Statement No. 69
Government Combinations and Disposals of Government Operations
(Issued 01/13)
This Statement establishes accounting and financial reporting standards related to government combinations and disposals of government operations. As used in this Statement, the term government combinations includes a variety of transactions referred to as mergers, acquisitions, and transfers of operations.
The distinction between a government merger and a government acquisition is based upon whether an exchange of significant consideration is present within the combination transaction. Government mergers include combinations of legally separate entities without the exchange of significant consideration. This Statement requires the use of carrying values to measure the assets and liabilities in a government merger. Conversely, government acquisitions are transactions in which a government acquires another entity, or its operations, in exchange for significant consideration. This Statement requires measurements of assets acquired and liabilities assumed generally to be based upon their acquisition values. This Statement also provides guidance for transfers of operations that do not constitute entire legally separate entities and in which no significant consideration is exchanged. This Statement defines the term operations for purposes of determining the applicability of this Statement and requires the use of carrying values to measure the assets and liabilities in a transfer of operations.
A disposal of a government’s operations results in the removal of specific activities of a government. This Statement provides accounting and financial reporting guidance for disposals of government operations that have been transferred or sold.
This Statement requires disclosures to be made about government combinations and disposals of government operations to enable financial statement users to evaluate the nature and financial effects of those transactions.
The requirements of this Statement are effective for government combinations and disposals of government operations occurring in financial reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013, and should be applied on a prospective basis. Earlier application is encouraged.
How the Changes in This Statement Will Improve Financial Reporting
Until now, governments have accounted for mergers, acquisitions, and transfers of operations by analogizing to accounting and financial reporting guidance intended for the business environment, generally APB Opinion No. 16, Business Combinations. This Statement provides specific accounting and financial reporting guidance for combinations in the governmental environment. This Statement also improves the decision usefulness of financial reporting by requiring that disclosures be made by governments about combination arrangements in which they engage and for disposals of government operations.
Unless otherwise specified, pronouncements of the GASB apply to financial reports of all state and local governmental entities, including general purpose governments; public benefit corporations and authorities; public employee retirement systems; and public utilities, hospitals and other healthcare providers, and colleges and universities. Paragraph 3 discusses the applicability of this Statement.