FR – L2 – Q75 – Statement of Cash Flows

(a) Apex Ltd is a wholesaler and retailer of office furniture. Extracts from the company’s financial statements are set out below:

Statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year ended:

31 March 20X9 31 March 20X8
GH₵’000 GH₵’000 GH₵’000 GH₵’000
Revenue: 12,800 26,500
53,000 65,800 28,500 55,000
Cost of sales (43,800) (33,000)
Gross profit 22,000 22,000
Operating expenses (11,200) (6,920)
Finance costs:
– loan notes (380) (180)
– overdraft (220) (600) (180)
Profit before tax 10,200 14,900
Income tax expense (3,200) (4,400)
Profit for the year 7,000 10,500
Other comprehensive income:
Gain on property revaluation 5,000 1,200
Total comprehensive income 12,000 11,700

Statement of changes in equity for the year ended 31 March 20X9

Stated Capital GH₵’000 Capital Surplus GH₵’000 Income Surplus GH₵’000 Total GH₵’000
Balances b/f 8,500 2,500 15,800 26,800
Share issue 12,900 12,900
Comprehensive income 5,000 7,000 12,000
Dividends paid (4,000) (4,000)
Balances c/f 21,400 7,500 18,800 47,700

Statements of financial position as at 31 March:

20X9 GH₵’000 20X9 GH₵’000 20X8 GH₵’000 20X8 GH₵’000
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment 43,200 30,600
43,200 30,600
Current assets
Inventories 7,800 5,600
Trade receivables 8,900 4,800
Cash and cash equivalents 600 1,200
17,300 11,600
Total assets 60,500 42,200
Equity and liabilities
Equity
Stated capital 21,400 8,500
Capital surplus 7,500 2,500
Income surplus 18,800 15,800
47,700 26,800
Non-current liabilities
Loan notes 5,000 3,000
Current liabilities
Trade payables 4,800 6,900
Bank overdraft 600 1,500
Taxation 2,400 4,000
7,800 12,400
Total equity and liabilities 60,500 42,200

The following information is also relevant:
(i) During the year, property, plant and equipment costing GH₵2,600,000 was acquired.
(ii) The depreciation charge for the year to 31 March 20X9 was GH₵2,800,000. There were no disposals of non-current assets during the year.
(iii) The increase in loan notes was due to an issue of further notes at par on 1 April 20X8.

Required:
Prepare a statement of cash flows for Apex Ltd for the year ended 31 March 20X9 in accordance with IAS 7, using the indirect method.

(b) In the year to 31 March 20X9, the directors of Apex Ltd decided to source their supplies from a new supplier located in Kumasi. The new supplier offered a 10% reduction in the cost of purchases compared with the previous supplier. However, the new supplier offered a shorter period of credit than the previous supplier (all purchases are on credit). In order to encourage higher sales, Apex Ltd increased its credit period to its customers, and some of the cost savings (on trade purchases) were passed on to customers by reducing selling prices on both cash and credit sales by 5% across all products.

Required:
(i) Calculate the gross profit margin that you would have expected Apex Ltd to achieve for the year ended 31 March 20X9 based on the selling and purchase price changes described by the directors. (2 marks)
(ii) Comment on the directors’ surprise at the unchanged gross profit and suggest what other factors may have affected gross profit for the year ended 31 March 20X9.

(a). Apex Ltd – Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 March 20X9
(GH₵’000)

Cash flows from operating activities
Profit before tax 10,200
Adjustments for:
Depreciation 2,800
Finance costs 600
Increase in inventories (7,800 – 5,600) (2,200)
Increase in trade receivables (8,900 – 4,800) (4,100)
Decrease in trade payables (6,900 – 4,800) (2,100)
Cash generated from operations 5,200
Interest paid (600)
Income taxes paid (W1) (4,800)
Net cash from operating activities (200)

Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (2,600)
Net cash used in investing activities (2,600)

Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of share capital 12,900
Proceeds from issue of loan notes (5,000 – 3,000) 2,000
Dividends paid (4,000)
Net cash from financing activities 10,900

| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | 8,100 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year (1,200 – 1,500) | (300) |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of year (600 – 600) | 0 |

Workings:
W1: Income taxes paid

GH₵’000
Opening tax liability 4,000
Charge for the year 3,200
Closing tax liability (2,400)
Taxes paid 4,800

(b) (i) Taking the figures for the year ended 31 March 20X8 and applying the 10% reduction in purchase costs and the 5% discount to customers, the directors would have expected the gross profit to be as follows:

GH₵’000
Revenue (55,000 × 95%) 52,250
Cost of sales (33,000 × 90%) (29,700)
Gross profit 22,550
Gross profit % (22,550 / 52,250 × 100) 43.2%

The actual gross profit % for the year ended 31 March 20X9 is:
(22,000 / 65,800 × 100) = 33.4%

(ii) The directors should not be surprised at the unchanged gross profit as cost of sales has increased by the same amount as revenue, wiping out any possible increase in gross profit. In fact, the actual gross profit margin has fallen from 40% in 20X8 to 33.4% in 20X9, so despite the 10% reduction in the cost of purchases, the company was trading less profitably.

Possible reasons for this could be:

  • Shipping costs involved in importing goods having to be borne by the recipient;
  • Import duties;
  • Currency exchange losses, perhaps exacerbated by having to pay within a shorter period;
  • Inventory losses – uninsured by damage, obsolescence, etc.;
  • Selling a larger proportion of goods on which the gross profit % is lower than the average mark-up;
  • Perhaps sales or special offers to customers, which will have to lower the average mark-up;
  • The foreign supplier may have increased his prices at some point during the year;
  • Also, there may have been changes in accounting policy during the year – perhaps depreciation or distribution costs which were treated as expenses in 20X8 and have been charged to cost of sales in 20X9. If this has happened, it will require retrospective restatement so that 20X8 and 20X9 can be correctly compared.