The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) today released for comment the Consultation Paper, Public Sector Combinations. The IPSASB considers guidance on reporting public sector combinations necessary to meet the objectives of financial reporting, which are to provide information that is useful to users of General Purpose Financial Reports (GPFRs) for accountability and decision-making purposes. This project aims to present a principles-based approach to developing guidance for public sector entities on accounting for public sector combinations.

The Consultation Paper describes different types of public sector combinations and explores possible approaches to recognizing and measuring public sector combinations in GPFRs. It proposes a distinction between acquisitions and amalgamations. The Consultation Paper then considers approaches to combinations of entities and operations that are not under common control and of entities and operations that are under common control.

"Acquisitions and amalgamations occur regularly in the public sectors around the world. This Consultation Paper is the first step in proposing financial reporting requirements that will ensure that these transactions are reported in a consistent and transparent manner, ensuring that users’ are able to obtain the information needed to evaluate the nature and financial effect of a public sector combination," explained IPSASB Chair Andreas Bergmann.

How to Comment
To access the Consultation Paper and the At-a-Glance document, which provides a summary of the Consultation Paper, or to submit a comment letter, please visit the IPSASB website at www.ipsasb.org. Comments on the Consultation Paper are requested by October 31, 2012. The IPSASB encourages IFAC members, associates, and regional organizations to promote the availability of this Consultation Paper to their members and employees.

About the IPSASB
The IPSASB develops accounting standards and guidance for use by public sector entities. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by IFAC. The IPSASB receives support (both financial and in-kind) from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and the governments of Canada, China, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

About IFAC 
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 167 members and associates in 127 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

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The 2012 handbook is out of stock.

IPSASB’s response provides some information on the IPSASB’s current actions related to public interest oversight of its activities. We believe that it is important to address the question of oversight first since this is of fundamental significance to the IPSASB and activities to implement oversight are well under way. It will be important that we can take these forward in a way which complements and reinforces the endorsement and implementation mechanisms that would be likely to be necessary for IPSAS adoption across EU Member States.

Lindy Bodewig became a member of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board in 2017. She was nominated by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Lindy Bodewig works for the Office of the Accountant-General at the South African National Treasury, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of accounting policies, frameworks, and guidelines aimed at enhancing public sector accountability and reporting.

She leads government’s systematic transition from the cash to the accruals basis of accounting and ensures the on-going relevance of financial statements compiled by departments. She is a permanent member of the steering committee overseeing the design, maintenance and successful implementation of the standard chart of accounts for government departments and municipalities. She is currently a Member of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) and the Accounting Standards Board in South Africa.

Ms. Bodewig graduated from the University of Pretoria with a Bachelor of Accounting Sciences in 1999 and received her CA (SA) designation from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2003.

 Her Technical Advisor is Andrew van der Burgh.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has published Exposure Draft (ED) 47, Financial Statement Discussion and Analysis—a proposed new standard. The ED proposes minimum required content while still providing sufficient flexibility for entities to prepare and publish financial statement discussion and analysis that best portrays their specific circumstances.

Because of the close link between financial statement discussion and analysis and an entity’s financial statements, ED 47 proposes that:

• the guidance be issued as an International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) with the same authority as IPSASs concerning accrual-based financial statements;
• financial statement discussion and analysis be prepared and presented in conjunction with an entity’s financial statements; and
• the qualitative characteristics governing preparation of financial statements be applied to financial statement discussion and analysis.

ED 47 includes implementation guidance and an illustrative example that show how an entity might prepare its financial statement discussion and analysis to comply with the proposed requirements.

IPSASB Chair Andreas Bergmann notes, “The purpose of the financial statement discussion and analysis is to provide additional information to users of an entity’s financial statements for accountability and decision-making purposes. Financial statement discussion and analysis complements and supplements the information in the accrual-based financial statements with further insights and perspectives.”

How to Comment
To access the Exposure Draft and the At-a-Glance document, which provides a summary of the Exposure Draft, or to submit a comment, please visit the IPSASB website at www.ipsasb.org. Comments on the Exposure Draft are requested by July 31, 2012. The IPSASB encourages IFAC members, associates, and regional accountancy bodies to promote the availability of this Exposure Draft to their members and employees.

About the IPSASB
The IPSASB develops accounting standards and guidance for use by public sector entities. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by IFAC. The IPSASB receives support (both direct financial and in-kind) from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and the governments of Canada, China, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 167 members and associates in 127 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

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La Federación Internacional de Contadores (IFAC), una organización mundial para la profesión contable con miembros y asociados en 127 países, celebra la traducción al español del Manual de Pronunciamientos Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público, edición 2011.

Esta traducción al español fue realizada por profesores del Departamento de Contabilidad y Finanzas de la Facultad de Economía y Empresa de la Universidad de Zaragoza, España. Su revisión estuvo a cargo de un comité de revisión internacional integrado por expertos del sector público, procedentes de Argentina, Chile, México, España y Uruguay.

“Este Manual ofrece un conjunto integral de requisitos y directrices contables, creados específicamente para preparadores de estados financieros del sector público. Esta traducción al español se celebra especialmente debido al creciente aumento en el ritmo de adopción de estas normas en España y América Latina”, explica Andreas Bergmann, Presidente del Consejo de Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público (IPSASB).

El Director General de la IFAC, Ian Ball, expresó: “Contar con esta traducción facilitará y apoyará la adopción y la implementación de las Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público en países de habla hispana. Los problemas actuales de deuda pública que atraviesan muchos países de todo el mundo reflejan la profunda necesidad de reforma en el ámbito de los informes y la gestión financiera en el sector público. Esta traducción contribuirá a dicha reforma, como así también a mejorar la comparabilidad, la transparencia y la contabilidad en el sector público a nivel mundial”.

La IFAC presentará el seminario internacional: La crisis de la deuda pública: Una cuestión de urgencia. Desde las lecciones hasta la reforma, del 19 al 20 de marzo de 2012. El seminario contará con prestigiosos oradores invitados, entre los cuales se encuentran: Vincenzo LaVia, Director Financiero del Grupo del Banco Mundial; David Walker, Fundador y Director General de la iniciativa Comeback America y ex Contralor General de los Estados Unidos; y Göran Persson, ex Primer Ministro de Suecia. El seminario de dos días de duración incluirá debates sobre el papel de la adopción y la implementación de las Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público (IPSAS), el éxito de la contabilidad según el principio de devengo, el papel del profesional de las finanzas en la reforma y la convergencia, la complejidad de los informes de interés público y mucho más. Para obtener más información, escriba a sdseminar@ifac.org.

También se ha publicado, recientemente, la traducción al español del Estudio 14 del IPSASB: Transición a la base contable de acumulación (o devengo): Directrices para entidades del sector público.

Ambos proyectos fueron posibles gracias a la asistencia del Banco Mundial y a las contribuciones del Gobierno de España a través del Fondo Español para América Latina y el Caribe.  Estas publicaciones pueden descargarse gratuitamente en formato PDF de la página de Internet de la IFAC. Las publicaciones no se encuentran disponibles en formato impreso. La reproducción, distribución o difusión de estas publicaciones requiere el permiso de la IFAC. Para obtener más información, escriba a permissions@ifac.org. Para obtener un panorama general de las traducciones de publicaciones de la IFAC, visite la Base de datos de traducciones de la IFAC: www.ifac.org/about-ifac/translations-permissions/translations-database

Acerca del IPSASB
El Consejo de Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad del Sector Público (IPSASB) desarrolla normas contables y directrices para que utilicen las entidades del sector público. La IFAC facilita las estructuras y los procesos que respaldan las operaciones del IPSASB. El IPSASB recibe apoyo (tanto financiero directo como en especie) del Banco Mundial, el Banco Asiático de Desarrollo, las Naciones Unidas y los Gobiernos de Canadá, China, Nueva Zelanda y Suiza.

Acerca de la IFAC
La IFAC es la organización mundial para la profesión contable que se dedica a servir el interés público mediante el fortalecimiento de la profesión y la contribución al desarrollo de economías internacionales fuertes. La IFAC está compuesta por 167 miembros y asociados de 127 países y jurisdicciones, que representan a aproximadamente 2,5 millones de contadores en la práctica pública y en sectores como la educación, el Gobierno, la industria y el comercio.

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