Study 11 - Government Financial Reporting: Accounting Issues and Practices

The Study aims to assist governments at all levels in the identification of issues associated with financial reporting. Although some parts of the Study may relate to national governments only, other parts are applicable to all levels of government.

The Study contains a detailed description of both the accrual and cash bases of accounting and provides examples of actual financial statements prepared under each basis. The document explains common practice within each basis of accounting, and provides examples of the variations within those bases. Governments wishing to change their basis of accounting or modify their accounting policies will be able to use this document as a source of information about a basis of accounting, including accounting policy issues associated with that basis and the format of financial statements prepared under that basis. This may assist governments in changing their basis of accounting and ultimately contribute to greater comparability within and between financial statements of
governments.