Sayja Barton became a Technical Advisor for Renée Pichard in 2021. Ms. Barton is the Director of National Accounting Standards for Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) Canada LLP. In her current role, she assists engagement teams with complex accounting issues related to Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS), Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) and Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations (ASNPO). She also develops BDO's courses and tools related to accounting and financial reporting, writes internal and external accounting and financial reporting publications and training, and provides accounting advisory services on complex matters.
Ms. Barton has held positions in the public accounting sector and has worked for a large government business enterprise. Ms. Barton contributes to accounting standard setting by preparing feedback to standards setters on documents available for comment on behalf of BDO Canada. She is also a member of the Canadian Public Sector Accounting Board's (PSAB) Public Sector Accounting Discussion Group and the Chair of PSAB’s Technical Advisory Group.
Ms. Barton is a chartered professional accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Chartered Accountancy Studies) and a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo.
ED 75 proposes an IFRS 16, Leases aligned model for lease accounting in the public sector. For lessees, as with the IPSASB’s previous proposals in ED 64, ED 75 proposes a right-of-use model that will replace the risks and rewards incidental to ownership model in International Public Sector Accounting Standard® (IPSAS®) 13, Leases. For lessors, ED 75 proposes to substantially carry forward the risks and rewards incidental to ownership model in IPSAS 13 in response to ED 64 comments and practical IFRS 16 implementation experience.
Issued alongside ED 75, the Request for Information will provide the IPSASB with further information on the issues that need to be considered in accounting for concessionary leases and other arrangements similar to leases that are quite common in the public sector. This will then allow the IPSASB to determine the nature and extent of the additional guidance required in phase two of the Leases project.
“In light of the responses to ED 64, Leases, and emerging practical experience with implementing IFRS 16, the IPSASB decided to revise its overall approach to the Leases project,” said IPSASB Chair Ian Carruthers. “The proposals in ED 75 will improve the transparency of lease accounting in the public sector, while allowing it to benefit from the private sector experience in implementing IFRS 16. The Request for Information will provide the IPSASB with further background on the more complex lease-related transactions common in the public sector, enabling the Board to decide what further guidance is required.”
How to Comment To access the Exposure Draft, its summary At-a-Glance document, and the Request for Information or to submit a comment, visit the IPSASB website, www.ipsasb.org. Comments are requested by May 17, 2021. The IPSASB encourages IFAC members, associates, and Network Partners to promote the availability of this Consultation Paper to their members and employees.
About the IPSASB The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) works to strengthen public financial management globally through developing and maintaining accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSAS®) and other high-quality financial reporting guidance for use by governments and other public sector entities. It also raises awareness of IPSAS and the benefits of accrual adoption. The Board receives support from the Asian Development Bank, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the New Zealand External Reporting Board, and the governments of Canada and New Zealand. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please go to permissions or contact permissions@ifac.org.
About the Public Interest Committee The governance and standard-setting activities of the IPSASB are overseen by the Public Interest Committee (PIC), to ensure that they follow due process and reflect the public interest. The PIC is comprised of individuals with expertise in public sector or financial reporting, and professional engagement in organizations that have an interest in promoting high-quality and internationally comparable financial information.
Exposure Draft 75, Leases, and Request for Information, Concessionary Leases and Other Arrangements Similar to Leases
The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board(IPSASB®) has issued Request for Information, Concessionary Leases and Other Arrangements Similar to Leases.
The Request for Information will provide the IPSASB with further information on the issues that need to be considered in accounting for concessionary leases and other arrangements similar to leases that are quite common in the public sector. This will then allow the IPSASB to determine the nature and extent of the additional guidance required in phase two of the Leases project.
00:00 Welcome and introduction: Ross Smith, IPSASB Program & Technical Director
00:38 Chair’s meeting overview: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
02:45 Approval of Request For Information, Concessionary Leases and Other Arrangements Similar to Leases: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
03:12 Preliminary approvals of ED 76, Conceptual Framework - limited scope update, ED 77, Measurement and ED 78, Property, Plant, and Equipment: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
05:50 Chair’s 2020 Review: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
12:35 Chair’s 2021 prospects: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
13:24 Closing remarks: Ross Smith, IPSASB Program & Technical Director
The IPSASB held its fourth meeting of the year virtually on December 1-2;8-11; and 15, 2020.
ED 77, Measurement
The IPSASB voted to preliminary approve ED 77, Measurement. ED 77 provides detailed guidance on the implementation of commonly used measurement bases, including historical cost, current operational value, fair value and cost of fulfillment, and the circumstances under which these measurement bases are expected to be used. The IPSASB will finalize ED 77 at its February 2021 meeting.
ED 76, Conceptual Framework - Limited Scope Update
The IPSASB voted to preliminary approve ED 76, Conceptual Framework – Limited Scope Update. ED 76 updates Chapter 7 of the IPSASB’s Conceptual Framework to align with measurement in IPSAS, reflect experience in use of the Framework since publication in 2014, and post-2014 developments in the International Accounting Standards Board. The IPSASB will finalize ED 76 at its February 2021 meeting.
ED 78, Property, Plant, and Equipment
The IPSASB voted to preliminary approve ED 78, Property, Plant, and Equipment, which will replace the requirements in IPSAS 17, Property, Plant, and Equipment. ED 78 updates the accounting principles drawn from IPSAS 17 and proposes additional guidance related to the:
Measurement project by bringing in guidance on public sector specific measurement concepts.
Heritage project by adding accounting requirements for heritage assets.
Infrastructure project by introducing clarifications related to the accounting for infrastructure assets.
ED 75, Leases
The IPSASB approved ED 75, Leases and the Request for Information, Concessionary Leases and Other Arrangements Similar to Leases for publication with a 4-month comment period. Both documents are planned for publication in January 2021.
Natural Resources
The IPSASB continued its discussions on the draft Consultation Paper (CP) and:
Considered advice from the Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) on sovereign powers and the asset recognition criteria;
Reviewed the draft CP chapter on subsoil resources and provided input on whether subsoil resources can be controlled prior to extraction and when such resources can be reliably measured; and
Discussed IFRS 6, Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources and its potential applicability in the public sector.
Revenue & Transfer Expenses - ED 70-72
The staff presented the IPSASB with a preliminary analysis of the responses to Exposure Drafts (ED) 70-72, along with feedback from the December 2020 CAG meeting on the issues of the interrelation of the EDs and the extent of disclosures. The IPSASB provided feedback and further items for consideration at the March 2021 meeting, when staff will also provide further analysis on the responses received to the EDs, as well as a project management plan.
Next Meeting
The IPSASB will hold a virtual check-in meeting in February 2021 and hold its next full meeting in March, 2021. For more information, or to register as an observer for either meeting, visit the IPSASB website.
The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has issued Non-Authoritative Amendments to IPSAS 41, Financial Instruments, to clarify the requirements for classifying, recognizing, and measuring a range of important public sector specific financial instruments.
This non-authoritative guidance is the final output from the IPSASB’s Public Sector Specific Financial Instruments (PSSFI) project and applies to four monetary items unique to the public sector: monetary gold, currency in circulation, International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota subscriptions, and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
The guidance underlines that public sector items that meet the definition of a financial asset or financial liability should be accounted for by applying existing IPSAS principles. It also clarifies the principles themselves to help improve financial information provided on public sector specific financial instruments.
“The publication of additional non-authoritative guidance in IPSAS 41, Financial Instruments, will enable preparers and users of public sector financial statements to obtain more relevant and comparable information that faithfully represents their public sector specific financial instruments,” said Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair. “Now more than ever, high quality financial information will help enhance government decision making as entities consider the use and issuance of these monetary items to address challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
A Staff Q&A document will be released after this pronouncement to provide additional background information.
About the IPSASB The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) works to strengthen public financial management globally through developing and maintaining accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSAS®) and other high-quality financial reporting guidance for use by governments and other public sector entities. It also raises awareness of IPSAS and the benefits of accrual adoption. The Board receives support from the Asian Development Bank, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the New Zealand External Reporting Board, and the governments of Canada and New Zealand. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please go to permissions or contact permissions@ifac.org.
About the Public Interest Committee The governance and standard-setting activities of the IPSASB are overseen by the Public Interest Committee (PIC), to ensure that they follow due process and reflect the public interest. The PIC is comprised of individuals with expertise in public sector or financial reporting, and professional engagement in organizations that have an interest in promoting high-quality and internationally comparable financial information.
