On or about 7 May 2021, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has issued targeted amendments to IAS 12, the IFRS Standard on income taxes, to clarify how companies should account for deferred tax on leases and decommissioning obligations.
IAS 12 Income Taxes specifies how a company accounts for income tax, including deferred tax, which represents tax payable or recoverable in the future.
In specified circumstances, companies are exempt from recognizing deferred tax when they recognise assets or liabilities for the first time. Previously, there had been some uncertainty about whether the exemption applied to transactions such as leases and decommissioning obligations—transactions for which companies recognise both an asset and a liability.
The amendments clarify that the exemption does not apply to transactions such as leases and decommissioning obligations and that companies are required to recognise deferred tax on such transactions. The aim of the amendments is to reduce diversity in the reporting of the deferred tax on leases and decommissioning obligations.
The amendments apply for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023, with early application permitted.