It introduces the "linkage" concept, which means a taxpayer's LIFO method will not clearly reflect income without a link between the scope of the LIFO election and the LIFO
pooling method.
In the short run, however, acquiring companies who relied heavily on
pooling will see significant changes in financial ratios as they switch to the purchase method.
* Unlike other exchange transactions, the
pooling of interests method does not record fair values of the items exchanged;
This is not permitted if the company applies
pooling accounting.
Index-based
pooling overcomes these weaknesses by using a catastrophe index instead of individual company losses.
The concept of separating purchased and produced goods for LIFO
pooling purposes is based on differences in the costing configuration, which might distort income.
They argue that eliminating the
pooling method for those transactions is not conceptually correct, and that both methods should be preserved because each produces accounting results that appropriately reflect key differences in the ownership, structure and strategic intent of the combined entity.
The Visio deal would have been made whether or not the
pooling method was available, he said, showing little concern over the effect of goodwill charges on Microsoft's earnings.
However, a benefit may result from
pooling changes.
Robert Willens, a CPA with Lehman Brothers, said FASB's elimination of the pooling-of-interests method will increase the number and pacing of
pooling transactions between now and the time the change goes into effect.
"The use of
pooling of interests is very important in some mergers," said Crooch, "and I have even had clients tell me, `If we can't account for this merger as a
pooling of interests, we're not going to do it at all.'"
Absent also was the notion a true
pooling could hardly occur without a continuity of management or complementary lines of business.