This handbook brings together for continuing reference background information about the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the currently effective pronouncements for the public sector issued by IFAC as of February 15, 2009.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), an independent standard-setting board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), has issued for comment the first in a series of consultation papers focused on the development of an international public sector conceptual framework. Entitled Conceptual Framework for General Purpose Financial Reporting by Public Sector Entities, the consultation paper represents a landmark achievement for the public sector financial reporting community.

The consultation paper identifies the IPSASB's preliminary views on the objectives and scope of financial reporting, the qualitative characteristics of information included in general purpose financial reports and the characteristics of public sector reporting entities. 

 "Our ultimate goal is to develop a framework that makes explicit the concepts, definitions, and principles that underpin the development of IPSASs," states IPSASB Chair Mike Hathorn. "Since it will apply across countries and jurisdictions with different political systems and forms of government, the framework will recognize the diversity that exists in the many jurisdictions that may adopt IPSASs and help to strengthen the transparency and consistency of financial reporting by governments worldwide. This makes receiving a broad spectrum of comments on this paper, and all our consultation papers, all the more significant."

"Given the important role the conceptual framework will eventually play in the future standard-setting activities of the IPSASB, I strongly urge constituents to respond to the views expressed in this milestone paper," adds Mr. Hathorn.

How to Comment
Comments on the consultation paper are requested by March 31, 2009. It may be viewed and downloaded by going to https://www.ifac.org/Guidance/EXD-Details.php?EDID=0119. Comments may be submitted by email to EDComments@ifac.org. They can also be faxed to the attention of the IPSASB Technical Director at +1 (416) 977-8585, or mailed to the IPSASB Technical Director at 277 Wellington Street West, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3H2, Canada.   All comments will be considered a matter of public record and will ultimately be posted on the IFAC website.

About IFAC

IFAC (https://www.ifac.org/) 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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), an independent standard-setting board within the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), is seeking comments on its proposed changes to IPSAS 5, Borrowing Costs, set forth in exposure draft (ED) 35, Borrowing Costs (Revised 200X). 
 
"Public sector entities borrow for a variety of reasons, most of which are unrelated to asset acquisition," said Mike Hathorn, Chair of the IPSASB. "The IPSASB concluded that requiring public sector entities to capitalize borrowing costs as part of the cost of qualifying assets would not satisfy the qualitative characteristics of general purpose financial reporting, particularly related to the reliability of information reported. The immediate expensing of these borrowing costs instead will enhance the accountability of public sector entities." 

Most notably, ED 35 proposes amendments to reflect that in many circumstances the capitalization of borrowing costs as part of the cost of an asset is not appropriate for public sector entities.  This view, a departure from both IPSAS 5 and International Accounting Standards Board's International Accounting Standard 23, Borrowing Costs, is an evolution from public sector consideration of the issue.  The ED proposes that entities recognize borrowing-related expenses, such as interest or loan origination fees, during the period in which they are incurred. The ED also proposes, however, that where entities borrow funds specifically to acquire, construct or produce a qualifying asset, the entity has the option to capitalize those costs as part of the cost of that asset.

ED 35 may be viewed and downloaded by going to https://www.ifac.org/EDs. The IPSASB values the public's opinion and welcomes comments on its decision to require entities to expense borrowing costs, except in the circumstances outlined.

How to Comment
Comments on ED 35 are requested by January 7, 2009, and may be submitted via email at EDcomments@ifac.org.  Comments can also be faxed to the attention of the IPSASB Technical Director at +1 (416) 977-8585, or mailed to the IPSASB Technical Director at 277 Wellington Street West, 6th Floor, and Toronto, Ontario M5V 3H2, Canada. All comments will be considered a matter of public record and, ultimately, will be posted on the IFAC website.

About IFAC
IFAC (www.ifac.org) 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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), in partnership with the World Bank, is seeking expressions of interest from professional accountants to carry out an evaluation of the activities of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB). The IPSASB, an independent standard-setting board within IFAC, develops international standards and guidance to improve public sector financial reporting and fiscal management. The IPSASB's activities are partly financed by World Bank funding grants and, under the funding terms and conditions, an external review of these activities is periodically performed.

The review will cover matters including the extent of adoption of IPSASB standards worldwide, the effectiveness of the World Bank's involvement in the IPSASB's work, whether developing nations have an effective voice in IPSASB activities and whether the governance and management of these activities are transparent and accountable. The evaluator will also be free to propose other suggestions for improvements to the IPSASB's standards development program.

"This external review provides an important opportunity to demonstrate the value of the IPSASB's work in developing international standards to a key supporter and our wider constituents and will assist in identifying areas for improvement," states Mike Hathorn, IPSASB Chair.

Applicants must have substantive prior experience in public sector accounting or auditing. Direct experience with accounting or auditing standards setting is desirable. The evaluator must be a professional accountant and a member of a professional accountancy body.

The requirements for the evaluator and the issues to be addressed by the review are explained in the Terms of Reference for the Evaluation of Development Grants Facility Program, which can be downloaded from the IPSASB home page at https://www.ifac.org/PublicSector/Projects.php. The deadline for submitting an application to be the evaluator is 12:00 pm (EST), Friday, May 31, 2008.

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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), an independent standard-setting board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), has released a technical update to International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) 4, The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates. The update to IPSAS 4, which was issued as part of the IPSASB's global convergence program, reflects the latest amendments to the corresponding International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.

"Converging IPSASs with IFRSs, where appropriate for the public sector, is one of the key strategic objectives of our standards development program," states Mike Hathorn, Chair of the IPSASB. "The revised IPSAS clarifies the requirements for public sector entities to convert foreign currency transactions and balances into their reporting currency."

The revised IPSAS 4 can be downloaded from the IFAC online bookstore at https://www.ifac.org/store. It will also be included in the 2008 edition of the Handbook of International Public Sector Accounting Pronouncements.

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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), an independent standard-setting board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), is seeking comments on a consultation paper entitled Accounting and Financial Reporting for Service Concession Arrangements.

The consultation paper identifies issues and provides proposals to be considered in the development of IPSASB requirements for accounting and financial reporting of service concession arrangements. Obtaining feedback from constituents is a key desired outcome of the paper. The consultation paper provides an overview of the various types of arrangements that are considered public-private partnerships, of which service concession arrangements are a subset. Also included is an analysis of existing authoritative guidance to assess whether it is sufficient to address the accounting and reporting implications for these arrangements. The paper concludes that additional guidance is needed for service concession arrangements in the public sector. 

Service concession arrangements are distinct from other public-private partnership arrangements in that the risks and benefits associated with constructing, owning and operating the underlying property, along with the control over the property, are shared to a greater degree by the public sector entity and private sector entity involved in the arrangement. The sharing of these aspects of the property, as well as the general complexity of these transactions, has often made the financial reporting of the property for the parties unclear.

This lack of specific guidance for service concession arrangements has caused divergence in how the property is reported, even occasionally resulting in the property not being reported as an asset by either the public sector or private sector entity. This has also provided public sector entities the opportunity to use these arrangements as a means to fulfill their infrastructure needs without recognizing the property and related financing in their financial statements, while potentially still meeting fiscal targets.

In November 2006, the International Accounting Standards Board's International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) issued IFRIC 12, Service Concession Arrangements, which is applicable only to the operators of these arrangements and not to the public sector grantor. This left many public sector grantors without international guidance on reporting on service concession arrangements. This consultation paper is the IPSASB's first step in considering options for developing guidance for them.

"The use of public-private partnership arrangements, which include service concession arrangements, by the public sector, as vehicles to build and improve infrastructure and other public facilities and provide the services associated with these structures, has continued to grow worldwide over recent years," states IPSASB Chair Mike Hathorn. "The lack of international guidance for grantors of service concession arrangements, combined with the growing public sector interest in these arrangements, made the need for IPSASB action on this issue critical."

How to Comment
Comments on the consultation paper are requested by August 1, 2008, and it may be viewed by going to https://www.ifac.org/EDs. Comments may be submitted by email to EDComments@ifac.org. They can also be faxed to the attention of the IPSASB Technical Director at +1 (416) 977-8585, or mailed to the IPSASB Technical Director at 277 Wellington Street West, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3H2, Canada. All comments will be considered a matter of public record and will ultimately be posted on the IFAC website.

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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.

For many governments and public sector entities, social benefit programs - such as social security, the provision of healthcare and unemployment benefits - comprise a highly significant part of their operations. The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), an independent standard-setting board within the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), has launched a project on the long-term fiscal sustainability of these programs. The IPSASB is also seeking comments on proposed new requirements designed to improve consistency and transparency in the reporting of certain government social benefits and has issued a consultation paper on related issues, particularly liability recognition.

Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability Project
The IPSASB has undertaken a project on long-term fiscal sustainability and has released a project brief on which it welcomes comments. In developing its project on social benefits, the IPSASB has concluded that financial statements alone may not provide users with enough information to assess the long-term viability of social benefit programs. It has, therefore, undertaken this new project to develop a framework for reporting on the long-term fiscal sustainability of governmental programs and finances.

"While the IPSASB accepts that there is a level of uncertainty about fiscal sustainability information, we believe that additional information may be necessary for users of financial statements to have a more complete picture about the future viability of government social benefit programs. We have, therefore, decided to initiate an important project on a topic which has assumed increasing global significance in recent years," states Mike Hathorn, Chair of the IPSASB.

Disclosures for Social Benefits
To improve the consistency and transparency of reporting on social benefits by public sector entities, the IPSASB has released exposure draft (ED) 34, Social Benefits: Disclosure of Cash Transfers to Individuals or Households. ED 34 proposes disclosure requirements for amounts to be paid to beneficiaries as part of social programs, as well as information about those programs. ED 34 also includes requirements for determining the amounts to be disclosed. While this is an initial step in developing accounting for social benefits, the IPSASB believes the requirements in ED 34 will provide useful information on social benefit programs for users of public sector financial reports. ED 34 is also intended to bridge the gap between accrual based financial statements and the possibility of long-term fiscal sustainability reporting.

"Accounting for social benefits goes to the heart of government operations, and there is currently no private sector standard addressing it," notes Mr. Hathorn. "ED 34 provides a very small first step on the challenging road to developing a globally accepted approach."

Key Issues in Recognition and Measurement of Social Benefits
The IPSASB is also seeking comments on a consultation paper, entitled Social Benefits: Issues in Recognition and Measurement. The consultation paper sets out the IPSASB's strategy for developing approaches to address the issues involved in accounting for social benefits, including recognition and measurement. These issues include when liabilities for cash transfers and goods and services arise and, if so, whether these liabilities arise at an earlier point for contributory programs than for programs financed primarily through general taxation.

How to Comment
Comments on both ED 34 and the consultation paper are requested by July 15, 2008. Both documents may be viewed by going to https://www.ifac.org/EDs. Comments may be submitted by email to EDComments@ifac.org. They can also be faxed to the attention of the IPSASB Technical Director at +1 (416) 977-8585, or mailed to the IPSASB Technical Director at 277 Wellington Street West, 6th Floor, and Toronto, Ontario M5V 3H2, Canada. All comments will be considered a matter of public record and will ultimately be posted on the IFAC website.

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 157 members and associates in 123 countries, representing more than 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry and commerce. In addition to setting international public sector financial reporting standards through the IPSASB, IFAC, through its independent standard-setting boards, sets ethics, auditing and assurance, and education standards. It also issues guidance to encourage high quality performance by professional accountants in business.