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Normal Balances refer to whether the balance for an account in a properly-formed trial balance is usually a debt or a credit. A normal balance also reflects the accounting equation. If a trial balance for an account is reversed, such an account is called a "contra-account" (e.g. accumulated depreciation as an asset or owners drawings as equity ...
The following example assumes that a company purchases an asset for $1,000 which is depreciated for accounting purposes on a straight-line basis of five years of $200/year. The company claims tax depreciation of 25% per year on a reducing balance basis.
Accounting constraints (also known as the constraints of accounting) are the practical limitations and guidelines that influence how financial statements are prepared and interpreted. These constraints acknowledge that ideal accounting practices may need to be adjusted due to factors like the availability of reliable information, the cost of ...
Contra-accounts are accounts with negative balances that offset other balance sheet accounts. Examples are accumulated depreciation (offset against fixed assets), and the allowance for bad debts (offset against accounts receivable). Deferred interest is also offset against receivables rather than being classified as a liability.
Keynesian economics advocates the use of automatic and discretionary countercyclical policies to lessen the impact of the business cycle. One example of an automatically countercyclical fiscal policy is progressive taxation. By taxing a larger proportion of income when the economy expands, a progressive tax tends to decrease demand when the ...
However, there are instances of accounts, known as contra-accounts, which have a normal balance opposite that listed above. Examples include: Contra-asset accounts (such as accumulated depreciation and allowances for bad debt or obsolete inventory) Contra-revenue accounts (such as sales allowances) Contra-equity accounts (such as treasury stock)
For example, sales returns and allowance and sales discounts are contra revenues with respect to sales, as the balance of each contra (a debit) is the opposite of sales (a credit). To understand the actual value of sales, one must net the contras against sales, which gives rise to the term net sales (meaning net of the contras).
The accounting equation plays a significant role as the foundation of the double-entry bookkeeping system. The primary aim of the double-entry system is to keep track of debits and credits and ensure that the sum of these always matches up to the company assets, a calculation carried out by the accounting equation.