their carrying amount. Therefore, the IFRS does not restrict the use of fair value as
deemed cost to entire classes of asset.’ [IFRS 1.BC45]. Nevertheless, it seems doubtful that
the quality of financial information would benefit from a revaluation of a haphazard
selection of items of property, plant and equipment. Therefore, a first-time adopter
should exercise judgement in selecting the items to which it believes it is appropriate
to apply the exemption.
First-time
adoption
275
Extracts 5.6 and 5.7 below are typical disclosures of the use of the ‘fair value or
revaluation as deemed cost’ exemption.
Extract 5.6: Suncor Energy Inc (2011)
Notes to the consolidated financial statements [extract]
6. First-Time Adoption of IFRS [extract]
Explanation of Significant Adjustments [extract]
(9)
Fair Value as Deemed Cost [extract]
The company has applied the IFRS 1 election to record certain assets of property, plant and equipment at fair value on
the Transition Date. The exemption has been applied to refinery assets located in Eastern Canada and certain natural
gas assets in Western Canada. When estimating fair value, market information for similar assets was used, and where
market information was not available, management relied on internally generated cash flow models using discount rates
specific to the asset and long-term forecasts of commodity prices and refining margins. The aggregate of these fair
values was $1.370 billion, resulting in a reduction of the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment as at
January 1, 2010. Under Previous GAAP, impairment losses were recorded in the third quarter of 2010 for certain of
these natural gas properties. There were no impairment losses recognized during 2010 under IFRS, as these properties
were adjusted to fair value at the Transition Date. The impacts on the financial statements were as follows:
As at and for the year
($ millions)
ended Dec 31, 2010
Property, plant and equipment, net
(527)
Retained earnings
(527)
Depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairment
(379)
Extract 5.7: Nexen Inc. (2011)
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [extract]
Note 26 Transition to IFRS [extract]
Elected Exemptions from Full Retrospective Application [extract]
In preparing these Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with IFRS 1 First-time Adoption of
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS 1), we applied the following optional exemptions from full
retrospective application of IFRS.
(II)
FAIR VALUE OR REVALUATION AS DEEMED COST
We elected to measure certain producing oil and gas properties at fair value as at the transition date and use that
amount as its deemed cost in the opening IFRS balance sheet.
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5
5.5.1.A
Determining deemed cost
The deemed cost that a first-time adopter uses is either:
(a) the fair value of the item at the date of transition to IFRSs; [IFRS 1.D5] or
(b) a previous GAAP revaluation at or before the date of transition to IFRSs, if the
revaluation was, at the date of the revaluation, broadly comparable to: [IFRS 1.D6]
(i) fair value; or
(ii) cost or depreciated cost in accordance with IFRSs, adjusted to reflect, for
example, changes in a general or specific price index.
The revaluations referred to in (b) above need only be ‘broadly comparable to fair
value or reflect an index applied to a cost that is broadly comparable to cost
determined in accordance with IFRSs’. [IFRS 1.BC47]. It appears that in the interest of
practicality the IASB is allowing a good deal of flexibility in this matter. The IASB
explains in the basis for conclusions that ‘it may not always be clear whether a
previous revaluation was intended as a measure of fair value or differs materially
from fair value. The flexibility in this area permits a cost-effective solution for the
unique problem of transition to IFRSs. It allows a first-time adopter to establish a
deemed cost using a measurement that is already available and is a reasonable starting
point for a cost-based measurement.’ [IFRS 1.BC47].
IFRS 1 describes the revaluations referred to in (b) above as a ‘previous GAAP
revaluation’. Therefore, in our view, such revaluations can be used as the basis for
deemed cost only if they were recognised in the first-time adopter’s previous
GAAP financial statements. A previous GAAP impairment (or reversal of an
impairment) that resulted in the recognition of the related assets at fair value in
the previous GAAP financial statements may be recognised as a previous GAAP
revaluation for purposes of applying this exemption if it represents the fair value
under IFRS 13 and not another measure such as fair value less costs of disposal.
However, when the previous GAAP impairment was determined for a group of
impaired assets (e.g. a cash generating unit as defined in IAS 36, see Chapter 20),
the recognised value of an individual asset needs to represent its fair value under
IFRS 13 and not another measure such as fair value less costs of disposal for
purposes of this exemption.
If revaluations under previous GAAP did not satisfy the criteria in IFRS 1, a first-time
adopter measures the revalued assets in its opening IFRS statement of financial position
on one of the following bases: [IFRS1.IG11]
(a) cost (or deemed cost) less any accumulated depreciation and any accumulated
impairment losses under the cost model in IAS 16;
(b) deemed cost, being the fair value at the date of transition to IFRSs; or
(c) revalued amount, if the entity adopts the revaluation model in IAS 16 as its
accounting policy under IFRSs for all items of property, plant and equipment in
the same class.
A first-time adopter that uses the exemption is required to disclose the resulting IFRS 1
adjustment separately (see 6.5.1 below).
First-time
adoption
277
5.5.1.B
Deemed cost determined before the date of transition to IFRSs
If the deemed cost of an asset was determined before the date of transition then an IFRS
accounting policy needs to be applied to that deemed cost in the intervening period to
determine what the carrying amount of the asset is in the opening IFRS statement of
financial position. This means that a first-time adopter that uses previous GAAP
revaluation as the deemed cost of an item of property, plant and equipment will need
to start depreciating the item from the date when the entity established the previous
GAAP revaluation and not from its date of transition to IFRSs. [IFRS 1.IG9]. The example
below illustrates the application of this requirement.
Example 5.30: Deemed cost of property, plant and equipment
Entity A used to revalue items of property, plant and equipment to fair value under its previous GAAP, but
changed its accounting policy on 1 January 2012 when it adopted a different accounting policy. Under that
accounting policy, Entity A did not depreciate the asset and only recognised the maintenance costs as an
expense. Entity A’s date o
f transition to IFRSs is 1 January 2018.
In its balance sheet under previous GAAP the carrying amount of the asset is £80 at the date of transition to IFRSs,
which is equal to the last revaluation. Entity A can use the last revalued amount as the deemed cost of the asset on
1 January 2012. However, Entity A will need to apply IAS 16 to the period after 1 January 2012 because the
accounting policy under its previous GAAP is not permitted under IFRSs. Assuming that the economic life of the
asset is 40 years from 2012 and that the residual value is nil, Entity A would account for the asset at £68 in its
opening IFRS statement of financial position, which represents the deemed cost minus 6 years of depreciation.
5.5.1.C Summary
At its date of transition to IFRSs, a first-time adopter is allowed under IFRS 1 to measure
each item of property, plant and equipment, investment properties, right-of-use assets
under IFRS 16 and intangible assets at an amount based on:
• historical cost determined in accordance with IAS 16, IAS 38, IAS 40 and IFRS 16;
• fair value at the date of transition to IFRSs;
• a previous GAAP revaluation amount that is broadly comparable to:
• fair value at the date of revaluation; or
• cost or depreciated cost under IFRS adjusted, for example, for changes in a
general or specific index;
• a previous GAAP measure of cost that arose from an event-driven fair value, for
example, at the date of an initial public offering or privatisation (see 5.5.2 below);
• in the case of an item acquired in a business combination (see 5.2 above):
• carrying amount under previous GAAP immediately after the acquisition; or
• if the item was not recognised under previous GAAP, the carrying amount on
the basis that IFRSs would require in the separate statement of financial
position of the acquiree;
• in the case of certain oil and gas assets, previous GAAP carrying amount (see 5.5.3
below);
• in the case of certain assets used or previously used in operations subject to rate
regulation, previous GAAP carrying amount (see 5.5.4 below); or
• in the case of a lessee under IFRS 16, certain exemptions in IFRS 1 (see 5.6.3 below).
278 Chapter
5
The fact that IFRS 1 offers so many different bases for measurement does not disturb
the IASB as it reasons that ‘cost is generally equivalent to fair value at the date of
acquisition. Therefore, the use of fair value as the deemed cost of an asset means that
an entity will report the same cost data as if it had acquired an asset with the same
remaining service potential at the date of transition to IFRSs. If there is any lack of
comparability, it arises from the aggregation of costs incurred at different dates, rather
than from the targeted use of fair value as deemed cost for some assets. The Board
regarded this approach as justified to solve the unique problem of introducing IFRSs in
a cost-effective way without damaging transparency.’ [IFRS 1.BC43]. Although this is valid,
it still means that an individual first-time adopter can greatly influence its future
reported performance by carefully selecting a first-time adoption policy for the
valuation of its assets. Users of the financial statements of a first-time adopter should
therefore be mindful that historical trends under the previous GAAP might no longer be
present in an entity’s IFRS financial statements.
5.5.2
Event-driven fair value measurement as deemed cost
A first-time adopter may use fair value measurements that arose from an event such as
a privatisation or initial public offering as deemed cost for IFRSs at the date of that
measurement. [IFRS 1.D8].
IFRS 1 describes these revaluations as ‘deemed cost in accordance with previous GAAP’.
Therefore, to the extent that they related to an event that occurred prior to its date of
transition or during the period covered by the first IFRS financial statements, they can
be used as the basis for deemed cost only if they were recognised in the first-time
adopter’s previous GAAP financial statements. As discussed in 5.5.2.C below, a first-
time adopter is also allowed to use event-driven fair values resulting from such events
that occurred subsequent to the first-time adopter’s date of transition to IFRSs, but
during the period covered by the first IFRS financial statements.
The ‘fair value or revaluation as deemed cost’ exemption discussed at 5.5.1 above only
applies to items of property, plant and equipment, investment property, right-of-use
assets under IFRS 16 and certain intangible assets. [IFRS 1.D5-D7]. The event-driven
deemed cost exemption, however, is broader in scope because it specifies that when a
first-time adopter established a deemed cost in accordance with previous GAAP for
some or all of its assets and liabilities [emphasis added] by measuring them at their fair
value at one particular date ... the entity may use such event-driven fair value
measurements as deemed cost for IFRSs at the date of that measurement. [IFRS 1.D8,
IFRS 1.BC46].
There are two important limitations in the scope of this exemption:
• while it applies, in principle, to all assets and liabilities of an entity, it does not
override the recognition criteria in IFRSs. [IFRS 1.10]. Consequently, a first-time
adopter should derecognise goodwill, assets (e.g. certain intangible assets such as
brand names and research) and liabilities that do not qualify for recognition under
IFRSs in the statement of financial position of the entity; and
• it cannot be used if the event-driven revaluation did not result in a re-measurement to
full fair value (i.e. it cannot be used in the case of a partial step-up towards fair value).
First-time
adoption
279
If revaluations under previous GAAP did not satisfy the criteria in IFRS 1, a first-time
adopter measures the revalued assets in its opening IFRS statement of financial position
on one of the following bases: [IFRS1.IG11]
(a) cost (or deemed cost) less any accumulated depreciation and any accumulated
impairment losses under the cost model in IAS 16;
(b) deemed cost, being the fair value at the date of transition to IFRSs; or
(c) revalued amount, if the entity adopts the revaluation model in IAS 16 as its
accounting policy under IFRSs for all items of property, plant and equipment in
the same class.
Finally, although a first-time adopter may use an event-driven fair value measurement
as deemed cost for any asset or liability, it does not have to use them for all assets and
liabilities that were revalued as a result of the event.
5.5.2.A ‘Push
down’
accounting
Under some previous GAAPs an entity may have prepared its financial statements using
‘push down’ accounting, that is, the carrying amount of its assets and liabilities is based
on their fair value at the date it became a subsidiary of its parent. If such a subsidiary
subsequently adopts IFRSs, it will often require a very significant effort to determine
the carrying amount of those assets and liabilities on a historical costs basis at the date
of transition.
The event-driven deemed cost exemption applies to events ‘such as a p
rivatisation or
initial public offering.’ [IFRS 1.D8]. This list of events is clearly not meant to be exhaustive, but
rather describes events that result in re-measurement of some or all assets and liabilities at
their fair value. An acquisition that results in an entity becoming a subsidiary is a change of
control event similar to a privatisation or an initial public offering. In our view, the
application of ‘push down’ accounting results in event-driven fair value measurements that
may be used as deemed cost for IFRSs at the date of that measurement.
The exemption can only be used, however, if ‘push down’ accounting resulted in the
recognition of the related assets and liabilities at their fair value. For example, previous
GAAP may not have required remeasurement to full fair value in the case of a partial
acquisition or a step-acquisition, or if there was a bargain purchase that was allocated,
for example, to reduce the fair values of long-lived assets. In these cases, the entity
would not qualify for the event-driven deemed cost exemption, since the event did not
result in the measurement of its assets and liabilities at their fair value.
5.5.2.B ‘Fresh
start’
accounting
Some previous GAAPs require an entity that emerges from bankruptcy or undertakes a
legal reorganisation to apply ‘fresh start’ accounting, which involves recognition of
assets and liabilities at their fair value at that date.
In our view, the application of ‘fresh start’ accounting results in an event-driven fair
value measurement that may be used as deemed cost for IFRSs at the date of that
measurement. [IFRS 1.D8]. The use of the exemption is limited to instances that resulted
in the recognition of the related assets and liabilities at their full fair value (i.e. it cannot
be used in the case of a partial step-up towards fair value).
280 Chapter
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5.5.2.C
Exemption for event-driven revaluations after the date of transition
The event-driven revaluation exemption allows a first-time adopter to recognise in its
first IFRS financial statements fair values from events whose measurement date is after
the date of transition to IFRSs but during the periods covered by the first IFRS financial
statements. The event-driven fair value measurements are recognised as deemed cost
International GAAP® 2019: Generally Accepted Accounting Practice under International Financial Reporting Standards Page 56