Off-balance-sheet accounting is seen by some as one type of creative accounting.(People have been arguing about it for years, though!) The key point to remember is that the accounting treatment of legitimate business transactions can vary greatly. For example, many companies are involved in leasing for business reasons, and the question for the accountants is how to present the financial implications of such leases in the accounts. In theory, the idea is that leasing an asset (instead of buying it) allows the company to exclude the liability from its accounts.