J Ltd has been trading for many years, preparing financial statements to 31 March each year. As

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J Ltd has been trading for many years, preparing financial statements to 31 March each year. As from 1 April 2017, the company decided to adopt a new accounting policy in relation to revenue recognition.

If this policy had been adopted in previous years, the company's revenue for the year to 31 March 2016 would have been £350,000 higher than previously reported and trade receivables at 31 March 2016 would also have been £350,000 higher. Revenue for the year to 31 March 2017 would have been £600,000 higher than previously reported and trade receivables at 31 March 2017 would have been £950,000 higher. There would have been no effect in any earlier year.
An extract from the company's draft statement of comprehensive income for the year to 31 March 2018 (with comparatives for 2017 as originally stated) is as follows:


2018
2017

£000
£000
Revenue
5,200
4,800
Operating expenses
4,100
–––––
3,900
–––––
Profit before taxation
1,100
900
Taxation
220
–––––
180
–––––
Profit after taxation
880
–––––
720
–––––


The draft financial statements for the year to 31 March 2018 show only the revenue for that year (measured in accordance with the new accounting policy) and have not been adjusted to include the additional revenue of £950,000 from previous years which now needs to be accounted for.

The company's taxation expense is always equal to 20% of its profit before taxation. No dividends were paid in either 2017 or 2018 and retained earnings at 31 March 2017 were originally reported to be £1,605,000.


Required:
(a) Explain the circumstances in which a company which complies with international standards may change an accounting policy. Also explain how such a change is accounted for in accordance with the requirements of IAS8.
(b) Revise the extract from the statement of comprehensive income for the year to 31 March 2018 (with comparatives for 2017).
(c) Prepare an extract from the company's statement of changes in equity for the year to 31 March 2018, showing changes to retained earnings.
(d) Explain why the revised statement of comprehensive income is an improvement on the draft statement.

Financial Statements
Financial statements are the standardized formats to present the financial information related to a business or an organization for its users. Financial statements contain the historical information as well as current period’s financial...
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