IASB bluntly rejects Latin America´s request for Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power during low inflation.

"IASB Update 


The IASB met in public from 27-29 April 2015 at the IASB offices in London, UK.

One of the topics for discussion was High Inflation.  

High Inflation (Agenda Paper 14)

The IASB discussed high inflation, a project in the research program. The purpose of this project is to consider the requests made by the Federación Argentina de Consejos Profesionales de Ciencias Económicas, the Argentinian standard-setter, and the Group of Latin American Standard Setters (GLASS) to: 

• eliminate or reduce the cumulative inflation rate threshold currently included in IAS 29 Financial reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies to identify when hyperinflation exists; and
• to modify the procedures for reporting the adjustments resulting from restating the financial statements.

The IASB tentatively decided that it would not propose lowering the inflation threshold in IAS 29 and nor would it do any work on developing an alternative to IAS 29 or a Standard that addresses inflation more generally. The project will therefore be designated as having a low priority but will remain on the research programme to enable interested parties to comment on these decisions in the Agenda Consultation. The 13 IASB members present supported this decision.

In addition, the IASB plans to ask its Emerging Economies Group to examine whether there could be merit in developing disclosure requirements for entities in jurisdictions suffering from high inflation."

Copyright (c) International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation

The above is a verbatim copy of the email to subscribers. IASB Update April 2015 is available here. 

Comment

The fact that Latin American standard setters requested the IASB to ELIMINATE the cumulative inflation rate threshold for the implementation of financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power (the IASB-termed "restatement" approach) for which IASB guidance has been supplied since April 1989 in IAS 29 Financial Reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies, means that they basically requested authorization for Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power at any inflation rate, even at 2% annual inflation. If it were done in terms of the Daily CPI it would certainly solve Latin America´s financial stability problems.

Since not a single IASB board member is able to explain to anyone that only daily inflation indexing of all constant real value non-monetary items - as so successfully implemented for 30 years from 1964 till 1994 in Brazil - would give Latin America what they requested, the above rejection of the request is thus not a surprise. IASB board members do not understand that only Daily Indexing as described above, could solve the problem. 

Not a single IASB board member knows that Brazil implemented financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power as authorized in the Conceptual Framework, Par. 4.59 (a) under the name of "correcção monetária" or monetary correction. Not a single IASB board member even knows of the existence of the Brazilian Unidade Real de Valor (URV) daily index used in 1994.  Not a single IASB board member would be able to explain the most basic concepts of financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power originally authorized in IAS 29 in April 1989. The IASB until a year ago stated on the IFRS website that IFRS provide no guidance for financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power. I had to point out to them that the guidance is there in IAS 29 since 1989. For 24 years - andthe IASB did not realize it! How can you expect the current IASB board members to agree to urgent research - as requested by Latin America - when they do not understand financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power in terms of the Daily CPI even though they have published various of my comment letters regarding the matter over the last few years?

They do not understand the subject matter. Naturally they will reject a request for research. 

Nicolaas Smith

Price stability requires daily indexation

Price stability is an important concept in economics. It is defined in a slightly different way by each and every central bank. Each central bank defines price stability in terms of its own inflation target. When a central bank has a two percent inflation target then any inflation (which is NOT price stability) up to and including the inflation target is simply stated to be "price stability." For example: SA, US, EU, etc.

The South African Reserve Bank has a three to six percent inflation target. Thus, when the general price lievel changes by three percent per annum, then the SARB proudly states that "price stability" has been achieved and when it changes by six percent per annum, then the SARB again very proudly states that "price stability" has been achieved. The same is true for all other central banks with all their other non-zero inflation targets.

Monetary price stability has one and only one definition, namely, zero monetary inflation which is the same as zero monetary deflation.

However, price stability requires, in fact, at least daily indexation since sustainable zero monetary inflation (/deflation) has never been achieved to date.

There are three economic items in the economy:

1. Monetary items

2. Variable real value non-monetary items

3. Constant real value non-monetary items

Variable real value non-monetary items are by definition not generally expected to be stable in price in free and open markets. For example: the price of oil, gold, foreign currencies, listed and unlisted shares, smart phones, TVs, computers, cars, planes, ships, horses, cows, sheep, clothing, food, houses, etc are not generally perfectly stable in free and open markets.

Constant real value non-monetary items´ prices (constant real values or constant purchasing power) are kept perfectly stable (constant) in real value (purchasing power) under the IFRS and US GAAP authorized Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing in terms of the Daily CPI accounting model by means of at least daily indexing.

Examples of constant real value non-monetary items are salaries, wages, fees, employee benefits, pensions, trade debtors, trade creditors, all other non-monetary payables, all other non-monetary receivables, issued share capital, profits, losses, all other items in shareholders´ equity, provisions, taxes, interest received, interest paid, etc.

Monetary items constitute the money supply. 

Monetary items´ (excluding fixed nominal value bank notes and coins) prices are also kept perfectly stable (constant) in real value (purchasing power) under CMUCPP in terms of at least the Daily CPI when the entire money supply is indexed at least daily.

Examples of monetary items are monetary loans receivable and payable, the capital amounts of bonds, the capital amounts of mortgages, the capital amounts of student loans, the capital amounts of consumer loans, etc. Nominal value bank notes and coins are also monetary items but it is currently not possible to daily index a nominal bank note or coin.

Thus: price stability requires at least daily indexation during inflation or deflation.

In short: price stability requires daily indexation.

All changes in the general price level have to be followed by monetary item and constant real value non-monetary prices if price stability (constant real value/purchasing power) were to be achieved in these items. The general price level changes daily (see the Daily CPI in countries issuing daily inflation-indexed government bonds) during low and high inflation and deflation, but it can change more than once a day during hyperinflation.

Nicolaas Smith

Copyright (c) 2005-2015 Nicolaas J Smith. All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.