The Australian Accounting Standards Board is responsible for the development of accounting standards for application by companies and

Statements of Accounting Concepts. AASB 112 Income Taxes describes that future tax consequences are recognized as deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in accounting records. Since AASB 112 (FASB 109) requires the amount of deferred tax assets (DTA) and liabilities (DTL) to be presented in the balance sheet, therefore it is important to know whether they meet the definition and recognition of asset and liabilities respectively. Further analysis is required here when IASB and FASB announced their proposed conceptual framework (December 2007) which includes changes in existing definition of assets and liabilities. The discussion will start on whether DTA satisfy the definition and the recognition of assets according to existing (AASB) and the proposed (IASB/FASB) conceptual frameworks and continued with the DTL where the issues discussed are the same with the DTAs.

Asset Conceptual Framework In the current Framework paragraph 49:

Assets are future economic benefits controlled by the entity; as a result of past transactions or other past events.

From the definition, there are three critical characteristics of an asset; (1) The first one states an asset has future economic benefits which the benefits are in the form of a potential to contribute, directly or indirectly, to the flow of cash and cash equivalents to the entity, (2) the future benefits must be controlled by the entity refers to the aptitude of the company to deny or regulate access to those benefits, and (3) the assets must have come into existence as a result of past events.

In comparison, the DTA shall be recognized in paragraph 24 of AASB 112:

To the extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against which the deductible temporary difference can be utilized.

Market perceived DTA as a reflection of future savings on tax (Amir, Kirschenheiter & Willard, 1997). This analytically means that the asset criteria of future economic benefit have been met. When DTA is attained by a company, the entity has the exclusive rights to that benefit, hence can control others access to it. Besides that, according to Petree, Gregory and Vitray (1995) a company can implement tax planning strategies to reduce income for the tax deduction to be increased. With these, the criteria of controlled by entity is satisfied. When DTA is the results from the tax loss carried forward, this means it is arise from the consequence of past transaction. Hence, this meets with the asset criteria of result of past events. From there, it is clearly stated that DTA satisfies the definition of assets in the existing conceptual framework. For recognition of assets, it should be recognized in the financial position when and only when:
(a) It is probable that the future economic benefits embodied in the asset will eventuate (b) The asset possesses a cost or other value that can be measure reliably

When there is deductible temporary difference between tax base of an asset or liability and its carrying amount in the financial position, DTA is said to be recognized (Petree, Gregory & Vitray, 1995). According to Leahey (1995), deferred tax assets are the composition of future tax benefit of; (1) Unused current-prior operating losses carried forward to future periods, (2) unused current-prior tax credits carried forward to future periods, and (3) existing deductible temporary differences. As the amount to be offset can reliably be measured and comprising

with future economic benefits, hence DTA has met the recognition criteria (a) and (b) for assets.

Asset Proposed Conceptual Framework According to IASB/FASB Boards, the asset proposed conceptual framework is:
Asset is a present economic resource to which an entity has a present right or other privileged access.

As DTA can be used as a present economic resource to offset any income tax expense as well as the reduction in taxable income, hence the definition criterion of present economic resource is met. The second criteria, economic benefits is satisfied when there is reduce in cash outflows to the ATO of the future reporting period. As an entity has the privilege on the usage of DTA that cannot be transferred to other entity, this mean, the third definition criteria privileged access has been met. Overall, DTA satisfies the definition of proposed conceptual framework as well.

Liabilities Conceptual Framework

As for the definition of liabilities, the existing definition is as follow:

A liability is a present obligation of the enterprise arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow from the enterprise of resources embodying economic benefits. (Framework, paragraph 49)

As for the recognition of liabilities stated in Framework paragraph 83,

A liability is to be recognized if (a) it is probable that the future sacrifice of economic benefits will be required; and (b) the amount of the liability can be measured reliably.

DTL represents the increase in taxes payable in future years as a result of taxable temporary differences existing at the end of the current year where this means more tax has to be paid in the future. This indicates there is a future sacrifice of economic benefits recognized liabilities and it meets the liabilities definition criteria present obligation. Beside, taxable

temporary difference arises from the past transactions of assets or liabilities where the amount calculated by Australian Taxation Office for the given elements in the financial statements will be taxed. This satisfies the recognition criteria (b) as it is countable and meets the definition criteria of past event transaction. As DTL is the income taxes amount payable in the future periods, this satisfies the liabilities definition, future outflow of resources. Moreover, in paragraph 16 of AASB 112, it states:
As the entity recovers the carrying amount of the asset, the taxable temporary difference will reverse and the entity will have taxable profit. This makes it probable that economic benefits will flow from the entity in the form of tax payments. Therefore, the Standard requires the recognition of all deferred tax liabilities, except in certain circumstances described in paragraphs 15 and 39(Appendix)

It is argued in the above paragraph that with DTL the recognitions of liabilities, the liabilities criteria will always be satisfied; thus, there is no necessitate for any particular recognition criteria for DTL to be explicitly stated in the standard (Leo, Hoggett, Swetting & Radfrod, 2009). From there, it can be concluded that DTL has already met the definition recognition criteria of liabilities.

Liabilities Proposed Conceptual Framework The proposed changes on liabilities definition comprising of (1) higher level of concern on enforceable economic obligation rather than future sacrifice of economic benefits (enforceable obligation includes participation of separate party and the presence of mechanism that is capable of forcing an entity to take a specified course of action), and (2) emphasizing more on the present events (Leo, Hoggett, Swetting & Radfrod, 2009). In DTL, there is no explicit or implicit contract between the reporting entity and the creditor (Rue & Volkan, 1997). The government does not claim to the entitys assets for the future tax liability at any point in time in the life on the entity and the only time the claim arises is in the future when sufficient taxable income is reported. The incidence of tax depends on the occurrence of aggregate future events that together determine whether taxable income exists.

Therefore, the element (1) of the proposed changes is very likely to be defeated. Income taxes needed to be paid are deferred to the next financial reporting period. Thus, the tax payables is not incurred in the present but in the future. In addition, Rue and Volkan, (1997) further explained that temporary differences between taxable income and the financial statement income are not caused by the event of depreciation but by the differences occur because of the use of alternative methods of depreciation; different allocation method and estimates in residual value. Therefore, since estimates of useful life and residual values must reflect future usefulness, it seems that element (2) of proposed framework for liabilities is not the best reflecting DTL.