Accounting for Government Grants According to IAS 20: The Problems and Directions for Improvement

Abstract

Given the long application period of IAS 20 and several unsuccessful attempts to revise it by the IFRS Council, scientists have identified shortcomings in its application in practice, which prevent the disclosure of representatively reliable and relevant information for users about government grants and other government assistance. The article aims to identify and analyze the problems of applying IAS 20 “Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance” in modern conditions and form directions for its improvement. The historical aspects of the development of IAS 20 allow us to understand the reasons for its long-term use without significant changes. The literature review shows that in comparison with Ukrainian researchers, for the vast majority of foreign researchers, IAS 20 is the object of institutional analysis; they consider the introduction of changes to its composition not only from the standpoint of improving the current accounting methodology but as a social-institutional practice that changes the understanding of the state and the results of the company's activities from the perspective of stakeholders. The article describes attempts to develop alternative accounting standards for government grants and other government assistance for enterprises. It presents examples of non-compliance of the individual provisions of IAS 20 with the converged Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting requirements. Three main areas of development of IAS 20 have been identified based on the goals of government assistance: overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and overcoming the consequences of war. The practicality of understanding the accounting system in terms of government assistance as a social-institutional practice that forms knowledge about ethical behaviour and social justice at enterprises and spreads it among members of society, prompting them to make informed decisions, was proven.

Keywords

• ias 20
• government grants
• government assistance
• government aid
• targeted financing
• accounting institutionalism