Complex lease terms mean that it is often difficult to determine how they should be classified. This article examines IAS 17 and sheds some light on the matter.

Leases are classified currently under IAS 17, Leases, as finance or operating leases at inception, depending on whether substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership transfer to the lessee. Under a finance lease, the lessee has substantially all of the risks and reward of ownership. Situations that would normally lead to a lease being classified as a finance lease include the following:

IAS17界定了如何區(qū)分經(jīng)營租賃和融資租賃，兩者區(qū)別在于，承租方是否承擔了所有的風險。

在融資租賃下，承租方承擔了所有的風險。通常若出現(xiàn)以下情形，該租賃就可以被認定為融資租賃：

the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term；the lease term is for the major part of the economic life of the asset, even if title is not transferred at the inception of the lease, the present value of the minimum lease payments amounts to at least substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset.

1.在租賃末期，租賃物的所有權(quán)將會轉(zhuǎn)移給租賃方。

2.雖然租約啟動時所有權(quán)尚未轉(zhuǎn)移，其租期卻占據(jù)了租賃資產(chǎn)的絕大部分經(jīng)濟壽命。租賃資產(chǎn)的最低付款額應與其公允價值相當。

the leased assets are of a specialized nature such that only the lessee can use them without major modifications being made. If the lessee is entitled to cancel the lease, the lessor's losses associated with the cancellation are borne by the lessee. Gains or losses from fluctuations in the fair value of the residual fall to the lessee. The lessee has the ability to continue to lease for a secondary period at a rent that is substantially lower than market rent. All other leases are operating leases.

出租資產(chǎn)具有專用的性質(zhì)，以致只有承租人才可以不做重大改動而予以使用。如果承租人有權(quán)利取消租賃，損失由承租人承擔。因剩余公允價值波動帶來的損益也由承租人承擔。承租人有權(quán)在另一期間繼續(xù)以顯著低于市場租金的價格租入租賃資產(chǎn)。除此之外皆為經(jīng)營租賃。

The lease classification is made at the inception of the lease but a lessee and lessor may agree to change the provisions of the lease. However, changes in estimates for example, changes in the residual value of a leased property, or changes in circumstances such as default by the lessee, do not give rise to a new classification of a lease. If the changes would have resulted in a different lease classification, had they been applied originally, then the revised lease agreement is treated as a new lease over the remaining lease term. The original accounting entries are not retrospectively amended.

租賃條款性質(zhì)（融資/經(jīng)營租賃）在租約開始時就確定了，但是出租人和承租人可協(xié)商改變租賃條款。然而，估計的改變（如出租性房地產(chǎn)剩余價值的改變/承租人違約等）并不改變租約的性質(zhì)。如果某些條款的修改會造成租賃的屬性發(fā)生改變，那么修改過的租約在后續(xù)的租賃期間就被認定成一次新的租賃活動。原始會計分錄不必追溯性地修改了。

Often lease indicators may not always point in the same direction causing lease classification to be difficult. Leases of specialized assets will usually be structured as finance leases. If an asset is specialized, then this implies that no other entity has a use for the asset. Consequently the lessor will only achieve its return on investment through the lease payments and it will structure the lease as a finance lease accordingly.

性質(zhì)指標的模糊性導致租約分類困難。專門化資產(chǎn)的租賃通常被認定成融資租賃。特殊資產(chǎn)僅供承租企業(yè)獨家使用。出租方只能通過收取租金來實現(xiàn)投資回報。

If a lessor can sell or lease non-specialized assets to other parties at the end of the lease and is willing to accept the financial risk on this then this could be an indicator of an operating lease.

出租方在租約末期出售/出租非專門化資產(chǎn)且愿意承擔出租的財務風險，則此行為可作為經(jīng)營租賃的指標。

Assets of a non-specialized may become specialized. For example, leased plant and equipment may be permanently installed in a building and its removal at the end of the lease may be impractical or too expensive for the lessor. Often specialized assets may have a significant remaining life at the end of the lease and sometimes this remaining life may be the major part of the economic life of the asset and therefore this indicator will point to it being an operating lease.

非專門化資產(chǎn)也可以轉(zhuǎn)換成專門化資產(chǎn)。例如廠房和設備可能被永久地安裝在某建筑中。在租約末期將其拆除是不切實際的。若專門化資產(chǎn)在租約末期仍有顯著的剩余壽命，甚至剩余壽命占據(jù)其經(jīng)濟壽命的絕大部分，則可被視為經(jīng)營租賃的指標。

However, it may be appropriate to disregard this indicator. Normally for there to be an operating lease with a significant part of the assets life remaining, there needs to be some realization of funds through sale or further rentals. However, in the case of a specialized asset this will not normally occur, because it is of value only to the lessee. In these cases, the asset will normally transfer to the lessee at the end of the lease for a nil or nominal payment and be treated as a finance lease.

然而，有時候可忽視以上指標。正常而言，當經(jīng)營租賃的資產(chǎn)還有明顯的壽命時，更多的資金需通過資產(chǎn)出售/繼續(xù)出租來獲取，但此情形對專門化的資產(chǎn)往往不適用。因為該資產(chǎn)僅對承租方有價值。當且僅當資產(chǎn)在租約末期，無償/通過名義支付金額轉(zhuǎn)移到承租方時，才被視作融資租賃。

Where an asset has been leased several times during its economic life, and the lease is the last lease to take the asset to the end of its life, then many of the indicators may point towards a finance lease. For example, the present value of the minimum lease payments may approximate to the fair value of the asset at the inception of the final lease and there is unlikely to be an option to purchase the asset at fair value or to extend the lease at a market rent because the asset has reached the end of its life.

當一個資產(chǎn)在經(jīng)濟壽命內(nèi)被出租了很多次，且此最終租約結(jié)束時租賃資產(chǎn)使用壽命耗盡，許多跡象將表明，此租約屬于融資租賃。比如，最小租賃付款額的現(xiàn)值在最終租約啟動時約等于出租資產(chǎn)的現(xiàn)值，且承租人不太可能因資產(chǎn)的使用壽命終結(jié)以公允價值購買出租資產(chǎn)，抑或以市場價格延長租約。

However the asset will obviously be non-specialized and the final lease will not be for the major part of the economic life of the asset. The lease will be for the entire remaining useful life of the asset but IAS 17, Leases, focuses on economic life as an indicator of a finance lease. The lessor is recovering the investment in the asset through a number of leases and the substance of each of those leases will normally be an operating lease. Thus if the final lease were to be classified as a finance lease simply because of its position in the chain, this would normally be unacceptable.

盡管如此，資產(chǎn)仍是非專門化的，且最終租約并不占據(jù)資產(chǎn)經(jīng)濟壽命的絕大部分。租約的期限是就資產(chǎn)的全部剩余有效壽命而言的，但IAS 17聚焦于經(jīng)濟壽命，將其視作融資租賃的標志。出租人通過一系列租約從租賃資產(chǎn)中重獲資金，通常其實質(zhì)屬于經(jīng)營租賃。因此，如果僅因為最終租約是一系列租約中的最后一個而將其分類為融資租賃，通常是無法接受的。

Where an asset is leased and rents are nominal rents, the agreement is still a lease under IAS 17. The total value of the rents will fall short of the fair value of the asset, thus indicating an operating lease. Often, the rents are low because a premium will have been paid up-front which may be equivalent to substantially all of the fair value of the asset. In this case, the lease is probably a finance lease. Where rents are very low and no premium has been paid, the lease does not have a commercial basis and it would appear that the lessor is indifferent to the risks and rewards of ownership. Lease classification, in this case, is better judged by looking at the substance of the arrangement and the intentions of the lessor in granting a lease on such terms.

當一個資產(chǎn)以名義租金出租時，仍然滿足IAS17的要求。租金達不到資產(chǎn)的公允價值，表明這是經(jīng)營租賃，通常，租金低的原因是溢價已經(jīng)提前支付，此價值大體上相當于資產(chǎn)的全部公允價值。此種情況就會被認定為融資租賃。當租金低廉且無需支付額外費用時，這個租賃就是沒有商業(yè)價值的，出租人將不會在意資產(chǎn)的風險和回報，租賃分類最好根據(jù)合同的實質(zhì)及出租人批準租約的意圖進行判斷。

The presence of an option to extend the lease at substantially less than a market rent implies that the lessor expects to achieve its return on investment solely through the lease payments and therefore is content to continue the lease for a secondary period at a nominal rental. This is an indicator of a finance lease. It is reasonable to assume that the lessee will extend the lease in these circumstances. However, an option to extend it at a market rental may indicate that the lessor has not achieved its return on investment through the lease rentals and therefore is relying on a subsequent lease or sale to do so. This isan indicator of an operating lease as there will be no compelling commercial reason why the lessee should extend the agreement.

（承租人）可選擇以遠低于市場租金的價格延長租期，意味著出租人僅期望通過租約支付額實現(xiàn)投資回報，因此才以名義租金開始另一租期，這是一種融資租賃?？珊侠淼丶僭O承租人將在擁有此選擇權(quán)時延長租期。然而，也許出租人并未通過租金實現(xiàn)投資回報，因而依靠持續(xù)出租或出售資產(chǎn)而獲得收益。這是一種經(jīng)營租賃，因為并不錯在具有商業(yè)意義的原因使承租人延長合同。

The absence of any option to extend the lease does not provide evidence either way as to an operating or a finance lease and other factors will need to be considered to determine the classification. In some cases, fluctuations in the fair value of the residual interest in the leased asset are passed back to the lessee. This indicates that the lessee is bearing the residual value risk, and the lessor’s return on investment is effectively fixed. These indicators provide evidence of a finance lease. If the lease also requires the lessee to make good to the lessor any shortfall between the sale proceeds and a fixed ‘residual’ amount, then again this is evidence of the lessor’s return being fixed. Where the lessor retains the proceeds of the eventual sale of the asset, the lessor is bearing the residual value risk and where the sale proceeds are significant, then this could be evidence of an operating lease.

有時，租賃資產(chǎn)剩余利益的公允價值波動風險轉(zhuǎn)移到承租人身上。此時承租人承擔了剩余價值風險，而出租人的投資收益被有效地鎖定。這是一種融資租賃。若租約要求承租人對（租賃資產(chǎn)的）銷售所得和固定的剩余價值之差進行補償，這又體現(xiàn)處出租人可獲得固定收益。當出租人收取最終資產(chǎn)銷售額的同時，也承擔了剩余價值風險。當銷售額重大時，則表現(xiàn)出經(jīng)營租賃的特點（風險未轉(zhuǎn)移）。

Issues sometimes arise in lease contracts where an asset is held on a finance lease and then it is all or partially sub- let to another party on identical terms and conditions. This can occur where several entities intend to share leased accommodation and arrange for one entity to lease the whole asset and then sub-let the relevant parts to the others. The issue that arises here is whether the lead entity should recognize the finance leases on a gross basis in its accounts or whether it should net off the transactions in its accounts.

有時資產(chǎn)以融資租賃形式出租，隨后又以同等條件，全部或部分地二次出租給了另一方。這種情況在幾個企業(yè)想分擔租約時常常發(fā)生。問題在于，領頭的企業(yè)該如何處置此項活動——其認定為融資租賃，以毛利潤計算，還是將其作為一項會計業(yè)務抵消？

In this case the entity should currently look at the de-recognition requirements of IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. The treatment will depend on the terms of the individual transaction. If the two transactions are separate to the extent that the lead entity is liable to pay its rentals under the head-lease regardless of whether it actually receives its sub-lease rentals, then the de-recognition requirements will not be met and it will need to account for the two leases on a gross basis.

此時企業(yè)需了解IAS 39的終止認定法則。具體處理方法取決于單個業(yè)務的條款。若兩筆業(yè)務相互分開，領頭的企業(yè)有義務在最初租約條款下支付租金，而不去理會該企業(yè)是否收到二次出租的租金時，則終止確認的要求無法滿足。故此時該企業(yè)需要單獨處理兩筆業(yè)務，并以毛利潤記錄。

A contingent rent is such amount that is paid as part of lease payments but is not fixed or agreed in advance at the inception of lease rather the amount to be paid is dependent on some future event. However, it is not an interest payment as it is not connected with the passage of time therefore time value of money is not an issue. Contingent rent is commonly connected with an increase or decrease in future sales by the lessee or increase or decrease in the use of asset or inflation or deflation. Under IAS 17, contingent rents are excluded from minimum lease payments and are accounted as expense/income in the period in which they are incurred/earned.

或有租金指未提前約定好、向租約支付的部分金額。支付金額取決于未來的情況?；蛴凶饨鸩皇抢?，因為其不受資金時間價值的影響，而與承租人未來銷售額/資產(chǎn)運用/通脹通縮的情況相聯(lián)系。IAS 17表明，或有租金不包含在最低付款額中，而記入當期費用/收入。

If a lease contains a clean break clause, where the lessee is free to walk away from the lease agreement after a certain time without penalty, then the lease term for accounting purposes will normally be the period between the commencement of the lease and the earliest point at which the break option is exercisable by the lessee. If a lease contains an early termination clause that requires the lessee to make a termination payment to compensate the lessor such that the recovery of the lessor’s remaining investment in the lease was assured, then the termination clause would normally be disregarded in determining the lease term. Similarly the same principle applies, if the lease agreement states that the lease can only be terminated in remote circumstances, with the permission of the lessor or on entering a new lease agreement for the same or equivalent asset.

若租約包含終止條款，使得承租人有權(quán)在一定期限后不付出任何代價便可放棄租約，則租期一般是租約開始至最早可終止合約的這段時間。若租約含有一種需支付提前終止費用，以補貼出租人的提前終止條款，則不能以此條款決定租期。同樣，下述情況也不能用來決定租期：合同表明租約難以終止，僅在出租人允許，或?qū)υ鲎赓Y產(chǎn)而言，有新的出租合同產(chǎn)生時方可。

The IASB is preparing a standard that may clarify and change some of the above aspects of lease accounting. The current models lead to a lack of comparability and undue complexity because of the distinction between finance and operating leases. As a result, many users of financial statements adjust the amounts presented in the statement of financial position to reflect the assets and liabilities arising from operating leases which makes the deliberations of companies regarding classification of leases somewhat a futile exercise.

IASB正著手出臺一條可闡明、改善上述有關租約內(nèi)容的會計準則?，F(xiàn)行的準則因明顯區(qū)分了融資/經(jīng)營租賃而導致不可比性/復雜性。因此，許多財報使用者調(diào)整資產(chǎn)負債表中的金額，以反映經(jīng)營租賃中引起的資產(chǎn)與負債。這種行為讓公司對租約分類徒勞無功。

來源：澤稷網(wǎng)校ACCA

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