The treatment of some typical cash flow items is discussed below.
Extraordinary Items
Inflow or outflow of cash is classified according to the nature of activities that may be operating, investing, or financing activities. Cash flow due to extraordinary items should be shown separately in the cash flow statement to enable users to understand its nature and effect on the cash flow statement.
Interest and Dividends
If cash flow arises due to interest paid or interest and dividend received, then that should be classified as operating activities in case of “financial enterprises”. In case of “other than financial organizations”, the interest paid should be classified as financing activity, and the interest and dividends received should be classified as investing activity.
Note: Dividend paid should be classified as financing activity in both the above cases.
Taxes on Income
Taxes on income should be separately disclosed and should be classified under operating activities in most of the cases except where we can easily identify the taxes according to nature of income but if total amount of tax is given, then it should be classified as operating activities.
Note: Dividend distribution tax will be classified as financing activities.
Cash flows from acquisition and disposal of subsidiaries and other business units:
Cash flow arises due to acquisition or disposal of subsidiary should be shown separately and classified as investing activities. This transaction should be easily identifiable in cash flow statement to enable users to understand the effect of it. The case flow of disposal is not deducted from cash flow of acquisition.
Foreign Currency
Items appearing in a cash flow statement should be shown in local currency value, applying actual foreign currency rate of the particular day on which cash flow statement is going to be prepared. Effect on value of cash and cash equivalents as reflected in the cash flow statement due to change in rate of foreign currency should be shown separately as a reconciliation of changes.
Due to change in foreign currency rate, unrealized gains and losses are not cash flows. However, effect on cash and cash equivalents held or due in foreign currency are reported in cash flow statement in order to reconcile the cash and cash equivalents at the beginning and at the end of the period.
