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IFRS® Accounting Standards

Deferred Tax Related to Assets and Liabilities Arising from a Single Transaction (Amendments to IAS 12)

Summary

The Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) is participating in the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) project to amend IAS 12 Income Taxes.

The proposed amendment relates to the recognition of deferred tax when an entity accounts for transactions, such as leases or decommissioning obligations, by recognizing both an asset and a liability. The objective of this amendment is to narrow the initial recognition exemption in paragraphs 15 and 24 of IAS 12, so that it would not apply to transactions that give rise to both taxable and deductible temporary differences, to the extent the amounts recognized for the temporary differences are the same.

The AcSB’s due process includes:

  • ensuring that Canadian entities’ financial reporting needs are considered by the IASB; and
  • issuing the AcSB’s own exposure draft on each IASB proposal.

Subject to the responses to the AcSB’s exposure draft on whether the IASB’s proposals are appropriate for application in Canada, the AcSB expects that the amendments will be incorporated into Canadian GAAP in accordance with the AcSB’s strategy of adopting IFRS® Standards for publicly accountable enterprises.

Staff Contact(s)

Katherine Knowlton, CPA, CA Associate Director, Accounting Standards Board

Project Status

  • Information gathering

    Completed prior to October 2018

  • Approving project

    The IASB approved the project in October 2018

  • Engaging Communities

    IASB Exposure Draft issued in July 2019

    AcSB Exposure Draft issued in July 2019

  • Deliberating feedback

    The AcSB submitted a response letter to the IASB in November 2019

    The IASB deliberated comments on its Exposure Draft

  • Final pronouncement

    The IASB issued the final amendments in May 2021

    The AcSB completed its endorsement process and incorporated the amendments into Canadian GAAP with an effective date of January 1, 2023

News


December 12, 2019

International Activity

AcSB Response – Deferred Tax Related to Assets and Liabilities Arising from a Single Transaction (Amendments to IAS 12)

On November 12, 2019, the AcSB submitted a comment letter responding to the IASB’s Exposure Draft issued in July 2019. The letter agrees with the intent of the proposals, but recommends that the drafting of the amendments should be revised to better communicate the guidance to stakeholders. Due to the complexity of this topic, the AcSB also recommends that illustrative examples be provided in IAS 12 to demonstrate the application of the proposed guidance.

July 29, 2019

International Activity

IASB Exposure Draft – Deferred Tax related to Assets and Liabilities arising from a Single Transaction (Proposed Amendments to IAS 12)

The IASB has issued an Exposure Draft proposing amendments to IAS 12 Income Taxes. Canadian stakeholders are encouraged to submit their comments to the IASB by November 14, 2019.

Disclaimer

This project summary has been prepared for information purposes only. Decisions reported are tentative and reflect only the current status of discussions on this project, which may change after further Board deliberations. Decisions to publish Handbook material are final only after a formal voting process.