Professional Level – Essentials Module

Paper P2 (UK)
Corporate Reporting
(United Kingdom)
March/June 2016 – Sample Questions

Time allowed
Reading and planning: 15 minutes
Writing: 3 hours

This question paper is divided into two sections:

Do NOT open this question paper until instructed by the supervisor.

The Association of
Chartered Certified
Accountants
Section A – THIS ONE question is compulsory and MUST be attempted

1 The following information relates to the financial statements of the Weston Group:
Weston Group: Statement of financial position as at 31 January
2016 2015
$m $m
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment 352 386
Goodwill 4 19
Other intangible assets 37 27
Investment in associate 102
–––– ––––
495 432
–––– ––––
Current assets
Inventories 108 165
Trade and other receivables 106 104
Financial assets at amortised cost 19
Cash and cash equivalents 20 43
–––– ––––
253 312
–––– ––––
Total assets 748 744
–––– ––––
Equity and liabilities
Share capital 100 100
Retained earnings 377 270
Other components of equity 24 21
–––– ––––
501 391
–––– ––––
Non-controlling interest 64 85
–––– ––––
Total equity 565 476
–––– ––––
Non-current liabilities
Long term borrowings 26 48
Retirement benefit liability 60 72
Net deferred tax liability 14 15
–––– ––––
Total non-current liabilities 100 135
–––– ––––
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables 36 41
Current tax payable 47 92
–––– ––––
Total current liabilities 83 133
–––– ––––
Total liabilities 183 268
–––– ––––
748 744
–––– ––––

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Weston Group: Statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year ended 31 January 2016
$m
Continuing operations
Revenue 1,102
Cost of sales (818)
––––––
Gross profit 284
Other income 14
Distribution costs (45)
Administrative expenses (63)
Finance costs (23)
Share of profit of associate 16
––––––
Profit before tax 183
Income tax expense (40)
––––––
Profit for the year continuing operations 143
Discontinued operations
Loss for the year from discontinued operations (see note (ii)) (25)
––––––
Profit for the year 118
––––––
Other comprehensive income for the year (after tax) which will not be
reclassified to profit or loss in future years
Remeasurement gains on defined benefit plan 3
––––––
Total comprehensive income for the year 121
––––––
Profit/loss attributable to:
Owners of the parent 107
Non-controlling interests 11
––––––
118
––––––
Total comprehensive income for the year attributable to:
Owners of the parent 110
Non-controlling interests 11
––––––
121
––––––
Notes:
(i) On 31 July 2015, Weston disposed of their entire 80% equity holding in Northern for cash. The shares had
been acquired on 31 July 2011 for a consideration of $132 million when the fair value of the net assets was
$124 million. This included a fair value uplift of $16 million in relation to plant with a remaining useful life of
eight years. Deferred tax at 25% on the fair value adjustment was also correctly provided for in the group
accounts and is included within the fair value of the net assets. The fair value of the non-controlling interest at
acquisition was $28 million. Goodwill, calculated under the full fair value method, was tested annually for
impairment. At 31 January 2015, goodwill relating to Northern had been impaired by 75%. A goodwill
impairment charge has been included within administration expenses for the current year but does not relate to
Northern.
The carrying values in the individual accounts of Northern at disposal are listed below. The fair value adjustment
and subsequent deferred tax were not incorporated into the individual accounts of Northern.
Carrying values $m
Property, plant and equipment 80
Inventory 38
Trade receivables 23
Trade and other payables (10)
Deferred tax liability (6)
Bank overdraft (2)

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(ii) The loss for the period from discontinued operations in the consolidated statement of profit or loss and other
comprehensive income relates to Northern and can be analysed as follows:
$m
Profit before tax 6
Income tax expense (2)
Loss on disposal (29)
–––
(25)
–––
(iii) Weston purchased a 40% interest in an associate for cash on 1 February 2015. The associate paid a dividend
of $10 million in the year ended 31 January 2016.
(iv) The retirement benefit liability relates to Weston as other companies in the group operate defined contribution
schemes. The latest actuarial valuation is as follows:
$m
Net obligation at 1 February 2015 72
Service cost component 11
Contributions to scheme (19)
Remeasurements – actuarial gains (4)
–––
Net obligation at 31 January 2016 60
–––
The benefits paid in the period by the trustees of the scheme were $7 million. Weston operates in a country
which only allows tax relief when contributions are paid into the scheme. The tax base was therefore zero at
31 January 2015 and 31 January 2016. The tax rate paid by Weston is 25%. The defined benefit expense is
included within administrative expenses.
(v) On 1 February 2015, Weston commenced development expenditure on product Q. Product Q is expected to be
launched during 2017. $7 million amortisation on other intangible assets is included within cost of sales.
(vi) There were no disposals of property, plant and equipment during the year except on the sale of Northern.
Depreciation for the year was $20m and is included within the cost of sales.
(vii) The financial asset at amortised cost is a $20 million two-year loan which Weston gave to an unconnected
company on 1 February 2015. Twelve month expected credit losses were estimated at $1 million and have been
charged to administrative expenses. The coupon and effective rate of interest were both 8%. Interest was
received on 31 January 2016 and recorded correctly in the consolidated financial statements despite a
significant deterioration in economic conditions within the industry of the unconnected company. As a result, the
investment is to be downgraded with an expected 40% chance of default on the remaining cash flows. No entry
has yet been made to downgrade the investment in the consolidated financial statements.
(viii) Included within the trade and other payables at 31 January 2015 was contingent consideration of $10 million.
A discount rate of 10% was used to measure the fair value of this obligation. This arose on the acquisition of
Eastern, a subsidiary acquired several years ago. The consideration to be paid was contingent on the profits of
Eastern. Eastern did not perform as well as expected during the year and Weston paid $7 million in full and final
settlement of the obligation on 31 January 2016.
(ix) Weston did not pay a dividend to its shareholders during the year ended 31 January 2016.

Required:
(a) Prepare a group statement of cash flows using the indirect method for the Weston group for the year ended
31 January 2016 in accordance with the requirements of IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows. (35 marks)

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(b) The directors of Weston are looking at the requirements of IFRS for SMEs and FRS 102, The Financial Reporting
Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with regards to accounting for goodwill including the
impact of a bargain purchase. The directors would like advice on this issue as the entity is preparing to purchase
a UK subsidiary at a competitive price.

Required:
Describe the key differences in accounting for goodwill under IFRS for SMEs and FRS 102. (8 marks)

(c) Shortly before 31 January 2016, Weston gave a $5 million, zero interest, short-term loan to its subsidiary,
Eastern. Eastern repaid the loan in full during February 2016. Since the loan was repaid within Weston’s usual
credit terms of 30 days, it was classified as a trading item as at 31 January 2016. Consequently Weston included
the balance within trade and other receivables and Eastern included it within trade and other payables at the year
end. Eastern has several bank loans with substantial debt covenants linked to both interest cover and its gearing
ratio. The bank loans would have become immediately repayable should Eastern breach any of the terms of the
covenants. Before receiving the loan, Eastern had a bank overdraft balance of $4·5 million.

Required:
Discuss the impact which the $5 million loan would have on the debt covenants of Eastern and whether
there are any ethical implications arising from the situation. You do not need to adjust your answer to
part (a) in relation to this issue. (7 marks)

(50 marks)

5 [P.T.O.
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted

2 (a) Mehran, a public limited company, has just acquired a company, which comprises a farming and mining
business. Mehran wishes advice on how to fair value some of the assets acquired.
(i) One such asset is a piece of land, which is currently used for farming. The fair value of the land if used for
farming is $5 million. If the land is used for farming purposes, a tax credit currently arises annually, which
is based upon the lower of 15% of the fair market value of land or $500,000 at the current tax rate. The
current tax rate in the jurisdiction is 20%.
Mehran has determined that market participants would consider that the land could have an alternative use
for residential purposes. The fair value of the land for residential purposes before associated costs is thought
to be $7·4 million. In order to transform the land from farming to residential use, there would be legal costs
of $200,000, a viability analysis cost of $300,000 and costs of demolition of the farm buildings of
$100,000. Additionally, permission for residential use has not been formally given by the legal authority and
because of this, market participants have indicated that the fair value of the land, after the above costs,
would be discounted by 20% because of the risk of not obtaining planning permission.
In addition, Mehran has acquired the brand name associated with the produce from the farm. Mehran has
decided to discontinue the brand on the assumption that it will gain increased revenues from its own brands.
Mehran has determined that if it ceases to use the brand, then the indirect benefits will be $20 million. If
it continues to use the brand, then the direct benefit will be $17 million. (8 marks)
(ii) Mehran wishes to fair value the inventory of the entity acquired. There are three different markets for the
produce, which are mainly vegetables. The first is the local domestic market where Mehran can sell direct
to retailers of the produce. The second domestic market is one where Mehran sells directly to manufacturers
of canned vegetables. There are no restrictions on the sale of produce in either of the domestic markets other
than the demand of the retailers and manufacturers. The final market is the export market but the
government limits the amount of produce which can be exported. Mehran needs a licence from the
government to export its produce. Farmers tend to sell all of the produce that they can in the export market
and, when they do not have any further authorisation to export, they sell the remaining produce in the two
domestic markets.
It is difficult to obtain information on the volume of trade in the domestic market where the produce is sold
locally direct to retailers but Mehran feels that the market is at least as large as the domestic market – direct
to manufacturers. The volumes of sales quoted below have been taken from trade journals.
Domestic market – Domestic market – Export market
direct to retailers direct to
manufacturers
Volume – annual Unknown 20,000 tonnes 10,000 tonnes
Mehran – sales per month 10 tonnes 4 tonnes 60 tonnes
Price per tonne $1,000 $800 $1,200
Transport costs per tonne $50 $70 $100
Selling agents’ fees per tonne – $4 $6
(9 marks)

Required:
Discuss the way in which Mehran should fair value the above assets with reference to the principles of
IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement.
Note: The mark allocation is shown against each of the two issues above.

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(b) Mehran has a UK subsidiary which has by law to provide a pension scheme for its employees. A lump-sum
benefit is payable on termination of service and is equal to 1% of final salary for each year of service. Mehran
has given you details of a typical entrant to the scheme. An employee earning $30,000 at present would be
expected to earn a salary of $39,300 at the end of five years.
Given a discount rate of 10%, Mehran would like to know what the current service cost would be in the current
year for such an employee who retires after five years and wishes to know if there are any differences between
accounting for pensions under IFRS for SMEs and FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the
UK and Republic of Ireland.

Required
Advise Mehran on the issues raised above. (6 marks)
Professional marks will be awarded in question 2 for clarity and quality of presentation. (2 marks)

(25 marks)

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3 (a) Emcee, a public limited company, is a sports organisation which owns several football and basketball teams. It
has a financial year end of 31 May 2016. Emcee needs a new stadium to host sporting events which will be
included as part of Emcee’s property, plant and equipment. Emcee therefore commenced construction on a new
stadium on 1 February 2016, and this continued until its completion which was after the year end of 31 May
2016. The direct costs were $20 million in February 2016 and then $50 million in each month until the year
end. Emcee has not taken out any specific borrowings to finance the construction of the stadium, but it has
incurred finance costs on its general borrowings during the period, which could have been avoided if the stadium
had not been constructed. Emcee has calculated that the weighted average cost of borrowings for the period
1 February–31 May 2016 on an annualised basis amounted to 9% per annum. Emcee needs advice on how to
treat the borrowing costs in its financial statements for the year ending 31 May 2016. (6 marks)

(b) Emcee purchases and sells players’ registrations on a regular basis. Emcee must purchase registrations for that
player to play for the club. Player registrations are contractual obligations between the player and Emcee. The
costs of acquiring player registrations include transfer fees, league levy fees, and player agents’ fees incurred by
the club. Often players’ former clubs are paid amounts which are contingent upon the performance of the player
whilst they play for Emcee. For example, if a contracted basketball player scores an average of more than
20 points per game in a season, then an additional $5 million may become payable to his former club. Also,
players’ contracts can be extended and this incurs additional costs for Emcee.
At the end of every season, which also is the financial year end of Emcee, the club reviews its playing staff and
makes decisions as to whether they wish to sell any players’ registrations. These registrations are actively
marketed by circulating other clubs with a list of players’ registrations and their estimated selling price. Players’
registrations are also sold during the season, often with performance conditions attached. Occasionally, it
becomes clear that a player will not play for the club again because of, for example, a player sustaining a career
threatening injury or being permanently removed from the playing squad for another reason. The playing
registrations of certain players were sold after the year end, for total proceeds, net of associated costs, of
$25 million. These registrations had a net book value of $7 million.
Emcee would like to know the financial reporting treatment of the acquisition, extension, review and sale of
players’ registrations in the circumstances outlined above. (10 marks)

(c) Emcee uses the revaluation model to measure its stadiums. The directors have been offered $100 million from
an airline for the property naming rights of all the stadiums for three years. There are two directors who are on
the management boards of Emcee and the airline. Additionally, there are regulations in place by both the football
and basketball leagues which regulate the financing of the clubs. These regulations prevent capital contributions
from a related party which ‘increases equity without repayment in return’. The aim of these regulations is to
promote sustainable business models. Sanctions imposed by the regulator include fines and withholding of prize
monies. Emcee wishes to know how to take account of the naming rights in the valuation of the stadium and
the potential implications of the financial regulations imposed by the leagues. (7 marks)

Required:
Discuss how the above events would be shown in the financial statements of Emcee under International Financial
Reporting Standards.
Note: The split of the mark allocation is shown against each of the three issues above.
Professional marks will be awarded in question 3 for clarity and quality of presentation. (2 marks)

(25 marks)

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4 The introduction of a new accounting standard can have significant impact on an entity by changing the way in which
financial statements show particular transactions or events. In many ways, the impact of a new accounting standard
requires the same detailed consideration as is required when an entity first moves from local Generally Accepted
Accounting Practice to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
A new or significantly changed accounting standard often provides the key focus for examination of the financial
statements of listed companies by national enforcers who issue common enforcement priorities. These priorities are
often highlighted because of significant changes to accounting practices as a result of new or changed standards or
because of the challenges faced by entities as a result of the current economic environment. Recent priorities have
included recognition and measurement of deferred tax assets and impairment of financial and non-financial assets.

Required:
(a) (i) Discuss the key practical considerations, and financial statement implications which an entity should
consider when implementing a move to a new IFRS. (7 marks)
(ii) Discuss briefly the reasons why regulators might focus on the impairment of non-financial assets and
deferred tax assets in a period of slow economic growth, setting out the key areas which entities should
focus on when accounting for these elements. (8 marks)

(b) Pod is a listed company specialising in the distribution and sale of photographic products and services. Pod’s
statement of financial position included an intangible asset which was a portfolio of customers acquired from a
similar business which had gone into liquidation. Pod changed its assessment of the useful life of this intangible
asset from ‘finite’ to ‘indefinite’. Pod felt that it could not predict the length of life of the intangible asset, stating
that it was impossible to foresee the length of life of this intangible due to a number of factors such as
technological evolution, and changing consumer behaviour.
Pod has a significant network of retail branches. In its financial statements, Pod changed the determination of a
cash generating unit (CGU) for impairment testing purposes at the level of each major product line, rather than
at each individual branch. The determination of CGUs was based on the fact that each of its individual branches
did not operate on a standalone basis as some income, such as volume rebates, and costs were dependent on
the nature of the product line rather than on individual branches. Pod considered that cash inflows and outflows
for individual branches did not provide an accurate assessment of the actual cash generated by those branches.
Pod, however, has daily sales information and monthly statements of profit or loss produced for each individual
branch and this information is used to make decisions about continuing to operate individual branches.

Required:
Discuss whether the changes to accounting practice suggested by Pod are acceptable under International
Financial Reporting Standards. (8 marks)
Professional marks will be awarded in question 4 for clarity and quality of presentation. (2 marks)

(25 marks)

End of Question Paper