M48 - Accounting and Auditing: Government Policy and RegulationReturn

The article examines disclosure of non-IFRS earnings measures (also called alternative performance measures). The data sample consists of 600 companies that constitute index EUROSTOXX 600 for the years 2021 and 2022. We prove that non-IFRS earnings measures hold a very prominent role in financial reporting. We provide evidence that the reporting of solely IFRS earnings measures in annual reporting is very rare, with only 3% of companies use only IFRS measures. On the contrary, a substantial number of companies (74%) include adjusted non-IFRS measures into unaudited parts of annual reports. Moreover, 25% of companies put adjusted non-IFRS measures into their audited income statements. Our findings enlighten how widespread non-IFRS measures are among European companies and how the European institutions approach this practice of financial reporting.

In 2018, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) introduced International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9), which sets out principles for hedge accounting and replaces International Accounting Standard 39 (IAS 39). IFRS 9 aims to provide better information about companies’ risk management policies by simplifying reporting requirements and improving risk disclosures compared to IAS 39. The objective of hedge accounting is to facilitate investors’ understanding of companies’ risk management strategies and provide information on the effectiveness of hedging. In this study, we attempt to determine how hedge accounting fulfils the IASB’s objective and whether better risk management information translates into value attributed by investors. In the empirical part of this study, a firm valuation framework is used to analyse the impact of hedge accounting on the market value of a sample of Polish companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The results show the positive effect of using hedge accounting, suggesting that information about risk management strategies can positively affect investors’ valuation of the firm. The results also show that the simplified reporting requirements under IFRS 9 motivated companies that used hedge accounting to switch to the new accounting standard but, contrary to expectations, did not motivate new companies to adopt hedge accounting.

The article presents the procedure of concluding an advance pricing agreement between the taxpayer and the tax authority as a tool of tax strategy of large international groups. It was pointed out that the advance pricing agreement may be a key tool to protect affiliates operating in different tax jurisdictions from the questioning of market conditions in their transactions by tax administrations. The essence and stages of concluding this agreement are presented on the basis of the tax practice applied in Poland. In addition, special attention was paid to issues concerning properly implemented tax strategy in large international capital groups. The content of the article indicates certain benefits of establishing an advance pricing arrangement and its impact on the tax strategy in a capital group.

The Czech Republic has recently introduced and implemented public sector accounting reform. The aim of the reform was to make the Czech public finance system more transparent, efficient and realistic. The authors of this reform, in fact, intended to bring public sector accounting and public financial management closer to private sector practices that, from their point of view, fulfil the reform goals previously mentioned. After a few years of functioning in this new accounting environment, certain associated points and problems have arisen that have to be tackled. The aim of this paper is to describe public sector accounting reform and its post-implementation process to current state in the Czech Republic based on pilot empirical research mirroring the opinions and experience of municipal Chief Financial Officers and its comparison with similar examples from other countries. The pilot sample for this research consists of municipal Chief Financial Officers and the research method is based on questionnaires and interviews with them. Results and findings achieved by this pilot research show that the reform of the new public sector accounting system in the Czech Republic has been developed in very extended scope in comparison with other countries, estimated costs perceived by users (local governments) are prevailing over advantages and benefits and thus there was identified certain degree of scepticism which may disrupt further efficient and positive use of this new accounting system.

Many European countries have been carried out a modernization projects in public sector financial reporting since the last two decades. Consequence of a stronger demand for complex, reliable and relevant economic information on government is governments' efforts towards better accountability. IPSAS standards, a full accrual national financial reporting standards closed to, or national standards with clear reference to IPSAS, are often considered as the best tool for that. This article aims to identify key challenges and milestones - four key aspects of these public sector financial reporting modernization projects. It offers a comparison amongst several European countries comparing the ways these countries decided to deal with those challenges and milestones.

As a direct result of the accession into EU, IFRSs have been introduced in Slovakia as a framework for compilation of separate financial statements of various businesses since 2006. Because of traditionally strong ties between accounting and tax regulation, taxpayers and tax authorities were exposed to an unprecedented situation. Consequently, national parliament and the government have tried to address major identified issues. Apparently, two underlying principles have been established for carrying out these initiatives - to comply with the Regulation No. 1606/2002 and to keep the tax burden at the same level. Still, there is serious concern about the effectiveness of the measures adopted, as there are at least three approaches for determination of income taxes of IFRS adopters in Slovakia. Because the relevance of accounting information is partially driven by their ability to predict future order and results of events, our paper is focused on the assessment of the disclosures related to current income tax determination, presented in the separate financial statements of the said companies. Though lack of such information decrease the relevance of financial statements, it is quite commonplace. Additionally, we have found traces of boilerplate disclosures (i. e. likely wordings presented in financial statements of different companies).

This paper is concerned with certain legal consequences of the determination of corporate income tax base. The introductory part analyses the term tax, discusses the constitutional dimensions of taxation, and formulates requirements as to tax legislation. The subsequent part of the contribution discusses the structure of corporate income tax base of those taxpayers, which keep accounting records. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship of accounting revenues and income that is subject to tax. The topic is set in the context of Czech Supreme Administrative Court case law, as the Court has been previously concerned with the issue. Next, we explore the specifics of the determination of a tax base of those taxpayers that are accounting entities, preparing their statutory financial statements in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).