costs of advertising and promotional activities), conducting business in a new territory
or with a new class of customer (including costs of staff training) and similar items.
[IAS 16.19]. These costs should be accounted for (in general, expensed as incurred) in the
same way as similar costs incurred as part of the entity’s on-going activities.
4.1.4
Cessation of capitalisation
Cost recognition ceases once an item of PP&E is in the location and condition necessary for
it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. This will usually be
the date of practical completion of the physical asset. IAS 16 therefore prohibits the
recognition of relocation and reorganisation costs, costs incurred in using the asset or during
the run up to full use once the asset is ready to be used, and any initial operating losses.
[IAS 16.20]. An entity is not precluded from continuing to capitalise costs during an initial
commissioning period that is necessary for running in machinery or testing equipment. By
contrast no new costs should be capitalised if the asset is fully operational but is not yet
achieving its targeted profitability because demand is still building up, for example in a new
hotel that initially has high room vacancies or a partially let investment property. In these
cases, the asset is clearly in the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of
operating in the manner intended by management.
4.1.5 Self-built
assets
If an asset is self-built by the entity, the same general principles apply as for an acquired
asset. If the same type of asset is made for resale by the business, the cost of such asset
is usually the same as the cost of constructing of an asset for sale, i.e. without including
any internal profit element but including attributable overheads in accordance with
IAS 2 (see Chapter 22). The costs of abnormal amounts of wasted resources, whether
labour, materials or other resources, are not included in the cost of such self-built assets.
IAS 23, discussed in Chapter 21, contains criteria relating to the recognition of any
interest as a component of the carrying amount of a self-built item of PP&E. [IAS 16.22].
Property, plant and equipment 1313
KAZ Minerals PLC provides an example of an accounting policy for self-built assets.
Extract 18.6: KAZ Minerals PLC (2017)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS [extract]
35.
Summary of significant accounting policies [extract]
(d)
Property, plant and equipment [extract]
(i) Initial
measurement [extract]
The cost of self-constructed assets includes the cost of materials, direct labour and an appropriate proportion of
production overheads.
4.1.6 Deferred
payment
IAS 16 specifically precludes the capitalisation of hidden credit charges as part of the
cost of an item of PP&E, so the cost of an item of PP&E is its cash price equivalent at
the recognition date. This means that if payment is made in some other manner, the cost
to be capitalised is the normal cash price. Thus, if the payment terms are extended
beyond ‘normal’ credit terms, the cost to be recognised must be the cash price
equivalent and any difference between the cash price equivalent and the total payment
must be treated and recognised as an interest expense over the period of credit unless
such interest is capitalised in accordance with IAS 23 (see 4.1.2 above). [IAS 16.23]. Assets
held under finance leases in accordance with IAS 17 and right-of-use assets under
IFRS 16, if adopted, are discussed in Chapters 23 and 24, respectively. Assets partly paid
for by government grants are discussed in Chapter 25.
4.1.7
Land and buildings to be redeveloped
It is common for property developers to acquire land with an existing building where
the planned redevelopment necessitates the demolition of that building and its
replacement with a new building that is to be held to earn rentals or will be owner
occupied. Whilst IAS 16 requires that the building and land be classified as two separate
items (see 5.4.2 below), in our view it is appropriate, if the existing building is unusable
or likely to be demolished by any party acquiring it, that the entire or a large part of the
purchase price be allocated to the land. Similarly, subsequent demolition costs should
be treated as being attributable to the cost of the land.
Owner-occupiers may also replace existing buildings with new facilities for their own
use or to rent to others. Here the consequences are different and the carrying amount
of the existing building cannot be rolled into the costs of the new development. The
existing building must be depreciated over its remaining useful life to reduce the
carrying amount of the asset to its residual value (presumably nil) at the point at which
it is demolished. Consideration will have to be given as to whether the asset is impaired
in accordance with IAS 36 (see 5.7 below). Many properties do not directly generate
independent cash inflows (i.e. they are part of a cash-generating unit) and reducing the
useful life will not necessarily lead to an impairment of the cash-generating unit,
although by the time the asset has been designated for demolition it may no longer be
part of a cash-generating unit (see Chapter 20 at 2.1.3 and 3).
1314 Chapter 18
Developers or owner-occupiers replacing an existing building with a building to be sold
in the ordinary course of their business will deal with the land and buildings under IAS 2
(see Chapter 22 at 4.2.2).
4.1.8
Transfers of assets from customers
An entity may be entitled to consideration in the form of goods, services or other non-
cash consideration (e.g. PP&E), in exchange for transferring goods or services to a
customer. Examples include:
• a supplier who receives a contribution to the development costs of specific tooling
equipment from another manufacturer to whom the supplier will sell parts, using
that specific tooling equipment under a supply agreement;
• suppliers of utilities who receive items of PP&E from customers that are used to
connect them to a network through which they will receive ongoing services (e.g.
electricity, gas, water or telephone services). A typical arrangement is one in which
a builder or individual householder must pay for power cables, pipes, or other
connections; and
• in outsourcing arrangements, the existing assets are often contributed to the
service provider, or the customer must pay for assets, or both.
This raises questions about recognising assets for which the entity has not paid. In what
circumstances should the entity recognise these assets, at what carrying amount and
how is the ‘other side’ of the accounting entry dealt with? Is it revenue and if so, how
and over what period is it recognised? There are a number of potential answers to this
and, unsurprisingly, practice had differed.
When an entity (i.e. the seller or vendor) receives, or expects to receive, non-cash
consideration in relation to a revenue contract that is within the scope of IFRS 15, the
fair value of the non-cash consideration is included in the transa
ction price. [IFRS 15.66].
The IFRS 15 requirements regarding non-cash consideration are discussed in detail in
Chapter 28 at 6.6. Paragraph BC253 of IFRS 15 states that ‘once recognised, any asset
arising from the non-cash consideration would be measured and accounted for in
accordance with other relevant requirements’ (e.g. IAS 16). As such, the fair value
measured in accordance with IFRS 15 would be the deemed cost of the item of PP&E
on initial recognition.
4.1.9 Variable
pricing
The final purchase price of an item of PP&E is not always known when the terms
include a variable or contingent amount that is linked to future events that cannot be
determined at the date of acquisition. The total consideration could vary based on the
performance of an asset – for example, the revenue or EBITDA generated, for a
specified future period, by the asset or a business in which the asset is used. Generally,
we would believe that a financial liability relating to variable consideration arises on the
purchase of an item of PP&E and any measurement changes to that liability would be
recorded in the statement of profit or loss as required by IFRS 9 (or IAS 39 – Financial
Instruments: Recognition and Measurement). However, in some instances contracts are
more complex and it can be argued that the subsequent changes to the initial estimate
of the purchase price should be capitalised as part of the asset value, similar to any
Property, plant and equipment 1315
changes in a decommissioning liability recorded under IFRIC 1 (see 4.3 below). The
Interpretations Committee and the IASB discussed this issue for a number of years, in
order to clarify how the initial recognition and subsequent changes should be
recognised, but no conclusion has been reached to date of writing this chapter.
In March 2016, the Interpretations Committee determined that this issue was too broad
for it to address within the confines of existing IFRSs. The Interpretations Committee
decided not to add this issue to its agenda and concluded that the IASB should address
the accounting for variable payments comprehensively.2 In May 2016, the IASB
tentatively decided to include ‘Variable and Contingent Consideration’ in its pipeline of
future research projects between 2017 and 2021.3 In February 2018, the IASB decided
that the IASB staff should carry out work to determine how broad the research project
should be.4
In the meantime, an entity should develop an accounting policy for variable
consideration relating to the purchase of PP&E in accordance with the hierarchy in
IAS 8 – Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors. In practice,
there are different approaches for treating the estimated future variable payments.
Some entities do not capitalise these amounts upon initial recognition of the asset and
then either expense or capitalise any payments as they are incurred. Other entities
include an estimate of future amounts payable on initial recognition with a
corresponding liability being recorded. Under this approach subsequent changes in the
liability are either capitalised or expensed. An entity should exercise judgement in
developing and consistently applying an accounting policy that results in information
that is relevant and reliable in its particular circumstances. [IAS 8.10]. For more discussion
see Chapter 17 at 4.5.
4.2
Incidental and non-incidental income
Under IAS 16, the cost of an item of PP&E includes any costs directly attributable to
bringing the asset to the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of
operating in the manner intended by management. [IAS 16.16(b)]. However, before or
during the construction of an asset, an entity may enter into incidental operations that
are not, in themselves, necessary to meet this objective. [IAS 16.21].
The standard gives the example of income earned by using a building site as a car park
prior to starting construction. Because incidental operations are not required in order
to bring an asset to the location or condition necessary for it to be capable of operating
in the manner intended by management, the income and related expenses of incidental
operations are recognised in profit or loss and included in their respective classifications
of income and expense. [IAS 16.21]. Such incidental income and related expenses are not
included in determining the cost of the asset.
If, however, some income is generated wholly and necessarily as a result of the process
of bringing the asset into the location and condition for its intended use, for example
from the sale of samples produced when testing the equipment concerned, then the
income should be credited to the cost of the asset (see 4.2.1 below). [IAS 16.17].
On the other hand, if the asset is already in the location and condition necessary for it
to be capable of being used in the manner intended by management then IAS 16 requires
1316 Chapter 18
capitalisation to cease and depreciation to start. [IAS 16.20]. In these circumstances all
income earned from using the asset must be recognised as revenue in profit or loss and
the related costs should include an element of depreciation of the asset.
4.2.1
Income earned while bringing the asset to the intended location and
condition
As noted above, the directly attributable costs of an item of PP&E include the costs of
testing whether the asset is functioning properly, after deducting the net proceeds from
selling any items produced while bringing the asset to that location and condition.
[IAS 16.17]. The standard gives the example of samples produced when testing equipment.
There are other situations in which income may be earned whilst bringing the asset to
the intended location and condition. This issue is common in the mining and oil and gas
sectors, where test production may be sold during the commission stage of a mine or oil
well (see Chapter 39 at 12). In these and other examples, it is possible that the net
proceeds from selling items produced while testing the plant under construction may
exceed the cost of related testing. IAS 16 is not clear as to whether such excess proceeds
should be recognised in profit or loss or as a deduction from the cost of the asset.
The Interpretations Committee received a request to clarify two specific aspects of
IAS 16, including:
(a) whether the proceeds referred to in IAS 16 relate only to items produced from
testing; and
(b) whether an entity deducts from the cost of an item of PP&E any proceeds that
exceed the cost of testing.
After exploring different approaches to the issue, the Interpretations Committee
recommended, and the IASB agreed, to propose an amendment to IAS 16.
In June 2017, the IASB issued the exposure draft (‘ED’) Property, Plant and Equipment –
Proceeds before Intended Use (Proposed amendments to IAS 16). It proposes to amend
paragraph 17(e) of IAS 16 to prohibit deducting from the cost of an item of PP&E, any
proceeds from selling items produced while bringing that asset to the location and
condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by
management (i.e. the point up until it is available for intended us
e). Instead, the ED
proposes to add paragraph 20A to clarify that such proceeds and the costs of producing
those items would be recognised in profit or loss in accordance with applicable standards.
The ED indicates that there would be no basis on which to conclude that such items
would not be output from the entity’s ordinary activities. Consequently, proceeds from
selling inventories produced would represent revenue from contracts with customers in
the scope of IFRS 15, i.e. the sales proceeds of items produced by PP&E before it is
ready for its intended use would be required to be accounted for and disclosed in
accordance with IFRS 15 in profit or loss.
The IASB also decided that additional disclosure requirements were not required
because the existing requirements of relevant standards were sufficient. If revenue and
the cost of inventories produced before an item of PP&E is available for its intended
use have a material effect on an entity’s financial statements, the entity would disclose
the information required by IFRS 15 (in particular, revenue from sale of these pre-
Property, plant and equipment 1317
production inventories might be considered as a category of revenue when disclosing
disaggregated revenue information) and the information required by IAS 2 (the
disclosures regarding the costs of producing inventories, e.g. the accounting policy
adopted, the carrying amount of inventories (if any) and the amount of inventories
recognised as an expense).
The ED proposes that an entity apply the amendments retrospectively only to items of
PP&E brought to the location and condition necessary for them to be capable of
operating in the manner intended by management on or after the beginning of the
earliest period presented in the financial statements in which the entity first applies the
amendments. The cumulative effect of initially applying the amendments would be
presented as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings (or other
component of equity, as appropriate) at the beginning of that earliest period presented.
The IASB will decide on the effective date when it finalises the proposed amendments.5
In June 2018, the Interpretations Committee discussed a summary of the feedback
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