Accounting for mining activities presents many difficulties. Significant upfront investment, uncertainty over prospects and long project lives have led to a variety of approaches being developed by companies, and a range of country-specific guidance for
the industry.
Many countries have required IFRS reporting for some companies since 2005 and companies around the world continue to adopt IFRS. Japan has already permitted the early adoption of IFRS by listed companies and is expected to announce a final decision
on whether to mandate adoption later in 2012. The US is yet to announce its plan as to how IFRS might be incorporated into the financial reporting requirements for US domestic issuers. This means that there are many companies for whom IFRS conversion issues are, or will become, relevant.
As countries adopt a single set of high quality, global accounting and financial reporting standards there should
be greater global consistency and transparency. However, it is recognised that extractive activities is an area in which there is little IFRS guidance. There is also variation in practice between companies applying IFRS, which was highlighted in KPMG’s survey The Application of IFRS: Mining published in September 2009.
Jimmy Daboo
Global Energy & Natural Resources Auditing and Accounting Leader KPMG
This publication looks at some of the main accounting issues across mining companies. It considers currently effective standards and notes future developments that could impact accounting in the sector.
The long-term future of accounting for extractive activities is as yet unclear. The IASB issued Discussion Paper Extractive Activities in April 2010, and the main proposals of the project team and the responses to this discussion paper are discussed in this publication. A decision on whether the Extractive Activities project should be added to the IASB’s active agenda is expected when the IASB considers responses to its Agenda Consultation 2011.
This publication also discusses the IFRS conversion project as a whole, including the importance of the conversion management process, and considers the impact of IFRS conversion across an organisation.
Any conversion project will be significantly more detailed than merely addressing the issues discussed in this publication. However, making a start in identifying the accounting and business related issues on conversion can avoid accounting challenges in years to come.
While the main audience of this publication is those contemplating IFRS conversion, we hope that there is something stimulating and thought-
provoking for all those dealing with IFRS in the mining sector.