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6.5.2 Financial Lease

A financial lease is really a form of loan agreement. It is one in which the risks and benefits of ownership are substantially transferred from the lessor (usually a financial institution) to the lessee through the lease agreement. The economic substance of the lease is that an asset is purchased by the lessor and is used by the lessee. The lessee gets control of the future economic benefits , but does not legally own the asset, and the lessor finances the transaction by giving the lessee long-term credit. The lessee must record the present value of the lease payments as an intangible non-current asset, called a leased asset with a corresponding long-term liability, called a lease liability in its position statement.

Notice the name given to the asset. If the asset leased is a car the lessee must describe it as a 'leased asset', not as a motor vehicle. This is because the lessee is really acquiring the right to use and control the economic benefits (see the definition of an asset). Legally, the car is still owned by the lessor.

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