The Proposed Accounting Model :
In an effort to address concerns about transaction structuring, the boards have tentatively agreed on an accounting model for leases that would substantially change the accounting for leases. Lessees would recognize (1) an asset representing their right to use the leased item for the lease term (the ‘‘right-of-use’’ asset) and (2) a liability for their obligation to pay rentals.7 Thus, the proposed model would eliminate the notion of an operating lease, forcing all leases to be capitalized.8 While this proposal would substantially reduce the scope of transaction structuring opportunities, eliminating the operating lease classification does not remove the issue of transaction structuring altogether because an n-year lease could still be written as a one-year lease with n1 annual options to renew. Consequently, the boards have tentatively agreed to include lease periods subject to renewal or cancelation as part of the recognized lease asset and lease liability. In other words, components of a lease (options to renew or cancel, purchase options, etc.) would not be recognized separately. In the case of renewal options, the boards have tentatively agreed that preparers would use the longest lease term that is more likely than not to occur when recognizing and measuring the lease asset and obligation.