상법상 중소기업 회계기준의 제정방향과 향후 과제

Abstract

As Article 15 of the Commercial Law Enforcement Ordinance is recentlyamended, Minister of Justice can notice a separate accounting standards forsmall and medium-sized enterprises, for the accounting treatment of theSMEs which is not subject to external audit, and subsequently theaccounting standards to be applied to SMEs easily is enacted. It would be desirable for the accounting standards for SMEs to be appliedto small companies not subject to external audit. However, it will be rightto give private operators the same chance to apply SME accountingstandards. As SMEs have reluctance to disclose and share financialstatements, in the initial stage it will be polite to simplify necessarydisclosure notes in addition to statement of financial position and incomestatement at a minimum, and to adopt disclosure methods other than largecorporations. To enhance the transparency of accounting, incentives forSME’s, i.e. preferential treatment of financial institutions and credit ratingagencies, the tax benefits of government agencies and preferential treatmentof funding, are to be needed. In addition to them effective measures suchas reviewing system by an independent third party should be parallel. In enacting SME accounting standards, social consensus and the balancedparticipation and consensus of stakeholders involved in SME are necessary. Japan’s SME accounting standards was phased into the proposed amendments of the Commercial Code reflecting study results by the SME relatedorganizations, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and theAssociation of Tax Accountants throughout the four-year period. AsCommercial Code Enforcement Decree was amended in the first, and effortto enact each SME accounting standards proposed by the AccountingStandards Board or by the Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants iscurrently being implemented, it is desirable to take much time in reachingthe agreement of each stakeholder. Therefore to allow some years graceperiod of effective date of the SME accounting standards, coupled witheducation, promotion, and distribution of related programs for SMEs, willhelp to settle effective SME accounting standards. In subsequence it will benecessary to revise the related laws, i.e. Commercial Code or Tax Law, forthe private operators.