... $3 trillion in operating lease obligations, ... For non-financial companies, those obligations equate to more than one quarter of their long-term (on-balance sheet) debt....
Operating leases are actually pretty similar to debt. They represent money companies will be obliged to cough up in future to rent things like planes, ships and retail floor space. But right now you won't find them on the balance sheet....
...From 2019, this will change. New accounting rules called IFRS 16 will force companies to include operating lease commitments as part of their reported debt and assets...
...this is going to make companies appear far more leveraged. Debt will increase compared to equity. At the same time, earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization may increase because leases will be depreciated, not expensed. Retailers can typically expect an Ebitda uplift of more than 40 percent, PwC found.
The impact on reported liabilities is likely to prove most significant though....
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