What is FIN 48?
In 2006 Fin 48 was made effective as proper guidelines to require publicly traded organizations to assess the probability of tax positions. This mandates that organizations analyze and report any income tax risks. Some refer to this as “the road map of things to audit for as these reports will largely influence who the Internal Revenue Service will audit.
At the beginning of November in 2007 the Statement of Financial Statements (SFAS) board decided to postpone the enactment of FIN 48 financial reporting and accounting and income taxes until later that year on December 15, 2007. The purpose of FIN 48 is to force public companies to analyze companies tax positions and evaluate the probability that their tax position will
…show more content…
This interpretation of an organizations tax position as a result of FIN 48 is a process that involves two steps, one being recognition and two being measurement. In step one the organization determines how likely it is that their stated tax position will be maintained after being audited. This includes resolving any discrepancies, checking for accuracy, filing for any appeals and conducting an internal audit. While reviewing their tax position if their tax position will meet set guidelines the organization should already assume that their financial statements and tax position will be audited by a relevant taxing agency that will have the necessary knowledge and skill set to accurately audit all documents. Throughout step two a tax position that is more likely to be reviewed will determine the amount of the benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Differences between tax positions stated in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements will usually conclude with the following:
1. An increase in a liability for income taxes payable or a reduction of an income tax refund receivable
2. A reduction in a deferred tax asset or an increase in a deferred tax liability
3. Both
An organization that provides a classified statement of financial position
| D. When the total is greater than the designated percentage of your adjusted gross income.
Section 355 of the tax code will drastically reduce, or even completely eliminate, any tax liability caused by
The Iowa Department of Revenue offers numerous tax credits and incentives for companies to reduce their tax liability, including both nonrefundable tax credits (reductions of the liability), and refundable tax incentives (monetary refunds directly to the company). In 2012, the state recorded approximately $19.7 million in nonrefundable tax credits applied toward corporate liability, and refunded over $67.7 million in tax incentives (Gullickson, 2015). With a 2012 corporate tax collection of $426 million, the credits and incentives account for a corporate revenue loss of nearly 16% from the total liability (2012)1. As credits and incentives compile, corporations are allowed to defer their benefits to future years, and collect on their credits in years where they were not earned. As incentives are carried forward into future years, state revenue collections continue to decrease, causing budget shortfalls that force the legislature to consider funding cuts to valuable public programs.
The Venus Cellular statement of comprehensive income includes several additional line items in order to provide improved clarity in relation to the operating performance of the entity. IAS 1.86 explains, “the effects of an entity’s various activities, transactions and other events differ in frequency, potential for gain or loss and predictability, disclosing the components of financial performance assists users in understanding the financial performance achieved and in making projections of future financial performance. An entity includes additional line items in the statement(s) presenting profit or loss and other comprehensive income and it amends the descriptions used and the ordering of items when this is necessary to explain the elements of financial performance.”
SFAC No. 8 addresses the cost constraint on useful financial reporting, “Cost is a pervasive constraint that standard setters, as well as providers and users of financial information, should keep in mind when considering the benefits of a financial reporting requirement.” (SFAC No. 8 BC 3.47) However, the ability to place a dollar value and fully enumerate a cost or benefit is almost an impossible task for standard-setters. Additionally, there is no way to successfully identify and measure all of the economic consequences associated with a new standard. The FASB should be applauded though for advancing uniformity in accounting standards, however; uniform financial reporting suggests a one size fits all approach. “Smaller, non-publicly listed firms (and their auditors) argue that accounting standards are formulated mainly for larger, publicly traded firms” and that “compliance costs are disproportionately higher and the
deduction in its draft tax return, resulting in a $40 reduction to taxes payable. There is uncertainty over
A deferred tax liability is recognized for temporary differences that will result in taxable amounts in future years. In Packer, Inc’s case, depreciation has been recognized as deferred tax liabilities. Packer uses straight-line depreciation, for tax purposes, the cost of the depreciable recourses may have been deducted faster than that for financial reporting purposes.
However, the application of SOX has brought on regulations that public companies must put in place and follow to prohibit these unethical occurrences. One major advantage for associated with SOX is that more thorough audits are being conducted by auditing firms. Audits being conducted more thoroughly will provide accuracy and an increased reliability of financial data. This will affect taxes in a positive way and provide firms with an advantage. Causholli, Chambers, and Payne (2014) suggest that prior to the implementation of SOX in 2002, “an auditor’s opportunity to sell additional non-audit services in the subsequent year, coupled with the client’s willingness to buy services, intensified the economic bond between auditor and client, in turn reducing auditor independence and the quality of financial reporting” (p.681). The regulation of auditor provided non-audit tax services has increased the reliability of tax and financial reporting within companies. Seetharaman, Sun, and Wang (2011) explain that “in a post-Sarbanes-Oxley environment, the benefits of auditor-provided non-audit tax services (NATS) seem to manifest themselves in higher quality tax-related financial statement management assertions” (p. 677).
Tax abatement is a concept that is often utilized to refer to the situation where the government grants some type of tax reductions, or completely exempts certain entities from paying taxes for a given period of time with the sole aim of stimulating industrial, real estate, or job market development. Freilich, Sitkowski, Mennillo, and Freilich (2012) pointed out that tax-abated redevelopment is important since it provides an effective platform for entities to flourish within a deteriorating area. Harris, McKenzie, and Rentfro (2014) also stated that once in a while, governments may grant tax exemptions or reductions to particular taxpayers so as to encourage expansion of current operations within the jurisdiction of the government. Tax abatement is not infinite. It exists only for a specified period of time and is usually kickstarted by a constitutional amendment of some sort.
Current tax is the amount of tax payable (recoverable) in accordance to the tax loss for a period. It is considered a liability if the current tax is the income tax payable to the ATO; however it is considered as an asset if the
* The overall financial condition of a company is improved as it brings in non-refundable money
* Comments relating to the adequacy of disclosures, the actual descriptions of rate reconciliation items, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain tax positions, timing of reversals, or expiration of net operating losses in various jurisdictions.
The globalization of business activity has resulted in the need for a uniform set of accounting rules in all countries. With U.S. corporations doing so much business in other countries, it is imperative that the SEC and international regulatory boards devise a set of rules and regulations that would benefit both parties. If this did not happen, international companies would be able to do whatever they wanted without repercussion because of the discrepancies in the differing sets of rules. Accomplishing this universal set of rules would allow companies to list securities in any market without having to prepare more than one set of financial statements. There have been so many
The first one is the income statement – Income statement is a financial statement that