Telefonica S.A. – Annual report – 31 December 2016
Industry: telecoms
[Note: see also 2015 extract]
Note 2. Basis of presentation of the consolidated financial statements (extract)
Recognition of Telefonica’s operation in the United Kingdom
On March 24, 2015, Telefónica, S.A. reached an agreement with Hutchison Whampoa Group for the acquisition of Telefónica’s operations in United Kingdom. In accordance with IFRS 5, companies under the sale agreement were classified as a disposal group held for sale at that date, and their operations qualified as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015.
On May 11, 2016 the European Commission made public its decision to prohibit the transaction. Following this decision, the Board of Directors of Telefónica at its meeting on June 29, 2016 agreed that Telefónica will continue to explore different strategic alternatives for O2 UK, to be implemented when market conditions are deemed appropriate. Given that the execution of a sale transaction is less certain, following the submission of the consolidated financial information of the second quarter of 2016, Telefónica’s operations in United Kingdom were no longer presented as discontinued operations and their assets and liabilities ceased to be classified as held for sale. Thus, items are presented line by line in the consolidated financial statements. Comparative financial statements have been amended accordingly with respect to those published in the consolidated financial statements for the year 2015. The impacts of this classification change are described in Note 23.
Note 23. Recognition of Telefónica’s operation in the United Kingdom
As described in Note 2, in 2016 Telefónica’s operations in United Kingdom (O2 UK) are no longer presented as discontinued operations and its assets and liabilities cease to be classified as held for sale. Thus, items are presented line by line in the consolidated financial statements.
The change in classification entails that financial statements are amended to present O2 UK’s assets and liabilities as if the disposal group had not been classified as held for sale. Also, the results of operations and net cash flows of O2 UK, previously presented in discontinued operations, are reclassified and included in income from continuing operations and net cash flows from continuing operations, respectively, for all periods presented.
The main impacts in 2015 are as follows:
- Assets and liabilities are measured at the carrying amount that would have been recognised had the disposal group not been classified as held for sale in March 2015. Thus, the net carrying amount of those items is recorded for depreciation and amortisation amounting to 897 million euros in the year 2015. The related tax effect amounts to 180 million euros in the year 2015.
- Derecognition of the deferred tax asset resulting from the estimated difference between the tax value and the agreed value in the highly probable sale of O2 UK amounting to 1,789 million euros as of December 31, 2015. Additionally, derecognition of the provision set up for the amount corresponding to the tax amortization of goodwill generated in 2006 in the acquisition of the companies involved in the sale agreement and deducted until December 31, 2015, amounting to 377 million euros as of December 31, 2015.
The impact in the consolidated income statement of the tax effects explained in the previous paragraph is a higher income tax expense amounting to 1,412 million euros in the year 2015.
- Reclassification of the partial adjustment of the goodwill generated on the acquisition of Telefónica Digital Inc. amounting to 104 million euros to the “Other expenses” line item in the consolidated income statement for the year 2015.
In addition to this, hedging transactions entered into by the Group following the agreement with Hutchison Whampoa in order to hedge the foreign exchange risk associated with the amount to be collected in pounds sterling for the sale of O2 UK, no longer qualify for hedge accounting. Therefore, the amount accumulated in “Other comprehensive income” was recycled to the consolidated income statement in 2016 (positive impact amounting to 184 million euros before tax).
Reconciliation of figures for the year 2014 is not included since they coincide with those published in the consolidated financial statements for that fiscal year.
Consolidated statement of financial position at December 31, 2015
A reconciliation of the consolidated statement of financial position reported in the 2015 consolidated financial statements and the amended statement of financial position as presented for comparative purposes in these consolidated financial statements is as follows:
Consolidated income statements for the year ended December 31, 2015
A reconciliation of the consolidated income statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 to the amended consolidated income statements included for comparative purposes within these consolidated financial statements is as follows:
Consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2015
A reconciliation of the consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2015 to the amended statements of cash flows included for comparative purposes in these consolidated financial statements is as follows:
Accounts examples 