Finance lease and Gearing: Difference between pages

From ACT Wiki
(Difference between pages)
Jump to navigationJump to search
imported>Doug Williamson
(Embed page links to accounting standards.)
 
imported>Doug Williamson
(Link with MCT page.)
 
Line 1: Line 1:
A finance lease usually involves the lessee (user of the asset) paying - over the life of the lease - the full cost of the asset plus a return on the finance effectively provided by the lessor.
1.  
 
The lessee-user effectively retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership.
However, the lessee does not obtain legal title to the leased asset.


Accounting standards require finance leases to be accounted for 'on balance sheet' by the user of the asset.
''Financial gearing'' measures the relative amount of debt in a firm's capital structure.


This means that the liability to pay (the capital element of) the future lease instalments is recognised and disclosed on the face of the balance sheet.
Gearing ratios can be calculated in several different ways, so consistency of approach is important.


Two essential bases to define are:


Relevant accounting standards include [[IAS 17]], Section 20 of [[FRS 102]] which incorporates practice from the former [[SSAP 21]], and IFRS 16.
i. The use of book or market values.


ii. The use of Debt divided by Equity (D/E) or of Debt divided by Debt plus Equity = D/[D+E].


Finance leases are also known as ''capital leases'', especially in the US.
 
Historically, use of the D/E version of the measure was more common in the UK.
 
With respect to the Debt figure, practice varies in including or excluding certain items such as cash, short term borrowings, leases, pensions and other provisions.
 
Practitioners may also adjust the Equity figure, for example to exclude intangible assets.
 
 
2.
 
''Operational gearing'' relates to the operating costs of a business, and measures the relative proportions of fixed and variable operating costs.
 
 
3.
 
'Gearing up' refers to increasing the levels of financial or operation gearing - or both - within an organisation.
 
The intention of gearing up is to improve expected net results. 
 
The consequence of gearing up is normally to increase risk.
 
Many financial disasters have been a consequence of gearing up (or leveraging) excessively in this way in earlier periods.




== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Actuarial method]]
* [[Debt equity ratio]]
* [[Finance charge]]
* [[Debt to equity ratio]]
* [[Hire purchase]]
* [[Intangible assets]]
* [[IFRS 16]]
* [[Leverage]]
* [[IAS 17]]
* [[Leveraged]]
* [[FRS 102]]
* [[Leveraged takeover]]
* [[SSAP 21]]
* [[Levered]]
* [[Implied rate of interest]]
* [[MCT]]
* [[Lease]]
* [[Off-balance sheet finance]]
* [[Off-balance sheet finance]]
* [[Operating lease]]
* [[Ungeared]]
 
* [[Ungeared cash flow]]




===Other links===
==Other links==
[http://www.treasurers.org/node/8924 Students: A Lesson on leases, The Treasurer, April 2013]
[http://www.treasurers.org/node/8012 Masterclass: Measuring financial risk, The Treasurer, July 2012]


[[Category:Accounting,_tax_and_regulation]]
[[Category:Corporate_finance]]
[[Category:Corporate_finance]]

Revision as of 16:17, 22 November 2014

1.

Financial gearing measures the relative amount of debt in a firm's capital structure.

Gearing ratios can be calculated in several different ways, so consistency of approach is important.

Two essential bases to define are:

i. The use of book or market values.

ii. The use of Debt divided by Equity (D/E) or of Debt divided by Debt plus Equity = D/[D+E].


Historically, use of the D/E version of the measure was more common in the UK.

With respect to the Debt figure, practice varies in including or excluding certain items such as cash, short term borrowings, leases, pensions and other provisions.

Practitioners may also adjust the Equity figure, for example to exclude intangible assets.


2.

Operational gearing relates to the operating costs of a business, and measures the relative proportions of fixed and variable operating costs.


3.

'Gearing up' refers to increasing the levels of financial or operation gearing - or both - within an organisation.

The intention of gearing up is to improve expected net results.

The consequence of gearing up is normally to increase risk.

Many financial disasters have been a consequence of gearing up (or leveraging) excessively in this way in earlier periods.


See also


Other links

Masterclass: Measuring financial risk, The Treasurer, July 2012