Companies Act
As per Para 20 of AS 10 it is written
that the cost of a fixed asset
should comprise its purchase price and any attributable cost of bringing the
asset to its working condition for its intended use.
As per Para 3 of AS 16 A qualifying asset is an asset that necessarily
takes a substantial period of time to get ready for its
intended use.
As per para 19 of AS 16 Capitalisation of borrowing costs
should cease when substantially all the activities necessary to prepare the
qualifying asset for its intended use or sale are complete.
Thus capitalisation stops when the asset is intended to be used, nowhere
does AS 10 or AS 16 refer to date of use as cut of date for capitalisation.
Both the AS are unanimous to stop capitalisation on date when the assets are
ready for intended use.
But Capitalisation of exp and charging depreciation
on assets are two separate things. For date from which depreciation is to be
charged we would have to visit AS 6.
As per AS -6, Depreciation is a
measure of the wearing out, consumption or other loss of value of a depreciable
asset arising from use, effluxion of time or obsolescence through technology and
market changes.
In other hand, Depreciable
assets are assets which
(i) are expected to be used during more than one accounting period; and
(ii) have a limited useful life; and
(iii) are held by an enterprise for use in the
production or supply of goods and services, for rental to others, or for
administrative purposes and not for the purpose of sale in the ordinary course of
business.
Thus depreciation should be
charge according to AS-6 if it is ready for put to use in the business.
It has been observed by ICAI
expert committee that:-
“Since according to accepted accounting principles,
depreciation also arises out of efflux of time, it would be necessary for the
purpose of section 205 to provide for depreciation even in respect of assets
which are not in use during any financial year”
The Committee also notes that it has been decided by courts
in certain cases that as soon as an item
of asset is installed and is ready for use, depreciation can be provided even
though the said asset is not actually used for the whole or part of the
relevant financial year.
Comanies Act Sec 350 – Ascertainment of
depreciation.
The amount of depreciation to be deducted in pursuance of clause (k) of
subsection
(4) of section 349 (Section 349 refers deductions to be made from revenue
for arriving at net Profit) shall be the amount of depreciation on assets as
shown by the books of the company at the end of the financial year expiring at
the commencement of this Act or immediately thereafter and at the end of each subsequent
financial year at the rate specified in Schedule XIV: