Accounting Standards

The IASB has clarified that the use of revenue-based methods to calculate the depreciation of an asset is not appropriate because revenue generated by an activity that includes the use of an asset generally reflects factors other than the consumption of the economic benefits embodied in the asset.

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), which oversees FASB and GASB, has issued its 2013 Annual Report, detailing the organization's activities and key issues during the past year.

In a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has voiced strong opposition to draft legislation that would limit the use of the cash method of accounting for pass-through entities and personal service corporations.

The Trustees of the IFRS Foundation are seeking applications for membership of the IFRS Advisory Council, after the terms of a number of its members expire at the end of 2014. The primary objective of the Advisory Council is to provide a forum where the IASB and the Trustees consults individuals and representatives of organizations that are affected by its work and are committed to the development of high quality International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the independent standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation, has launched its web-based IFRS Research Center.

XBRL US has announced the publication of its new online US GAAP Pension Analyzer. The tool is available for free to public company reporting managers that runs a set of rules against the pension disclosure within an XBRL-formatted financial statement. XBRL US is the nonprofit consortium for XBRL reporting in the US.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued new guidance that improves U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) by more faithfully representing when a company or other organization discontinues its operations.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has issued Concepts Statement No. 6, Measurement of Elements of Financial Statements, which will guide the GASB in establishing accounting and financial reporting standards for U.S. state and local governments regarding the measurement of assets and liabilities.