Ivanov A.E.South Ural State University (National Research University), Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation ivanov.chel@list.ru
Importance The article considers the process of emergence and development of the main statutory documents regulating the accounting for goodwill in the leading capitalist countries, and defines the prerequisites of national accounting standards harmonization in this area. Objectives The aim is to acquaint the accounting community with the history of statutory regulation development and reasons for changes in requirements to accounting treatment of goodwill, and to reveal the conformity to the laws of history. Methods The methodological basis of the research is the historical and systematic approach. I identify countries that made the greatest contribution to the development of modern legal framework for goodwill accounting, analyze the national standards of these countries, and consider critical comments of accounting experts that influenced the change in the relevant documents. Results The study describes the evolution of statutory regulation of goodwill at national and international levels, unveils the reasons for changes in requirements to goodwill accounting in the national standards, and highlights the tendency towards their harmonization. Conclusions and Relevance The article may be useful for those interested in the evolution of goodwill and accounting history, namely, scientists, teachers, students, and experts.
Keywords: goodwill, history, statutory regulation, mergers and acquisitions
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