Intangible assets threaten to derail the economy

concept of intangible assets is one of the most difficult for people beginning to study accounting.Please pronounced puzzling is the fact that on a balance sheet holding that does not actually exist.Over time, however, in the study of accounting, get used to this term, and it is perceived as a matter of course.

In fact, of intangible assets behave quite simple, so many people think that this is - no problem.However, intangible assets - this is a problem and the problem is very serious.In order to find this notion of pitfalls, it is enough to recall his first impression of acquaintance to intangible assets.You were absolutely right, considering that it is a bit ridiculous.In fact, it is impossible to accurately estimate how much "air", and how much profit it can bring to the enterprise in the future.

But can we call the "air" that, in the economic literature today is considered to be perhaps the engine of any enterprise, as well as the global economy?Of course, yes.So intangible assets are various licenses, patents, technology, the fruits of intellectual labor, copyright and so-called reputation.

Let's start with the most interesting.Reputation of the company - it is the value that the buyer overpaid redeeming shares.That is, he could pay any amount for the absolute, for example, a completely uncompetitive industries and record the difference currently active!Than it is fraught?The investor buys a recycling company for a lot of money.Then she begins to pass through all of their profits, which is produced by other companies.Profits, however, paid off this depreciation of the reputation, which, logically, there should not have been on the balance sheet.The result is a perfectly legal schemes of tax evasion.And from all it looks beautiful - the investor invested, and the company has earned.

blur the concept of intangible assets allows you to go even further.Shareholders may indicate that the brand value of the company has grown, while the company showed a loss.As a result, the company is entering a positive result, and its shares continue to rise, although the accounting year was for her unsuccessfully.

By the way, even such intangible assets, such as: certificates, licenses and technologies that seemingly can have a fixed price, in fact, are not.How can reliably calculate how much money was invested in the development of a technology?How can you determine how much profit will bring the company a particular patent?

course, the initiators of the introduction of intangible assets in accounting have seen this kind of justice.After all, employees are involved in intellectual work, in fact, to create something that in the future may be used for the benefit of the company, even if it is - a common set of numbers.However, it would be better these costs were directly expensed.Let less objectively in terms of accounting, but are not so attractive in terms of fraud.

Swipe fraud intangible assets today take such momentum that threatens the existence of the economy, which we are accustomed to seeing.Investments in intangible assets simply inflate a huge bubble that can burst, making bankruptcy many large and successful companies.Even today, the brand value of the largest companies is estimated to be ten times higher than the cost of their production capacity.But what can be sold under the brand name, if not on what it produce?

It's time to return to the assessment of property companies in the year, tied to the real thing, or we will soon be faced with hyperinflation.For our hard-earned money is nothing but the material is not relevant and no assets to buy is not possible.