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Leases: What should companies do now?

When important new accounting standards are under development, forward-thinking companies often look ahead to anticipate possible changes and work ahead so they don’t have to scramble when the standard takes effect. Some companies already are doing some of that work with leases, experts say. But the lease accounting proposal—a joint

Court upholds SEC’s conflict minerals rule

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against business groups’ court challenge to new conflict mineral rules, which require U.S. issuers to monitor their supply chains in an effort to curtail human rights abuses in Africa where the raw materials are mined. Judge Robert Wilkins of the U.S. District Court for

Three reasons finance should focus more on business intelligence

Many organizations recognize the value in harvesting data, whether the information is about customers’ buying habits or workers’ performance measures. But some of those companies haven’t been able to tap into the full potential of business intelligence, i.e., getting the right information from the data to make better business decisions.

Former SEC chief accountant Kroeker joins FASB as vice chairman

Former SEC Chief Accountant Jim Kroeker is joining FASB in a new vice chairman position designed to reduce the burden on board Chairman Russell Golden. Kroeker fills a vacancy on the board created by the June 30 retirement of Leslie Seidman, who was FASB’s chairman. FASB had a vice chairman

Rules for deferral of income from gift card sales clarified

The IRS issued guidance clarifying that taxpayers that sell gift cards can defer recognizing income from the sale of gift cards redeemable by an unrelated third party until the year after the payment is received (Rev. Proc. 2013-29, clarifying and modifying Rev. Proc. 2011-18). With the rapid growth in the

Embrace uncertainty to develop more business acumen

A mere accounting professional is not the same as a full-fledged finance professional. At least that’s how consultant David Axson sees it. The more evolved finance professional, Axson says, considers the business environment, embracing its volatility, and then adapting to it. “Being comfortable with uncertainty is, to me, the difference

IASB seeks feedback on conceptual framework revision

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has begun a consultation process with the objective of issuing a revised conceptual framework for financial reporting. The conceptual framework establishes the concepts that underlie the preparation and presentation of financial statements. The IASB follows the principles in the conceptual framework when developing and

U.K. proposal a second blow to mandatory audit firm rotation

Mandatory audit firm rotation was not among the measures the U.K. Competition Commission (CC) proposed Monday to promote competition in the statutory audit services market. But the CC did include mandatory tendering every five years for the United Kingdom’s largest companies in its proposal, a significant shift from the 10-year

Can you succeed in finance without international experience?

As commerce increasingly transcends borders, international experience is becoming a valuable asset for accounting and finance professionals. Almost seven in 10 (69%) of more than 2,100 CFOs in large U.S. metropolitan areas said international experience will be at least somewhat necessary for accounting and finance staff five years from now,

Identity theft protection process at IRS needs improvements, TIGTA says

Identity theft was the number one type of consumer complaint in 2011, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and some practitioners have asked if tax-related identity theft has become an epidemic. In light of the growing problem, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently audited the IRS’s Taxpayer

Increased cooperation builds momentum for integrated reporting

An agreement between the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and two organizations devoted to corporate environmental impact disclosures is the latest advancement in the growing momentum for integrated reporting worldwide. The IIRC on Thursday announced that it has reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation with CDP, an international

Half of Canadian businesses report IFRS, GAAP reporting costs in line

Transitioning to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) was costly for Canadian businesses, but research showed nearly half found the cost of preparing and auditing financial statements under IFRS in line with costs under Canadian GAAP. Forty-seven percent of respondents polled online by the research arm of Financial Executives International Canada

GASB impairment of capital assets, insurance recoveries standard to be reviewed

GASB’s standard regarding the impairment of capital assets and insurance recoveries will be the subject of a Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) post-implementation review. A FAF team will review GASB Statement No. 42, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Impairment of Capital Assets and for Insurance Recoveries, according to a FAF news

July 22 IRS furlough day canceled

The IRS canceled its scheduled furlough day for Monday, July 22, acting IRS chief Danny Werfel announced on Tuesday. Instead of closing and sending IRS workers home for a day of unpaid leave, “[t]he IRS will be open for taxpayers that day as scheduled,” he said in a message to

PCC proposing VIE consolidation exception for private company leases

The Private Company Council (PCC) voted Tuesday to propose a GAAP alternative for private companies for applying consolidation guidance for leasing entities under common control. Private companies would be exempt from applying consolidation guidance for variable-interest entities (VIEs) under common control leasing arrangements under the proposal the PCC voted to

New duties on horizon for internal auditors

Even as assurance and compliance responsibilities are expanding for internal auditors, a significant shift in their strategic duties is on the horizon, according to a new survey. More than half (54%) of respondents expect that in the next two years, internal audit’s primary mandate will be providing stakeholders with business

FATCA deadlines are postponed for six months

On Friday, the IRS said it was delaying for six months some of the deadlines for implementing the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) originally set out in the final regulations issued in April in T.D. 9610 (Notice 2013-43). The regulations, which provide rules on information reporting by foreign financial

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