Roles of Financial Statement Analysis
The primary goal of financial statement analysis is to assess a company’s past,... Read More
Accounting profit, also known as income before taxes, is reported on a company’s income statement according to prevailing accounting standards. By definition, accounting profit does not account for income tax expense.
Taxable income is the portion of a company’s income subject to income taxes following the jurisdiction’s tax laws within which a company operates. Taxable income determines the company’s income tax payable (a liability) or recoverable (an asset), which is reflected on the balance sheet. Consequently, the income tax paid during a period is the actual cash amount paid for income taxes, reducing the income tax payable.
The tax base of an asset or liability is the amount at which it is valued for tax purposes. In contrast, the carrying amount is the amount at which it is valued according to accounting principles. Differences between the tax base and carrying amount result in differences between the accounting profit and taxable income.
The tax base of an asset or liability is the amount assigned to it for tax purposes, while the carrying amount is the value recorded in the financial statements. Differences between the tax bases and carrying amounts can arise due to variations in accounting standards and tax laws. Common differences include:
Differences between the tax base and the carrying amount of liabilities (and, consequently, between taxable income and accounting profit) can be categorized as either temporary or permanent.
Temporary differences are divided into two categories: taxable temporary differences and deductible temporary differences.
Deductible temporary differences are those that will reduce taxable income in future periods when the related balance sheet item is recovered or settled. These differences create a deferred tax asset when the tax base of an asset is higher than its carrying amount or when the carrying amount of liability exceeds its tax base. Recognition of a deferred tax asset is only permitted if it is likely that there will be future profits against which the asset or liability can be settled or recovered.
To determine if there will be sufficient future profits to utilize the deferred tax asset, the following must be considered:
The following table summarizes the differences between the tax bases and carrying amounts of assets and liabilities result in deferred tax assets or deferred tax liabilities:
$$
\begin{array}{l|c|c}
\textbf { Balance Sheet} & \textbf { Carrying Amount} & \textbf { Deferred Tax }\\ \textbf{ Item }&\textbf{vs. Tax Base }&\textbf{Asset or Liability}\\ \hline \text { Asset } & \text { Carrying amount }>\text { tax base } & \text { Deferred tax liability } \\ \hline\text { Asset } & \text { Carrying amount }<\text { tax base } & \text { Deferred tax asset } \\\hline \text { Liability } & \text { Carrying amount }>\text { tax base } & \text { Deferred tax asset } \\\hline
\text { Liability } & \text { Carrying amount }<\text { tax base } & \text { Deferred tax liability } \\
\end{array}$$
Permanent differences are discrepancies between tax laws and accounting standards that will not be reversed in the future. Since these differences do not reverse, they do not lead to deferred tax but rather result in a disparity between the company’s effective tax rate and the statutory corporate income tax rate.
Examples of permanent differences include:
Example: Demonstrating Taxable Temporary Differences and Permanent Differences
Consider the following assets and liabilities of a company, with their current amounts, tax bases and temporary differences where applicable:
$$\begin{array}{l|c|c|c|c}&&&&\textbf { Will it }\\&&&& \textbf{Result}\\&&&& \textbf{in}\\&&&& \textbf{Deferred}\\&&&&\textbf{Tax}\\&\textbf{Carrying} &&\textbf { Temporary }&\textbf {Asset}\\&\textbf{Amount}&\textbf{Tax Base}&\textbf{Difference}&\textbf{or}\\\textbf{Item}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{Liability}\\\hline \text { 1. Loan (capital) } & 600,000 & 600,000 & 0 & ? \\\hline \text { 2. Interest paid } & 0 & 0 & 0 & ? \\\hline \text { 3. Development } & 2,750,000 & 2,500,000 & 250,000 & \text { ? } \\
\text { costs } & & & & \\\hline
\text { 4. Research costs } & 0 & 400,000 & (400,000) & \text { ?} \\\hline
\text { 5. Accounts } & 1,600,000 & 1,300,000 & 300,000 & \text { ? } \\
\text { receivable } & & & & \\\hline
\text { 6. Donations } & 0 & 0 & 0 & ? \\\hline
\text { 7. Interest received } & 350,000 & 0 & (350,000) & \text { ? } \\\hline
\text { in advance } & & & & \\
\text { 8. Rent received } & 11,000,000 & 0 & (11,000,000) & \text { ? } \\\hline
\text { in advance } & & & & \\
\text { 9. Dividends } & 1,200,000 & 1,200,000 & 0 & \text { ?}\\
\text { receivable } & & & & \\
\end{array}$$
Given the values of the table, for each asset or liability, determine whether the temporary differences will lead to deferred tax asset or liability.
Solution
Here is the completed table and discussions:
$$\begin{array}{l|c|c|c|c}&&&&\textbf { Will it }\\&&&& \textbf{Result}\\&&&& \textbf{in}\\&&&& \textbf{Deferred}\\&&&&\textbf{Tax}\\& &&\textbf { Temporary }&\textbf {Asset}\\&\textbf{Amount}&\textbf{Tax Base}&\textbf{Difference}&\textbf{or}\\\textbf{Item}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{(euros)}&\textbf{Liability}\\\hline \text { 1. Loan (capital) } & 600,000 & 600,000 & 0 & \text { N/A} \\\hline \text { 2. Interest paid } & 0 & 0 & 0 & \text { N/A} \\\hline \text { 3. Development } & 2,750,000 & 2,500,000 & 250,000 & \text { DTL } \\\hline
\text { costs } & & & & \\
\text { 4. Research costs } & 0 & 400,000 & (400,000) & \text {DTA} \\\hline
\text { 5. Accounts } & 1,600,000 & 1,300,000 & 300,000 & \text { DTL } \\
\text { receivable } & & & & \\\hline
\text { 6. Donations } & 0 & 0 & 0 & \text { N/A} \\\hline
\text { 7. Interest received } & 350,000 & 0 & (350,000) & \text {DTA} \\
\text { in advance } & & & & \\\hline
\text { 8. Rent received } & 11,000,000 & 0 & (11,000,000) & \text {DTA} \\
\text { in advance } & & & & \\\hline
\text { 9. Dividends } & 1,200,000 & 1,200,000 & 0 & \text {N/A}\\
\text { receivable } & & & & \\
\end{array}$$
A company’s tax expense is reported on its income statement and includes both the income tax payable (or recoverable in the case of a tax benefit) and any changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities. This method adheres to the matching principle, ensuring that the tax effects of all current period activities are reported rather than only the income taxes actually paid.
Question
Which of the following statements accurately describes an occurrence of a difference between accounting profit and taxable income?
- The tax base and carrying amount of assets and liabilities are the same.
- The tax losses of previous years cannot be used to reduce the taxable income in later years.
- Revenues and expenses may be recognized in one reporting period for accounting purposes and in another period for tax purposes.
Solution
The correct answer is C.
The statement, “revenues and expenses may be recognized in one reporting period for accounting purposes and in another for tax purposes,” provides an example of a difference between accounting profit and taxable income.