The reserves created for specific purposes in business are called specific reserves. According to the Companies Act, 2013, these reserves cannot be used for any other purposes. However, if the Article of Association of a company allows, these reserves can be used for other purposes as well. Amount tRead more
The reserves created for specific purposes in business are called specific reserves. According to the Companies Act, 2013, these reserves cannot be used for any other purposes. However, if the Article of Association of a company allows, these reserves can be used for other purposes as well.
Amount to any specific reserve is generally transferred from the Profit and Loss Appropriation Account.
Various specific reserves are:
- Debenture Redemption Reserve
Debentures are debt instruments of a company and they have to be redeemed, that is, paid back after the expiry of the specified period. According to Accounting Standards, companies are required to set aside a specific amount in Debenture Redemption Reserve, when they are due for redemption.
- Securities Premium Reserve
When shares or debentures are issued at a price higher than its book value/face value, the difference between the market value and book value is called Securities Premium. The amount of Securities Premium is transferred to Securities Premium Account. This amount is utilized to issue fully paid bonus shares, write off preliminary expenses, write off commission discounts, etc., to provide a premium on redemption of debentures.
- Investment Fluctuation Reserve
The investments made by a company are subject to fluctuations in its market value. Company Law and Accounting Standards require companies to provide for such fluctuations by creating a reserve called Investment Fluctuation Reserve.
- Dividend Equalisation Reserve
Companies are required to pay a dividend to their shareholders. It is often difficult for a company to maintain a consistent rate of dividend as the dividend paid is equivalent to the profit made by a company during the financial year which is not consistent. So, Dividend Equalisation Reserve is created to maintain a consistent rate of dividend on shares over time, in the event of both high and low profits.
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Plant and Machinery are the equipment attached to the earth that supports the manufacturing of the company or its operations. These are tangible non-current assets to the company and as a result, have a debit balance. Depreciation is the decrease in the value of an asset that is spread over the expeRead more
Plant and Machinery are the equipment attached to the earth that supports the manufacturing of the company or its operations. These are tangible non-current assets to the company and as a result, have a debit balance.
Depreciation is the decrease in the value of an asset that is spread over the expected life of the asset. Not depreciating an asset presents a false image of the company as the asset is recorded at a higher value and profit is overstated as depreciation expense is not provided for.
There are two ways that a company provide depreciation:
For most of the depreciation methods, we need a rate to provide for depreciation every year. Now, for accounting purposes, the management can use a rate they think is suitable depending on the use and expected life of the machinery.
Depreciation is calculated on the basis of the Companies act, 2013 for the purpose of book-keeping. According to Schedule 2 of the Companies Act, depreciation on plant and machinery is calculated on the basis of either SLM or WDV.
Plant and machinery for those special rates are not assigned useful life is considered to be 15 years and depreciation is calculated @ 18.10% on WDV and @6.33% on SLM.
According to the Income Tax Act, 15% depreciation is provided every year on Plant and Machinery and, an additional 20% depreciation is provided in the first year of installation of machinery.
Depreciation on Machinery is charged on the basis of usage of such machinery. if it is used for 180 days or more then full depreciation is allowed and if it is used for less than 180 days then only 50% depreciation is allowed.
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