Accounting for Amalgamation under the Indian GAAP (AS-14)

AS 14 deals with accounting the accounting to be made in the books of Transfree company in the case of amalgamation and the treatment of any resultant goodwill or reserve.

An amalgamation may be either in the nature of merger or purchase. The standard specifies the conditions to be satisfied by an amalgamation to be considered as amalgamation in nature of merger or purchase.

An amalgamation in nature of merger is accounted for as per pooling of interests method and in nature of purchase is dealt under purchase method.

The standard describes the disclosure requirements for both types of amalgamations in the first financial statements. This statement is directed principally to companies although some of its requirements also apply to financial statements of other enterprises. The other amalgamation aspects are detailed in the next paragraphs of this unit.

This statement does not deal with cases of acquisitions. The distinguishing feature of an acquisition is that the acquired company is not dissolved and its separate entity continues to exist.

Terms used in AS-14

• Amalgamation means an amalgamation pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 or any other statute which may be applicable to companies.
• Transferor company means the company which is amalgamated into another company.
• Transferee company means the company into which a transferor company is amalgamated.