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The Accountancy Column is dedicated to the creation of new international accounting standards, taxation and the business of accountancy. It appears every Thursday. - -
Little value making goodwill more intangible
Almost half the value of deals done by top European and US companies in recent years is still accounted for under goodwill, according to research by the Intangible Business consultancy
Judgment too important to be left to the accountants
Common sense suggests that we consider whether one means of measurement is the only one we should be looking at
Pressures grow ahead of 2011 convergence
The year 2011 might seem a fair way away – unless you are part of a company preparing to switch to international accounting rules
US must take the bold path on standards
Fahrenheit or centigrade? Miles or kilometres? International financial reporting standards or US generally accepted accounting principles?
Securitisation hits top of international agenda
The credit crunch and banks’ ensuing struggles have pushed securitisation to the top of international policymakers’ agenda and accounting standard setters are feeling the pressure
Reporting move could break the writedown spiral
Europe must move away from reporting date-based measurement of the market price and start measuring the average market price
Tax competition is more complex than many thought
London has enjoyed 20 years in the financial sun but many other jurisdictions are now looking for some rays of their own
Simple solution clearly needed in a complex world
If ever there was an idea whose time has come, it has to be that of increasing transparency and reducing complexity in accounting for financial instruments
Muddy waters of ‘fair value’ rules
A large portion of the crisis of confidence affecting global markets comes from non-cash losses reported as a result of the adoption of “fair value” accounting rules in the US
Investors have a vested interest in fair value’s future
Changes in accounting standards risk restricting pay-outs and have helped prompt growing suggestions that the basis of the capital maintenance regime should be overhauled
