The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is calling for public input on its future work plan and priorities for future IFRS amendments for the period up until 2020
It has published a document, the Agenda Consultation, which is designed to give interested parties and opportunity to have their say on how the IASB prioritises and balances its work to deliver International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
The IASB’s work plan is split into three main categories. There are research projects, designed to assess problem areas in financial reporting, and to consider whether changes are warranted before proceeding. These are followed by standard-setting projects, which produce amendments to existing requirements or the introduction of entirely new requirements; as well as maintenance and implementation projects, to finetune IFRS to deal with practical problems or a lack of consistency in applying the standards.
In the Request for Views 2015 Agenda Consultation, the IASB seeks feedback on whether it has correctly identified the most important issues in its research programme and whether any adjustment is needed in how its standards-level programme is prioritised.
It is also asking for views on the frequency of Agenda Consultations, which are currently carried out every three years, even though it usually takes longer than this to complete a major research project and then a subsequent major standards-level project.
As a result, many of the major projects that form the basis of discussion for one Agenda Consultation will still be on the work plan three years later, prompting suggestions that a five or even seven year cycle would be more realistic.
Hans Hoogervorst, IASB chairman, said: 'This is an important opportunity for those with an interest in financial reporting to have their say on our future priorities for the coming years.’
This is the IASB's second agenda consultation. The first was carried out in 2011 and resulted in several changes to how the IASB works, including the establishment of the research function.
The IASB’s public consultation on its future work plan and priorities is being undertaken at the same time as a review being undertaken by the IFRS Foundation Trustees on the structure and effectiveness of the IFRS Foundation. The deadline for responding to that consultation is 30 November 2015.
The deadline for submitting comments is 31 December 2015 - the consultation is available here
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