Companies have up to a year for new U.S. tax bill
reporting: SEC
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[December 23, 2017]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
financial regulators said on Friday that because the new tax bill could
make timely financial reporting difficult, public companies can make
reasonable estimates when uncertain of the impact of the new tax law in
financial reports, and will have up to a year to report final numbers.
The Securities and Exchange Commission bulletin comes after the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce warned on Thursday that some U.S. listed companies
may struggle to file their annual financial reports on time because the
Republican-led overhaul of the country's tax system may prompt a raft of
additional disclosures.
In a statement on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) issued on Friday, SEC
Chairman Jay Clayton and Commissioners Kara Stein and Michael Piwowar
said guidance was similar to that given in the past when tax law changes
affected financial reporting.
The $1.5 trillion tax bill, signed into law on Friday by U.S. President
Donald Trump, will significantly affect many companies' year-end
financial statements because listing rules oblige them to flag any
potential material risks or changes to their operations and financial
outlook to shareholders.
The bill significantly lowers the income tax rate for U.S. companies -
to 21 percent from 35 percent - allows them to repatriate cash from
overseas, and modifies numerous deductions, among other changes.
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Jay Clayton, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in
Washington, U.S. September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
Public companies have been given a "measurement period" to study the changes
created by a new law.
During the measurement period, the SEC expects companies to complete their
accounting and that "in no circumstances should the measurement period extend
beyond one year from the enactment date," of the TJCA.
Companies will also need to make disclosures during the measurement period,
including any updates to provisional amounts given earlier, or newly discovered
reporting implications from tax bill.
For companies with fiscal years ending Dec. 31, getting the necessary analysis
done in time could be tough, the Chamber said.
The tax bill It is the largest such overhaul since the 1980. In addition to
slashing the corporate rate, it temporarily reduces the tax burden for most
individuals.
(Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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