An Alternative Approach to Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity
针对会计界长期争论的负债与权益区分问题，提出“赚取资本法”，将外部资本归为负债、赚取资本归为权益，并讨论其概念基础与财务报告影响。
SYNOPSIS In response to a longstanding debate within the accounting profession on how to clearly distinguish liabilities from equity, we offer an alternative liability-equity classification scheme (the “Earned Capital Approach”) in which capital acquired in exchange for issuing claims (“external capital”) is classified as liabilities and capital acquired in exchange for providing goods and services (“earned capital”) is classified as equity. The Earned Capital Approach differs from the approach underlying current financial reporting standards in that it is based on a fundamental distinction between the firm and its claimants rather than a distinction between types of claimants (e.g., owners versus creditors). In this paper, we summarize the accounting profession's ongoing attempts to distinguish liabilities from equity and discuss the conceptual underpinnings and financial reporting implications of the Earned Capital Approach.