Analysis Of Woolworths’ Cash Flow Statement And Other Comprehensive Income Statement

Analysis of Woolworths’ Cash Flow Statement

The reports help the users to accumulate the data and formulate inferences based on data analysis. Different kinds of examinations are made and thereupon the user gets an idea of how to proceed. The annual reports of the company for financial year 2017, 2016 and 2015 have been fetched from company’s website and the same are used as a base for the following report.

The cash flow statement of Woolworths for the financial years 2017, 2016 and 2015 have been analysed and the information contained in the same is studied. As known, the cash flow statement presents the transactions which involve inflow and outflow of a company’s cash balance. This statement pays no regard to the accrual of the transaction; all that’s important is involvement of cash (Kubick, et al. 2016).

From the study of this statement, it’s observed that the company has taken a wonderful step of repayment of its outside liabilities (debts) and even have resorted on taking less debt from outside. Moreover, the company has reduced its cash payment of dividend in financial year 2017 to AUD 540.9 million as compared to AUD 1184.8 million in financial year 2016 and AUD 1538.6 million in years 2015. The cash and cash equivalents at the beginning as well as end have shown the same trend in all three financial years. In financial year 2017 and 2015, the concern has reported proceeds from issue of equity shares which brought a rise in the balance of cash and cash equivalents at the ending period. Over the three financial years the income tax expense has also reduced (Bradley, Dauchy, and Hasegawa, 2018).

The operating activities consist of the cash transactions that arise from the day to day operations of the concern. Investing activities include the transactions arising on account of the investments made by the concern, sale of investments, purchase of plants etc. and other related activities. And the financial activities comprise of the transactions with which the company backs up its fund requirements and related expenses.

The following table provides an insight about the same:

AUD IN MILLION	2016-17	2015-16	2014-15
Net cash provided by operating activities	3122	2375.5	3345.1
Net cash used in investing activities	1431.4	1266.7	1333.9
Net cash used in financing activities	1729.3	1474.9	1610.8

The operating activities, investing activities and financing activities, all have shown an inclination in respective directions (used or provided) in financial year 2017 over financial year 2016.This clearly indicates the different amounts of cash used and provided by each of the activities with changing years. The details could further be fetched from the cash flow statement which indicates deep variations in the individual transactions as well (Brest, Gilson, and Wolfson, 2018).

Other Comprehensive Income Statement

While following the international requirements a concern which prepares a statement of other comprehensive income depicts following information (Edwards, 2017).

AUD in million	2016-2017	2015-16	2014-15
Profit/(Loss) for the period	1,593.4	(2,347.9)	2,137.4
Other comprehensive income
Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss (net of tax)	(2.1)	179	(70.7)
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss (net of tax)	4.4	9.6	15
Other comprehensive income (net of tax)	2.3	188.6	(55.7)
Total comprehensive income from continuing operations	1,480.0	955.4	2244.2
Total comprehensive income/(loss) from discontinued operations	115.7	(3,114.7)	(162.5)
Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the period	1,595.7	(2,159.3)	2081.7
Total comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent entity	1,535.8	(1,046.2)	2,090.1
Non-controlling interests	59.9	(1,113.1)	(8.4)
TOTAL	1,595.7	(2,159.3)	(2,159.3)
Total comprehensive income from continuing operations attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent entity	1,420.1	918.9	2,198.8
Non-controlling interests	59.9	36.5	45.4
TOTAL	1,480.0	955.4	2244.2

The other comprehensive income statement is prepared in accordance with the accounting guidelines and presents the information as stated. A typical statement covers two basic heads: the items that can be reclassified into profit/loss and the items that cannot be reclassified into profit/loss. For both the items are presented net of tax. In the items that can be reclassified into profit/loss, the statement includes the hedging reserves and foreign currency translation reserves (net of income tax) (Watson, 2018). And for the items that cannot be reclassified into profit/loss the reserves are equity instrument reserves and the retained earnings (again net of tax). Both of these items as a whole represent the sum total of other comprehensive income. When the other comprehensive income and the profit and loss figure for the year is added, the resultant figure is called the total comprehensive income for year. This amount can be differently presented as a sum total of the earnings of the entity from continuing and discontinuing businesses (Zuzik, et al. 2018).

The presentation is almost same in every other comprehensive income statement wherein, the sum total of the total comprehensive income is fragmented as a share of the interests held by the equity holders of the parent entity and the non-controlling interest.

For the companies registered and incorporated in Australia, the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) formulates the accounting standards. This board is responsible for formulation, development and implications of these standards. However, as globalisation is ranging every corner of the world, the accounting standards need to be in line with the international requirements. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) lay down the international accounting practices that are required to be followed all over the world.

AASB has incorporated the international requirements in its accounting standards. As per them the concern has to report certain items in a different statement than the profit and loss statement. There can either be two separate statements or one combined statement with differentiated presentation for the statement of profit and loss and statement of other comprehensive income.

Due to this requirement, the company cannot show the items reported in the other comprehensive income statement into the statement of profit and loss. The international as well the Australian standards do not permit that (Dolan, et al. 2018)

AUD IN MILLION	2016-17	2015-16
Current tax expense	729.9	796.6
Adjustments recognised in the current year in relation to the current tax of prior years	(11.6)	1.2
Deferred tax relating to the origination and reversal of temporary differences	119.4	(383.4)
	837.7	414.4

Compliance with Accounting Standards and Regulations

Current tax expense refers to the amount of income tax that represents the current financial year under consideration. From the above table one can observe that the company had recorded the tax expense as AUD 729.9 million for financial year 2017. But it included the adjustments relating to previous financial years also and the deferred taxes relating to the generation and reversal of the temporary differences. After adjusting the both, the actual figure of current tax expense that’s AUD 837.7 million is computed.

Any company carrying on a business has to follow every regulation laid by different statutes. Sometimes the regulations are conflicting and contrasting to each other. Likewise, an entity has to follow both the income tax rules and the accounting policies and the accounting standards.

The accounting income is calculated using the accounting policies and accounting standards and the taxable income is calculated using income tax rules. Taxable income is nothing but the adjusted income after the accounting income is adjusted with temporary differences. For taxation purpose, the company has to calculate tax on the taxable income. (Pulker, Scott, J.A. and Pollard, 2018).

 As a result, the figure of tax changes and is not equal to the multiplicative result of company’s applicable tax rate and the accounting income.

When the tax amount in that case exceeds the accounting income’s tax figure, the company pays more tax than computed on accounting income. In this case the company generates deferred tax asset. On the other hand, if the tax figure computed on the taxable income falls short of the tax amount calculated on the accounting income, the company pays lesser tax than originally required. This calls for creation of deferred tax liability (Farrell,  Greig, and Hamoudi, 2018).

In case of Woolworths, the concern has paid more tax than required on accounting year in both financial year 2017 and 2016 and has managed to generate deferred tax assets.

AUD IN MILLION	2016-17	2015-16
Deferred tax asset	372.3	497.7

Income tax payable amounts to the total amount of tax that company is required to pay in a particular financial year and not for that particular financial year. While the income tax expense for current year amounts to the tax amount that company is liable to pay just for the current year. This figure is the adjusted amount of income tax payable after properly adjusting the figure of deferred tax requirements and the tax expense having accrual relating to previous financial years. Both the figures can be fetched from the table mentioned in requirement (vi).

Challenges Associated with Interpreting the Annual Report

As already discussed in the requirement (i), the statement showing the cash flows only shows the cash paid and received by the company. Its prepared-on cash basis of accounting and not on accrual basis (Balakrishnan, Blouin, and Guay, 2018).

The most interesting, confusing and difficult thing about Woolworths is coincidentally same. It’s the way the annual report is detailed with the different and informed statements. Along with providing the public with useful information, they lead to confuse them with over data and that makes it difficult for the users to interpret and use the same judicially (Genser, and Holzmann2018).

Conclusion

In the current report, Woolworth’s group, an Australian retail giant is taken under consideration to study the same. Woolworths has its operations ruled in New Zealand and Australia with immense operations. It could be inferred that company has complied with the all the reporting and legal rules and laws given under the AASB 112.

References

Balakrishnan, K., Blouin, J. and Guay, W., 2018. Tax Aggressiveness and Corporate Transparency. The Accounting Review.

Bradley, S., Dauchy, E. and Hasegawa, M., 2018. Investor valuations of Japan’s adoption of a territorial tax regime: quantifying the direct and competitive effects of international tax reform. International Tax and Public Finance, 25(3), pp.581-630.

Brest, P., Gilson, R.J. and Wolfson, M.A., 2018. How Investors Can (and Can’t) Create Social Value. Review, 9(6), pp.17-22.

Campbell, J.L., Dhaliwal, D.S., Krull, L.K. and Schwab, C.M., 2018. US multinational corporations’ foreign cash holdings: An empirical estimate and its valuation consequences.

Dolan, C., Blanchet, J., Iyengar, G. and Lall, U., 2018. A model robust real options valuation methodology incorporating climate risk. Resources Policy.

Edwards, A., 2017. The deferred tax asset valuation allowance and firm creditworthiness. Journal of the American Taxation Association Review, 91(6), pp.17-15

Farrell, D., Greig, F. and Hamoudi, A., 2018. Deferred Care: How Tax Refunds Enable Healthcare Spending Review, 91(6), pp.1751-1780.

Genser, B. and Holzmann, R., 2018. A Viable International Tax-Order for Cross-Border Pensions (No. 2018-02). Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.

Kubick, T.R., Lynch, D.P., Mayberry, M.A. and Omer, T.C., 2016. The effects of regulatory scrutiny on tax avoidance: An examination of SEC comment letters. The Accounting Review, 91(6), pp.1751-1780.

Pulker, C.E., Scott, J.A. and Pollard, C.M., 2018. Ultra-processed family foods in Australia: nutrition claims, health claims and marketing techniques. Public health nutrition, 21(1), pp.38-48.

Watson, L., 2018. The Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance and Firm Creditworthiness. The Journal of the American Taxation Association, 40(1), pp.81-85.

Zuzik, J., Mixtaj, L., Weiss, E., Weiss, R. and Laskovský, V., 2018. Quality of business valuation methods in Slovakian mining industry 42(1), pp.81-87.