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Environmental liabilities and diversity in practice under international financial reporting standards

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Schneider
  • Giovanna Michelon
  • Michael Maier

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to encourage accounting regulators to address diversity in practice in the reporting of environmental liabilities. When Canada changed to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2011, Canadian regulators asked the IFRS Interpretations Committee to interpret whether the discount rate to value environmental liabilities should be a risk-free discount rate. Old Canadian GAAP, and current US GAAP, allow for a higher discount rate, resulting in commensurately lower liabilities. International regulators refused to address this issue expecting no diversity in practice in Canada. Design/methodology/approach - The focus is on a sample of Canadian oil and gas and mining firms. These domestic industries play a major role internationally and have significant environmental liabilities. The method is empirical archival, tracking firm characteristics and discount rate choice on transition to IFRS. Findings - There is significant diversity in practice. About one-third of the sample firms choose a higher discount rate, avoiding a major increase in environmental liabilities on transition to IFRS. The evidence suggests that these firms have relatively larger environmental liabilities and that the discount rate decision is a strategic choice. Research limitations/implications - The sample is based on one country and may only be reflecting local anomalies that have no broader implications. Practical implications - Diversity in practice in accounting for environmental liabilities is not acceptable. Accounting regulators should act to create consistent and comparable reporting practice. Social implications - Firms and managers facing larger environmental liabilities can choose to minimize environmental liabilities under IFRS, while it is the general public and society at large that bear the ultimate risk. Originality/value - The paper pushes forward the debate on whether recognized environmental liabilities should reflect the interests of equity investors, or if other investors and stakeholders should be taken into account.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Schneider & Giovanna Michelon & Michael Maier, 2017. "Environmental liabilities and diversity in practice under international financial reporting standards," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(2), pages 378-403, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:aaajpp:aaaj-01-2014-1585
    DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-01-2014-1585
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Maurice, 2019. "When environmental accounting choices are not only opportunistic: the case of environmental accounting provisions [Quand les choix comptables liés à l’environnement ne sont pas qu’opportunistes : c," Post-Print hal-02128271, HAL.
    2. Minga Negash & Tesfaye T. Lemma, 2020. "Institutional pressures and the accounting and reporting of environmental liabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1941-1960, July.
    3. Bebbington, Jan & Schneider, Thomas & Stevenson, Lorna & Fox, Alison, 2020. "Fossil fuel reserves and resources reporting and unburnable carbon: Investigating conflicting accounts," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Lorenzo Simoni & Stefan Schaper & Christian Nielsen, 2022. "Business Model Disclosures, Market Values, and Earnings Persistence: Evidence From the UK," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 58(1), pages 142-173, March.
    5. Thomas Schneider & Giovanna Michelon & Mari Paananen, 2018. "Environmental and Social Matters in Mandatory Corporate Reporting: An Academic Note," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), pages 275-305, June.
    6. Farshadfar, Shadi & Samarbakhsh, Laleh & Jiang, Yige, 2023. "Financial statement comparability and the usefulness of earnings: Some Canadian evidence," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    7. Matthew Wegener & Réal Labelle, 2017. "Value Relevance of Environmental Provisions Pre‐ and Post‐IFRS," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 139-168, September.
    8. Corinne Cortese & Lee Moerman & Millicent Chang, 2022. "Is the extractive industries standard still fit for purpose?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2807-2838, June.

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