6. Income Statement Presentation
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a. 6.1 The income statement presentation requirements are reasoned from two fundamental conclusions of the JWG:a. (a) Changes in the fair value of financial instruments, after adjustment for receipts and payments, represent income that should be recognised in the income statement in the reporting periods in which they arise[1].b. (b) Fair value income from financial instruments should be disaggregated on a basis that facilitates analysis of the income statement effects of the significant financial risks assumed by an enterprise during a reporting period. The JWG believes that this income statement information complements disclosures about the enterprise’s financial risk positions (required by Draft Standard paragraphs 170‐180) and its financial risk management objectives and policies (required by Draft Standard paragraphs 156‐163).a. The bases for these conclusions are set out in the following paragraphs.
Fair Value Changes as Income a. 6.2 There are several dimensions to the assessment of the usefulness of income determined on a fair value basis for financial instruments:a. (a) First, there are conceptual and practical considerations relating to (i) the economic (capital maintenance) properties of fair value income and (ii) the cause and effect relationships (of recognising income in the period that the events that gave rise to income took place).b. (b) Second, there are practical considerations relating to whether fair value income (i) can help users in predicting the ability of the enterprise to generate cash and cash equivalents in the future, and (ii) can facilitate the stewardship or accountability of management for the resources entrusted to it[2].a. Each of these areas of consideration is addressed under separate headings in the immediately following paragraphs.
The Concept of Fair Value Income a. 6.3 The economic concept of income is founded on the maintenance of an enterprise’s capital. Specifically, income is defined as the amount that can be distributed to equity owners of an enterprise while maintaining its capital, after adjustment for owners’ contributions and withdrawals. Accounting conceptual frameworks generally accept that this should be the objective for income determination. For example, the IASC Framework states that: