FASB Proposes Revised Improvements to Income Tax Disclosure Requirements

Norwalk, CT, March 25, 2019—The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today issued a revised proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) intended to improve the relevance of current income tax disclosure requirements to financial statement users.  Stakeholders are encouraged to review and provide comment on the proposed ASU by May 31, 2019.

 

In July 2016, the FASB issued a proposed ASU that set forth enhanced disclosure requirements for income taxes. The proposed ASU was part of the FASB’s broader disclosure framework project to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in notes to financial statements.

 

The Board delayed finalizing the proposal because of potential tax reform. The federal government subsequently passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, which substantially changed how U.S. businesses are taxed. As a result, the FASB decided to revise its original proposal.

 

The resulting proposed ASU reflects these revisions, as well as stakeholder input on the original July 2016 proposal. The revised proposed ASU would (1) remove disclosures that no longer are considered cost beneficial or relevant and (2) add disclosure requirements identified as relevant to financial statement users.



The revised proposed ASU, including information on how to submit comments, is available at www.fasb.org.





About the Financial Accounting Standards Board



Established in 1973, the FASB is the independent, private-sector, not-for-profit organization based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that establishes financial accounting and reporting standards for public and private companies and not-for-profit organizations that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The FASB is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as the designated accounting standard setter for public companies. FASB standards are recognized as authoritative by many other organizations, including state Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The FASB develops and issues financial accounting standards through a transparent and inclusive process intended to promote financial reporting that provides useful information to investors and others who use financial reports. The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) supports and oversees the FASB. For more information, visit www.fasb.org.