AS 14 – Accounting for Amalgamations

The standard AS-14 deals with accounting for amalgamations and the treatment of any resultant goodwill or reserves.

Introduction

1. This Standard is directed principally to companies although some of its requirements also apply to financial statements of other enterprises.

2. This standard does not deal with cases of acquisitions that arise when there is a purchase by one company (referred to as the acquiring company) of the whole or part of the shares, or the whole or part of the assets, of another company (referred to as the acquired company) in consideration for payment in cash or by the issue of shares or other securities in the acquiring company or partly in one form and partly in the other. The distinguishing feature of an acquisition is that the acquired company is not dissolved and its separate entity continues to exist.

* A limited revision to this Standard was made in 2004, pursuant to which paragraphs 23 and 42 of this Standard were revised. The Standard has been further revised by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, vide Notification dated 30th March 2016, which is relevant for companies following Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006 and which should be used for the preparation of accounts for accounting periods commencing on or after the date of notification. The Standard has been revised for entities other than companies in 2016 by the Council of the ICAI and is mandatory for accounting periods commencing on or after April 1, 2017 (see Announcement XLV). Consequent to this revision, paragraphs 3(a), 18, 39 stand amended, and footnotes 2, 3 & 4 added. 1. Attention is specifically drawn to paragraph 4.3 of the Preface, according to which Accounting Standards are intended to apply only to items which are material.

Definitions

3. The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified:

• Amalgamation means an amalgamation pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 or any other statute which may be applicable to companies and includes ‘merger’.
• Transferor company means the company which is amalgamated into another company.
• Transferee company means the company into which a transferor company is amalgamated.
• Reserve means the portion of earnings, receipts, or another surplus of an enterprise (whether capital or revenue) appropriated by the management for a general or a specific purpose other than a provision for depreciation or diminution in the value of assets or for a known liability.
• Amalgamation in the nature of merger is an amalgamation that satisfies all the following conditions:
  • All the assets and liabilities of the transferor company become, after amalgamation, the assets and liabilities of the transferee company.
  • Shareholders holding not less than 90% of the face value of the equity shares of the transferor company (other than the equity shares already held therein, immediately before the amalgamation, by the transferee company or its subsidiaries or their nominees) become equity shareholders of the transferee company by virtue of the amalgamation.
  • The consideration for the amalgamation receivable by those equity shareholders of the transferor company who agree to become equity shareholders of the transferee company is discharged by the transferee company wholly by the issue of equity shares in the transferee company, except that cash may be paid in respect of any fractional shares.
  • The business of the transferor company is intended to be carried on, after the amalgamation, by the transferee company.
  • No adjustment is intended to be made to the book values of the assets and liabilities of the transferor company when they are incorporated in the financial statements of the transferee company except to ensure uniformity of accounting policies.

As defined in AS 21, Consolidated Financial Statements

• Amalgamation in the nature of purchase is an amalgamation that does not satisfy any one or more of the conditions specified in the sub-paragraph
• above.
• Consideration for the amalgamation means the aggregate of the shares and other securities issued and the payment made in the form of cash or other assets by the transferee company to the shareholders of the transferor company.
• Fair value is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between a knowledgeable, willing buyer and a knowledgeable, willing seller in an arm’s length transaction.
• Pooling of interests is a method of accounting for amalgamations the object of which is to account for the amalgamation as if the separate businesses of the amalgamating companies were intended to be continued by the transferee company. Accordingly, only minimal changes are made in aggregating the individual financial statements of the amalgamating companies.

Explanation

Types of Amalgamations

4. Generally speaking, amalgamations fall into two broad categories. In the first category are those amalgamations where there is a genuine pooling not merely of the assets and liabilities of the amalgamating companies but also of the shareholders’ interests and of the businesses of these companies. Such amalgamations are amalgamations that are in the nature of ‘merger’ and the accounting treatment of such amalgamations should ensure that the resultant figures of assets, liabilities, capital and reserves more or less represent the sum of the relevant figures of the amalgamating companies. In the second category are those amalgamations which are in effect a mode by which one company acquires another company and, as a consequence, the shareholders of the company which is acquired normally do not continue to have a proportionate share in the equity of the combined company, or the business of the company which is acquired is not intended to be continued. Such amalgamations are amalgamations in the nature of ‘purchase’.

5. An amalgamation is classified as an ‘amalgamation in the nature of merger’ when all the conditions listed in paragraph 3(e) are satisfied. There are, however, differing views regarding the nature of any further conditions that may apply. Some believe that, in addition to an exchange of equity shares, it is necessary that the shareholders of the transferor company obtain a substantial share in the transferee company even to the extent that it should not be possible to identify any one party as dominant therein. This belief is based in part on the view that the exchange of control of one company for an insignificant share in a larger company does not amount to a mutual sharing of risks and benefits.

6. Others believe that the substance of an amalgamation in the nature of merger is evidenced by meeting certain criteria regarding the relationship of the parties, such as the former independence of the amalgamating companies, the manner of their amalgamation, the absence of planned transactions that would undermine the effect of the amalgamation, and the continuing participation by the management of the transferor company in the management of the transferee company after the amalgamation.

Methods of Accounting for Amalgamations

7. There are two main methods of accounting for amalgamations:

• The pooling of interests method
• The purchase method.

8. The use of the pooling of interests method is confined to circumstances which meet the criteria referred to in paragraph 3(e) for an amalgamation in the nature of merger.

9. The object of the purchase method is to account for the amalgamation by applying the same principles as are applied in the normal purchase of assets. This method is used in accounting for amalgamations in the nature of purchase.

The Pooling of Interests Method 
10. Under the pooling of interests method, the assets, liabilities and reserves of the transferor company are recorded by the transferee company at their existing carrying amounts (after making the adjustments required in paragraph (11)

11. If, at the time of the amalgamation, the transferor and the transferee companies have conflicting accounting policies, a uniform set of accounting policies is adopted following the amalgamation. The effects on the financial statements of any changes in accounting policies are reported in accordance with Accounting Standard (AS) 5, Net Profit or Loss for the Period, Prior Period Items, and Changes in Accounting Policies.

The Purchase Method 
12. Under the purchase method, the transferee company accounts for the amalgamation either by incorporating the assets and liabilities at their existing carrying amounts or by allocating the consideration to individual identifiable assets and liabilities of the transferor company on the basis of their fair values at the date of amalgamation. The identifiable assets and liabilities may include assets and liabilities not recorded in the financial statements of the transferor company.

13. Where assets and liabilities are restated on the basis of their fair values, the determination of fair values may be influenced by the intentions of the transferee company. 
For example, the transferee company may have a specialised use for an asset, which is not available to other potential buyers. The transferee company may intend to effect changes in the activities of the transferor company which necessitate the creation of specific provisions for the expected costs, e.g. planned employee termination and plant relocation costs.

Consideration

14. The consideration for the amalgamation may consist of securities, cash or other assets. In determining the value of the consideration, an assessment is made of the fair value of its elements. A variety of techniques is applied in arriving at fair value. For example, when the consideration includes securities, the value fixed by the statutory authorities may be taken to be the fair value. In case of other assets, the fair value may be determined by reference to the market value of the assets given up. Where the market value of the assets given up cannot be reliably assessed, such assets may be valued at their respective net book values.

15. Many amalgamations recognise that adjustments may have to be made to the consideration in the light of one or more future events. When the additional payment is probable and can reasonably be estimated at the date of amalgamation, it is included in the calculation of the consideration. In all other cases, the adjustment is recognised as soon as the amount is determinable [see Accounting Standard (AS) 4, Contingencies and Events Occurring After the Balance Sheet Date].

Treatment of Reserves on Amalgamation

16. If the amalgamation is an ‘amalgamation in the nature of merger’, the identity of the reserves is preserved and they appear in the financial statements of the transferee company in the same form in which they appeared in the financial statements of the transferor company. Thus, for example, the General Reserve of the transferor company becomes the General Reserve of the transferee company, the Capital Reserve of the transferor company becomes the Capital Reserve of the transferee company and the Revaluation Reserve of the transferor company becomes the Revaluation Reserve of the transferee company. As a result of preserving the identity, reserves which are available for distribution as dividend before the amalgamation would also be available for distribution as dividend after the amalgamation. The difference between the amount recorded as share capital issued (plus any additional consideration in the form of cash or other assets) and the amount of share capital of the transferor company is adjusted in reserves in the financial statements of the transferee company.

17. If the amalgamation is an ‘amalgamation in the nature of purchase’, the identity of the reserves, other than the statutory reserves dealt with in paragraph 18, is not preserved. The amount of the consideration is deducted from the value of the net assets of the transferor company acquired by the transferee company. If the result of the computation is negative, the difference is debited to goodwill arising on amalgamation and dealt with in the manner stated in paragraphs 19-20. If the result of the computation is positive, the difference is credited to Capital Reserve.

18. Certain reserves may have been created by the transferor company pursuant to the requirements of, or to avail of the benefits under, the Income-tax Act, 1961; for example, Development Allowance Reserve, or Investment Allowance Reserve. The Act requires that the identity of the reserves should be preserved for a specified period. Likewise, certain other reserves may have been created in the financial statements of the transferor company in terms of the requirements of other statutes. 
Though, normally, in an amalgamation in the nature of purchase, the identity of reserves is not preserved, an exception is made in respect of reserves of the aforesaid nature (referred to hereinafter as ‘statutory reserves’) and such reserves retain their identity in the financial statements of the transferee company in the same form in which they appeared in the financial statements of the transferor company, so long as their identity is required to be maintained to comply with the relevant statute. 

This exception is made only in those amalgamations where the requirements of the relevant statute for recording the statutory reserves in the books of the transferee company are complied with. In such cases the statutory reserves are recorded in the financial statements of the transferee company by a corresponding debit to a suitable account head (e.g., ‘Amalgamation Adjustment Reserve’) which is presented as a separate line item. When the identity of the statutory reserves is no longer required to be maintained, both the reserves and the aforesaid account are reversed.

Treatment of Goodwill Arising on Amalgamation

19. Goodwill arising on amalgamation represents a payment made in anticipation of future income and it is appropriate to treat it as an asset to be amortised to income on a systematic basis over its useful life. Due to the nature of goodwill, it is frequently difficult to estimate its useful life with reasonable certainty. Such estimation is, therefore, made on a prudent basis. Accordingly, it is considered appropriate to amortise goodwill over a period not exceeding five years unless a somewhat longer period can be justified.

20. Factors which may be considered in estimating the useful life of goodwill arising on amalgamation include:

• The foreseeable life of the business or industry;
• The effects of product obsolescence, changes in demand and other economic factors;
• The service life expectancies of key individuals or groups of employees;
• Expected actions by competitors or potential competitors; and
• Legal, regulatory or contractual provisions affecting the useful life.

Balance of Profit and Loss Account

21. In the case of an ‘amalgamation in the nature of merger’, the balance of the Profit and Loss Account appearing in the financial statements of the transferor company is aggregated with the corresponding balance appearing in the financial statements of the transferee company. Alternatively, it is transferred to the General Reserve, if any. 
22. In the case of an ‘amalgamation in the nature of purchase’, the balance of the Profit and Loss Account appearing in the financial statements of the transferor company, whether debit or credit, loses its identity.

Treatment of Reserves Specified in A Scheme of Amalgamation

23. The scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 or any other statute may prescribe the treatment to be given to the reserves of the transferor company after its amalgamation. Where the treatment is so prescribed, the same is followed. In some cases, the scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under a statute may prescribe a different treatment to be given to the reserves of the transferor company after amalgamation as compared to the requirements of this Standard that would have been followed had no treatment been prescribed by the scheme.

Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, inserted footnote in this paragraph that “Paragraph 23 shall not apply to any scheme of amalgamation approved under the Companies Act, 2013” vide notification dated 30th March, 2016, which is relevant for companies following companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006. This footnote is not added in the standard revised in 2016 by the ICAI for entities other than companies (see Announcement XLV).

In such cases, the following disclosures are made in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• A description of the accounting treatment given to the reserves and the reasons for following the treatment different from that prescribed in this Standard.
• Deviations in the accounting treatment given to the reserves as prescribed by the scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under the statute as compared to the requirements of this Standard that would have been followed had no treatment been prescribed by the scheme.
• The financial effect, if any, arising due to such deviation.

Disclosure

24. For all amalgamations, the following disclosures are considered appropriate in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Names and general nature of business of the amalgamating companies;
• The effective date of amalgamation for accounting purposes;
• The method of accounting used to reflect the amalgamation; and
• Particulars of the scheme sanctioned under a statute.

25. For amalgamations accounted for under the pooling of interests method, the following additional disclosures are considered appropriate in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Description and number of shares issued, together with the percentage of each company’s equity shares exchanged to effect the amalgamation;
• The amount of any difference between the consideration and the value of net identifiable assets acquired, and the treatment thereof.

26. For amalgamations accounted for under the purchase method, the following additional disclosures are considered appropriate in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Consideration for the amalgamation and a description of the consideration paid or contingently payable;
• The amount of any difference between the consideration and the value of net identifiable assets acquired, and the treatment thereof including the period of amortisation of any goodwill arising on amalgamation.

Amalgamation after the Balance Sheet Date

27. When an amalgamation is effected after the balance sheet date but before the issuance of the financial statements of either party to the amalgamation, disclosure is made in accordance with AS 4, ‘Contingencies and Events Occurring After the Balance Sheet Date’, but the amalgamation is not incorporated in the financial statements. In certain circumstances, the amalgamation may also provide additional information affecting the financial statements themselves, for instance, by allowing the going concern assumption to be maintained.

Main Principles

28. An amalgamation may be either –

• An amalgamation in the nature of merger, or
• An amalgamation in the nature of purchase.

29. An amalgamation should be considered to be an amalgamation in the nature of merger when all the following conditions are satisfied:

• All the assets and liabilities of the transferor company become, after amalgamation, the assets and liabilities of the transferee company.
• Shareholders holding not less than 90% of the face value of the equity shares of the transferor company (other than the equity shares already held therein, immediately before the amalgamation, by the transferee company or its subsidiaries or their nominees) become equity shareholders of the transferee company by virtue of the amalgamation.
• The consideration for the amalgamation receivable by those equity shareholders of the transferor company who agree to become equity shareholders of the transferee company is discharged by the transferee company wholly by the issue of equity shares in the transferee company, except that cash may be paid in respect of any fractional shares.
• The business of the transferor company is intended to be carried on, after the amalgamation, by the transferee company.
• No adjustment is intended to be made to the book values of the assets and liabilities of the transferor company when they are incorporated in the financial statements of the transferee company except to ensure uniformity of accounting policies.

30. An amalgamation should be considered to be an amalgamation in the nature of purchase, when any one or more of the conditions specified in paragraph 29 is not satisfied.

31. When an amalgamation is considered to be an amalgamation in the nature of merger, it should be accounted for under the pooling of interests method described in paragraphs 33–35.

32. When an amalgamation is considered to be an amalgamation in the nature of purchase, it should be accounted for under the purchase method described in paragraphs 36–39. The Pooling of Interests Method

33. In preparing the transferee company’s financial statements, the assets, liabilities and reserves (whether capital or revenue or arising on revaluation) of the transferor company should be recorded at their existing carrying amounts and in the same form as at the date of the amalgamation. The balance of the Profit and Loss Account of the transferor company should be aggregated with the corresponding balance of the transferee company or transferred to the General Reserve, if any.

34. If, at the time of the amalgamation, the transferor and the transferee companies have conflicting accounting policies, a uniform set of accounting policies should be adopted following the amalgamation. The effects on the financial statements of any changes in accounting policies should be reported in accordance with Accounting Standard (AS) 5 Net Profit or Loss for the Period, Prior Period Items and Changes in Accounting Policies.

35. The difference between the amount recorded as share capital issued (plus any additional consideration in the form of cash or other assets) and the amount of share capital of the transferor company should be adjusted in reserves.

The Purchase Method

36. In preparing the transferee company’s financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the transferor company should be incorporated at their existing carrying amounts or, alternatively, the consideration should be allocated to individual identifiable assets and liabilities on the basis of their fair values at the date of amalgamation. The reserves (whether capital or revenue or arising on revaluation) of the transferor company, other than the statutory reserves, should not be included in the financial statements of the transferee company except as stated in paragraph 39.

37. Any excess of the amount of the consideration over the value of the net assets of the transferor company acquired by the transferee company should be recognised in the transferee company’s financial statements as goodwill arising on amalgamation. If the amount of the consideration is lower than the value of the net assets acquired, the difference should be treated as Capital Reserve.

38. The goodwill arising on amalgamation should be amortised to income on a systematic basis over its useful life. The amortisation period should not exceed five years unless a somewhat longer period can be justified.

39. Where the requirements of the relevant statute for recording the statutory reserves in the books of the transferee company are complied with, statutory reserves of the transferor company should be recorded in the financial statements of the transferee company. The corresponding debit should be given to a suitable account head (e.g., ‘Amalgamation Adjustment Reserve’) which should be presented as a separate line item. When the identity of the statutory reserves is no longer required to be maintained, both the reserves and the aforesaid account should be reversed.

Common Procedures

40. The consideration for the amalgamation should include any non- cash element at fair value. In case of issue of securities, the value fixed by the statutory authorities may be taken to be the fair value. In case of other assets, the fair value may be determined by reference to the market value of the assets given up. Where the market value of the assets given up cannot be reliably assessed, such assets may be valued at their respective net book values.

41. Where the scheme of amalgamation provides for an adjustment to the consideration contingent on one or more future events, the amount of the additional payment should be included in the consideration if payment is probable and a reasonable estimate of the amount can be made. In all other cases, the adjustment should be recognised as soon as the amount is determinable [see Accounting Standard (AS) 4, Contingencies and Events Occurring After the Balance Sheet Date].

Treatment of Reserves Specified in A Scheme of Amalgamation

42. Where the scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under a statute prescribes the treatment to be given to the reserves of the transferor company after amalgamation, the same should be followed. Where the scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under a statute prescribes a different treatment to be given to the reserves of the transferor company after amalgamation as compared to the requirements of this Standard that would have been followed had no treatment been prescribed by the scheme, the following disclosures should be made in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• A description of the accounting treatment given to the reserves and reasons for following the treatment different from that prescribed in this Standard.
• Deviations in the accounting treatment given to the reserves as prescribed by the scheme of amalgamation sanctioned under the statute as compared to the requirements of this Standard that would have been followed had no treatment been prescribed by the scheme.
• (c)The financial effect, if any, arising due to such deviation.

Notification dated 30th March, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs contains a footnote that “Paragraph 42 shall not apply to any scheme of amalgamation approved under the Companies Act, 2013”. This footnote is not added in the standard revised in 2016 by the ICAI for entities other than companies (see Announcement XLV).

Disclosure

43. For all amalgamations, the following disclosures should be made in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Names and general nature of business of the amalgamating companies; (b) effective date of amalgamation for accounting purposes;
• The method of accounting used to reflect the amalgamation;
• Particulars of the scheme sanctioned under a statute.

44. For amalgamations accounted for under the pooling of interests method, the following additional disclosures should be made in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Description and number of shares issued, together with the percentage of each company’s equity shares exchanged to effect the amalgamation;
• The amount of any difference between the consideration and the value of net identifiable assets acquired, and the treatment thereof.

45. For amalgamations accounted for under the purchase method, the following additional disclosures should be made in the first financial statements following the amalgamation:

• Consideration for the amalgamation and a description of the consideration paid or contingently payable; and
• The amount of any difference between the consideration and the value of net identifiable assets acquired, and the treatment thereof including the period of amortisation of any goodwill arising on amalgamation. Amalgamation after the Balance Sheet Date

46. When an amalgamation is effected after the balance sheet date but before the issuance of the financial statements of either party to the amalgamation, disclosure should be made in accordance with AS 4, ‘Contingencies and Events Occurring After the Balance Sheet Date’, but the amalgamation should not be incorporated in the financial statements. In certain circumstances, the amalgamation may also provide additional information affecting the financial statements themselves, for instance, by allowing the going concern assumption to be maintained.