Leasing: reducing the game of hiding risk

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the status and implications of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) forthcoming standard on leases. The proposal arose from concern that many lease obligations are unrecorded on the balance sheet and that current accounting for lease transactions does not represent fully the economics of many lease transactions. Design/methodology/approach – On September 20, 2012 and September 25, 2012, the Boards decided to account for some lease contracts using an approach similar to their proposed 2010 leases exposure draft (interest and depreciation) and to account for some leases using an approach that results in a straight-line lease expense. On May 13, 2013, the Boards decided to continue to account for some lease contracts on a straight-line basis, and others on an amortization basis separate from interest expense. Identification of the type of lease requires a two-step process at lease commencement, and all leases are recorded identically at inception. The subsequent measurement gives rise to differences. Some concerns are that an increase in assets and liabilities may result in debt covenant breaches that will require renegotiation and adjustment. Findings – While understanding that many financial users, preparers and auditors favor retaining the current and long-standing leasing standards, the FASB and IASB should recognize many unexpected consequences of its new proposals, including the changing of many long-held financial ratios and the resultant violations of many bank loan covenants. Research limitations/implications – The only limitation is that this manuscript is not based on primary empirical data. There are no implications for the study’s purpose is an update of a proposed FASB/IASB standard, an analysis of the empirical impact studies that have been done, a questionning of whether a new standard is really needed or that the current standard is not being implemented properly, and guidance for the implementation at transition and on-going for the proposed standard. This study gives a reader a compact update, implications, ramifications and guidance for preparation of a new standard if it is passed. Practical implications – The new rules will alter many key financial metrics that investors use to determine company valuations and credit agencies use to determine credit worthiness. Some items will improve, such as gross margin, cash flow from operations and earnings before interest and taxes. Reported interest coverage and return on assets will be lower under the new rules. Industries that make extensive use of operating leases such as transportation, banking, telecommunications, retail and real estate will be most affected. Social implications – In the best case scenario, the new standard would destroy approximately 190,000 US jobs. US gross domestic product (GDP) would be reduced by $27.5 billion annually. In the best case, the household earnings would be reduced by $7.8 billion annually. In the worst case, this decrease is $135.2 billion a year. The apparent liabilities of US publicly traded companies would increase by $1.5-$2 trillion, the equivalent gross state product of 20 states. Approximately $1.1 trillion of this would be attributable to balance sheet recognition of real estate operating leases, while the remainder would come from recognizing equipment and other leases as liabilities. Originality/value – The value of this research is the unique analysis of the proposed lease standard, and in looking at why the previous models did not work or did they? Is it the current requirements that are wrong or their implemenation? The reader is given a detailed overview of the proposed standard, its economic and social impacts, an update of the proposed standard, what companies must do now to get ready for the transition and on-going requirements, and a discussion of the tremendous opposition to any proposed changes in the current lease requirements from what they are.

Potential and Future Research Opportunities

“…Gfrerer et al, (2021) establish a distinction between the effects of organizational change on individuals, groups, and organizations and suggest a multilevel preparation for change that considers all three levels. The multilevel model responds to requirements for various changes to be accommodated (which prevents evaluating and establishing readiness independently for each change project), as well as the need to maintain readiness during and after a change (Churyk et al, 2015;Kaur et al, 2021;Letierce et al, 2023).…”

“…Thus, banks must also keep advancing and provide effective answers to problems as they arise. For managers, implementing organizational transformation is crucial (Billings et al, 2021;Churyk et al, 2015).…”

أثر تطبیق المعیار الدولى للتقاریر المالیة رقـــــم (16)-عقود الایجار– على نفعیة المعلومات المحاسبیة وقرارات اصحاب المصالح فی منشأة المستأجر- دراسة تجریبیة

“…‫يٓ‬ ‫ًأُ‬ ‫جاه‬ ‫ًر‬ ‫تكطغ‬ ًُ ‫يتب‬ ‫أت‬ ‫ًت‬ ‫ل‬ ‫جي‬ ‫يّ‬ ‫ًن‬ ‫بي‬ ‫ًر‬ ‫يطغأي‬ ‫يطر‬ ً ًّٓ ‫تك‬ ًٌٓ ‫ل‬ ‫جيٓكأير‬ ‫تكأييٌ‬ ‫لرّ‬ ‫ت‬ ‫جمه‬ ‫أ‬ ‫كط‬ ‫يأأت‬ ‫ج‬ ‫م‬ ‫لتت‬ ‫ته‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ٓكط‬ ُ ‫ج‬ ‫جلتهمجِ‬ ‫جلأ‬ ‫جيٓكأير‬ ‫كأييٌ‬ Duke and Hsieh, 2006) (Churyk et al, 2015) ً ‫يأ‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ًم‬ ‫ًعٌ‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ًٓيط‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ًأت‬ ‫جيأ‬ ‫ًم‬ ‫كع‬ ‫أت‬ (Deloitte, 2016)…”

“…‫يت‬ ًٌٓ ‫ل‬ ‫ًن‬ ‫بي‬ ‫ًر‬ ‫أيي‬ ‫جي‬ ِ ‫ج‬ ٓ ‫جي‬ ‫ًأت‬ ‫عي‬ ‫جي‬ ‫ًأه‬ ‫تهطب‬ ‫ب‬ ‫جِ‬ ً ‫يت‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ًأييٌ‬ ‫جيتك‬ ًّ ‫ًر‬ ‫جيتأيي‬ ‫جى‬ ًٓ ‫ع‬ ‫ج‬ ًّٓ ‫ط‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ًر‬ ً ‫أب‬ ‫جيت‬ ‫ًأه‬ ً ‫يي‬ ٓ ‫ًم‬ ً ‫أمي‬ ‫ًأه‬ ً ‫طي‬ ٓ ًِ ً ‫عو‬ ‫ًٓيت‬ ً ‫ته‬ ‫ًأييٌ‬ ً ‫تك‬ ‫يٓ‬ ‫جه‬ ‫ًت‬ ً ‫جيتغي‬ ً ً ‫تعغي‬ ‫ًأييٌ‬ ً ‫تك‬ ُ ً ً ‫ٓت‬ ‫ًم‬ ً ‫جيأمي‬ ‫ًأف‬ ‫تع‬ ‫ج‬ ٓ ‫ًر‬ ‫هطٓب‬ ‫جي‬ ‫أبأه‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ٓتٓليت‬ ‫هطٓبر‬ ‫جي‬ ‫جه‬ ‫ميت‬ ‫جيت‬ ُ ٓ ‫جيبيأعأه‬ ‫يأ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫لتهم‬ ‫جي‬ (Lim et al, 2003;Lee et al, 2014;Rulmont,2017) (Beckman, 2016;Xu et al, 2017 ;Rulmont,2017) Churyk et al, 2015;Wong and Joshi, 2015;Rulmont,2017) 6 / 11 / 5 ‫البحث:‬ ‫فرو‬ ‫اختبار‬ ‫ًم‬ ٓ ‫أ‬ ً ‫لتٓ‬ ‫ًمٍ‬ ًّ ًٍ ‫جيتب‬ ‫مٌ‬ ‫ًت‬ ‫تل‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫تبطيُ‬ ‫يههر‬ ‫جلر‬ ‫جيمت‬ ‫بيأعأه‬ ‫عه‬ ‫ه‬…”

“…‫تكأه‬ ‫جي‬ ‫بيّ‬ ‫عر‬ ‫أت‬ ‫يط‬ ‫أبطير‬ ‫جي‬ ‫ًر‬ ‫عيع‬ ‫ًبير‬ ‫بأل‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫ًأ‬ ‫عت‬(Churyk et al, 2015) ‫ًر‬ ‫عي‬ ‫جي‬ ‫ًأه‬ ‫جيأ‬ ‫ًف‬ ‫أأع‬ ًّ ٖ ‫ًمج‬ ‫جي‬ ‫ت‬ ٖ ‫ًأ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫جهت‬ ً ‫جيٓ‬ ‫ج‬ ً ‫ه‬ ‫ًف‬ ‫جك‬ ٓٓ…”