A comparison and contrast of German and international financial reporting issues. Accounting for pensions - IAS 19 versus German law

A comparison and contrast of German and international financial reporting issues. Accounting for pensions - IAS 19 versus German law PDF Author: Stefan Tzschentke
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638490947
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,7, University of Bayreuth, language: English, abstract: Although accounting for company pension schemes is one of the most controversial topics of discussion in the international accounting trade, many investors do not pay it due attention. In future, even more so than now, annual results will be influenced by latent reserves and obligations, resulting from different ways of accounting for pension benefit schemes. German financial statements and those following either IAS or US-GAAP often differ significantly on this point. The International Accounting Standards and the German Commercial Code are based on different principles. Whereas German regulations are dominated by the imperative of the protection of creditors, IAS lay the focus of accounting on a true and fair view of financial statements in order to provide a suitable basis for investment decisions. These divergent priorities are reflected in the accounting for pensions as well. The two main problems in accounting for pensions are the recognition and the appraisal of pension provisions. Eventually both accounting systems face the same problems and each one has a different way of resolving them. On the other hand, HGB and IAS unanimously agree on the fact that company pension schemes that do not require pension provisions, do not represent an accounting problem. The objective of the treatise on hand is the depiction of the difference between IAS and HGB regarding the recognition and accounting for pension as well as the resulting accounting-effects on the balance-sheet. The paper will first try to give an overview of the term 'pensions' as it is used in German law and in the IAS, and then – in the second part of the bases– explain the underlying problematic nature of accounting for pensions. In the third and fourth part the respective regulations, first according to German law and then IAS, will be particularized. The conclusion will provide an extensive comparison between the two systems as well as a critical appraisal of the differences and possible financial effects.

A comparison and contrast of German and international financial reporting issues. Accounting for pensions - IAS 19 versus German law

A comparison and contrast of German and international financial reporting issues. Accounting for pensions - IAS 19 versus German law PDF Author: Stefan Tzschentke
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638490947
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,7, University of Bayreuth, language: English, abstract: Although accounting for company pension schemes is one of the most controversial topics of discussion in the international accounting trade, many investors do not pay it due attention. In future, even more so than now, annual results will be influenced by latent reserves and obligations, resulting from different ways of accounting for pension benefit schemes. German financial statements and those following either IAS or US-GAAP often differ significantly on this point. The International Accounting Standards and the German Commercial Code are based on different principles. Whereas German regulations are dominated by the imperative of the protection of creditors, IAS lay the focus of accounting on a true and fair view of financial statements in order to provide a suitable basis for investment decisions. These divergent priorities are reflected in the accounting for pensions as well. The two main problems in accounting for pensions are the recognition and the appraisal of pension provisions. Eventually both accounting systems face the same problems and each one has a different way of resolving them. On the other hand, HGB and IAS unanimously agree on the fact that company pension schemes that do not require pension provisions, do not represent an accounting problem. The objective of the treatise on hand is the depiction of the difference between IAS and HGB regarding the recognition and accounting for pension as well as the resulting accounting-effects on the balance-sheet. The paper will first try to give an overview of the term 'pensions' as it is used in German law and in the IAS, and then – in the second part of the bases– explain the underlying problematic nature of accounting for pensions. In the third and fourth part the respective regulations, first according to German law and then IAS, will be particularized. The conclusion will provide an extensive comparison between the two systems as well as a critical appraisal of the differences and possible financial effects.

A Comparison and Contrast of German and International Financial Reporting Issues. Accounting for Pensions - IAS 19 Versus German Law

A Comparison and Contrast of German and International Financial Reporting Issues. Accounting for Pensions - IAS 19 Versus German Law PDF Author: Stefan Tzschentke
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 363872462X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,7, University of Bayreuth, 52 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Although accounting for company pension schemes is one of the most controversial topics of discussion in the international accounting trade, many investors do not pay it due attention. In future, even more so than now, annual results will be influenced by latent reserves and obligations, resulting from different ways of accounting for pension benefit schemes. German financial statements and those following either IAS or US-GAAP often differ significantly on this point. The International Accounting Standards and the German Commercial Code are based on different principles. Whereas German regulations are dominated by the imperative of the protection of creditors, IAS lay the focus of accounting on a true and fair view of financial statements in order to provide a suitable basis for investment decisions. These divergent priorities are reflected in the accounting for pensions as well. The two main problems in accounting for pensions are the recognition and the appraisal of pension provisions. Eventually both accounting systems face the same problems and each one has a different way of resolving them. On the other hand, HGB and IAS unanimously agree on the fact that company pension schemes that do not require pension provisions, do not represent an accounting problem. The objective of the treatise on hand is the depiction of the difference between IAS and HGB regarding the recognition and accounting for pension as well as the resulting accounting-effects on the balance-sheet. The paper will first try to give an overview of the term 'pensions' as it is used in German law and in the IAS, and then - in the second part of the bases- explain the underlying problematic nature of accounting for pensions. In the third and fourth part the respective regulations, first according to German law an

The German Financial System

The German Financial System PDF Author: Jan Pieter Krahmen (editor)
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199253161
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 550

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Book Description
Written by a team of scholars, predominantly from the Centre for Financial Studies in Frankfurt, this volume provides a descriptive survey of the present state of the German financial system and a new analytical framework to explain its workings.

Germany

Germany PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1475577737
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
This paper evaluates the risks and vulnerabilities of the German financial system and reviews both the German regulatory and supervisory framework and implementation of the common European framework insofar as it is relevant for Germany. The country is home to two global systemically important financial institutions, Deutsche Bank AG and Allianz SE. The system is also very heterogeneous, with a range of business models and a large number of smaller banks and insurers. The regulatory landscape has changed profoundly with strengthened solvency and liquidity regulations for banks (the EU Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive IV), and the introduction of macroprudential tools.

Following the Money

Following the Money PDF Author: George Benston
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 9780815708919
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
A Brookings Institution Press and American Enterprise Institute publication A few years ago, Americans held out their systems of corporate governance and financial disclosure as models to be emulated by the rest of the world. But in late 2001 U.S. policymakers and corporate leaders found themselves facing the largest corporate accounting scandals in American history. The spectacular collapses of Enron and Worldcom—as well as the discovery of accounting irregularities at other large U.S. companies—seemed to call into question the efficacy of the entire system of corporate governance in the United States. In response, Congress quickly enacted a comprehensive package of reform measures in what has come to be known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ followed by making fundamental changes to their listing requirements. The private sector acted as well. Accounting firms—watching in horror as one of their largest, Arthur Andersen, collapsed after a criminal conviction for document shredding—tightened their auditing procedures. Stock analysts and ratings agencies, hit hard by a series of disclosures about their failings, changed their practices as well. Will these reforms be enough? Are some counterproductive? Are other shortcomings in the disclosure system still in need of correction? These are among the questions that George Benston, Michael Bromwich, Robert E. Litan, and Alfred Wagenhofer address in Following the Money. While the authors agree that the U.S. system of corporate disclosure and governance is in need of change, they are concerned that policymakers may be overreacting in some areas and taking actions in others that may prove to be ineffective or even counterproductive. Using the Enron case as a point of departure, the authors argue that the major problem lies not in the accounting and auditing standards themselves, but in the system of enforcing those standards.

International Accounting and Reporting Issues

International Accounting and Reporting Issues PDF Author: Bernan
Publisher: United Nations Publications
ISBN: 9789211127324
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Proceedings of the 24th annual session of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting & Reporting (ISAR), held in Paris from 30 October to 1 November 2007

Observance of International Accounting Standards

Observance of International Accounting Standards PDF Author: Donna L. Street
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781859083550
Category : Accounting
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description


Mandating IFRS

Mandating IFRS PDF Author: Dr. Edward Lee
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781859084458
Category : International financial reporting standards
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description


Occupational pension schemes in Germany

Occupational pension schemes in Germany PDF Author: Peter Schulz
Publisher: diplom.de
ISBN: 3836605236
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 90

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Book Description
Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: Based on national legislation and past business practices in Germany, this master thesis / management report illustrates a specific German issue of occupational pension schemes by comparing the example of the Cologne-based German subsidiary of INFICON, the company with which I am employed, against INFICON s other subsidiaries in Liechtenstein and in the US. In the past, it was customary for both national and international companies to provide different kinds of occupational pension schemes for employees as an additional incentive. Unlike US and Swiss companies, German corporations retained the money collected from occupational pension schemes in their companies in order to benefit from these low-cost internal funds instead of investing them in external funds. Rating aspects, the increasing internationalisation of the capital markets and Basel II are forcing INFICON GmbH to reduce its balance sheet by outsourcing pension reserves. Anglo-Saxon dominated rating agencies, in particular, are still extremely critical about pension reserves and treat them as "real" debt capital. In addition, the EU Regulation 1606/2002 stipulates that as of 2005 all capital market-orientated corporations with registered offices in EU Member States will have to draw up their group statements in accordance with International Accounting Standards. Furthermore, these long-term contracts (occupational pension schemes based on book reserves, Direktzusage) are increasingly imposing a burden on German companies as human life expectancy has constantly been rising, and business growth rates have been decreasing. Moreover, companies were forced to change their policy because of the pressure resulting from the globalisation of fiscal laws for multinational corporations. Approach: It is the objective of this master thesis / management report to identify INFICON s business issues with regard to its pension book reserves in view of the common German business practices of the past and their changes in light of the internationalisation of the capital markets and of current legal requirements in Germany and the EU and to draw up appropriate recommendations. By explaining INFICON s diverse approaches in its subsidiaries in the USA, Liechtenstein and Germany, the unequal treatment of national occupational pension schemes in Germany and in other countries will be demonstrated. For that reason the national retirement systems in Switzerland (which is very similar [...]

The adoption of International Accounting Standards in Germany

The adoption of International Accounting Standards in Germany PDF Author: Linda Vuskane
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640703073
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1.7, Glyndŵr University, Wrexham known as NEWI (School of Business), course: Financial reporting, language: English, abstract: It can be said that there is a strong movement towards global harmonization of accounting standards despite various national GAAP, particularly German, being substantially different. There are already great successes achieved, such as IAS adoption in EU and Australia, however, there is still considerable work that has to be done in order to not only impose international standards but also achieve better compliance and interpretation. With regard to Germany, reasonable attempts have been made to adopt IAS, however, there are many transition difficulties due to great discrepancies between IAS and HGB which need to be addressed in order to achieve successful transition.