Accounting books

In our articles about leasing, we have already written about the classification of leases on the balance sheet and the economic life of leased assets according to balance sheet law. On a few examples we have shown how to interpret the regulations in this area in order to have the most reasonable estimation. This time we will take a look at discounting cash flow related to the lease agreement and the relation between that cash flow and the market value of the lease object.

The end of the year is approaching fast, and for most businesses it means they need to close their accounts and prepare their financial statements. Unfortunately, this year there may be some trouble around the corner: due to exceeding predefined thresholds, many organisations will be burdened with additional obligations arising from the requirement to have their financial statements audited by a statutory auditor.

Under the balance sheet law, if lease was concluded for a period of more than 75% of the economic life of the leased asset, it should be recorded in the balance sheet as finance lease. How can the entrepreneur check if the lease they concluded meets this requirement and thus must be recognised accordingly in the books?

13th October 2022 is the date of entry into force of the amendment to the Polish Code of Commercial Partnerships and Companies, which introduces the so-called holding law. The new regulations are to regulate the legal situation of private limited companies (i.e. limited liability companies, simple joint-stock companies, and joint-stock companies) that operate within the corporate groups. The amendment also affects foreign parent companies.

With the end of the old year and the advent of the new one, some business owners and chief accountants are considering changing the accounting software. It is a difficult decision and not only does it have serious consequences in terms of tax settlements, but also often involves high costs of purchasing a licence and implementing appropriate software. 

It has been a while since my last post on the principles of accounting, and yet, over this long time I have had a number of discussions about my last blog article that helped me collect so many responses and concerns from my readers that I can now revisit the issues I discussed back then, this time from a slightly different perspective.

On 5 October 2015, the President signed the Act of 10 September 2015 on Amending the Tax Regulations Act and Some Other Acts (Journal of Laws of 2015, item 1649). This act implements the concept of the so-called Standard Audit File for Tax (hereinafter referred to as "SAF-T​") - an idea developed by the OECD which requires taxpayers using computer programs to submit accounting books and evidence in the form of structured format files. With the use of appropriate algorithms, the format will automatically allow tax authorities to extract the required substantive data and to verify them.