elephant in the Boardroom
Part 2 of a 3-Part Series
The Financial Standards Accounting Board (FASB) is about to issue an Exposure Draft on its project “Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance”. One of the primary objectives of the FASB’s project on new disclosure requirements for government incentives is to provide transparency where none exists today.
The Elephant in the Boardroom
Part 1 of a 3-Part Series
It’s no surprise that no one is talking about a new Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) pronouncement on government incentives that’s coming down the pike. For years, major corporations have been burying how they account for government incentives on their balance sheets & footnotes to their financial statements under some random line item like “Other Assets”.
Tax Incentives: Don’t Lose Sight of Commitments
The concept of accountability isn’t new — especially when discussing taxpayer dollars and where they are spent by government agencies. Governments are under constant scrutiny regarding tax revenue and expenditures from their constituents, the media, and the public as a whole. However, there has been an increasing call for accountability when it comes to corporate tax credits and incentives for economic development.