been overpaid.
Tax payable based on taxable proft seldom matches the tax expense that might be expected based on
pre-tax accounting proft. The mismatch can occur because FRS recognition criteria for items of income
and expense are different from the treatment of items under tax law.
Deferred tax seeks to deal with this mismatch. It is based on the temporary differences between the
tax base of an asset or liability and its carrying amount in the fnancial statements. For example, if an
investment property is revalued upwards but not sold, the revaluation creates a temporary difference (the
carrying amount of the asset in the fnancial statements is greater than the tax base of the asset) and the
tax consequence is a deferred tax liability.