1. Taxation (Source: “Zeimu Tsushin Magazine”)
For companies in the process of liquidation to dissolve on or after October 1, 2010, taxable income during the liquidation period will be taxed in the same manner as normal income. Liquidation income is currently calculated and taxed based on balance sheet assessment, but this practice will be abolished under the 2010 Tax Reform.
This reform was initially viewed to be taxpayer unfriendly since there were concerns that expired tax losses would become non-deductible. However, the newly announced tax reform proposal has addressed this concern by making it clear that expired tax losses can be utilized during the liquidation period if certain requirements are met.
2. Accounting (Source: “Keiei Zaimu Magazine”)
The Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ) has started reviewing the treatment of “Earnings Per Share (EPS)” as part of an effort toward the convergence with
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). An exposure draft is scheduled for release in the first half of April.
3. This Week’s Words of Wisdom (Source: “English words of wisdom to enrich life”)
A smart person is well suited to become a critic, but not fit to become a man of action. This is because every action generally entails risk.
(Torahiko Terada –Japanese physicist and essayist)
Further to last issue’s “Words of Wisdom”, another saying on the difficulty of taking action. I am convinced that the lack of vitality in Japanese society today is due to the defensive attitude invariably taken by the CEOs of major listed companies and medium-sized firms that play a central role in society.
These executives avoid taking daring risks, procrastinate important decisions, retreat to safe grounds during their tenure and are only interested in playing golf in the weekends. They are naturally unwilling to participate in international conferences and eat away at the success of their predecessors.
More than twenty years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, we are in an era of global competition and cooperation. However, Japan has clinged to an inward-looking policy which has resulted in the mass production of risk-averse executives. I cannot help but think that the failure of Japan’s domestically-oriented economic model is the cause of the current woeful situation.