Deferred taxes do not meet the FASB's definition of a liability. They represent contingencies since most firms have tax policies that allow them to continue deferring taxes at the aggregate level indefinitely making it probable that temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future. Where the reversal of some deferred taxes is probable, it is appropriate to report those amounts in the financial statements with the remaining balances that may possibly reverse being disclosed in the footnotes. In this manner, global convergence of accounting for deferred taxes will be achieved.
The flow-through method of accounting for taxes results in significant decreases in the debt-to-equity ratio for most firms, improving their financial position. The flow-through method represents a logical approach in accounting for taxes as long as taxation is viewed as a transaction occurring between the private and public sectors. That is, taxation is the act of transferring a portion of the periodic increase in an entity’s net worth (computed using the tax law) to a government entity for the privilege of conducting business in that government’s jurisdiction.