23. Recently Issued Accounting Standards

New standards, amendments and interpretations not yet effective

The estimated impact and evaluation of the recently issued accounting standards not yet in effect as of December 31, 2018 are as follow:

IFRS 16, Leases

In January 2016, the IASB issued the new accounting standard, IFRS 16 Leases. The fundamental changes in this new standard affect the lessees’ recognition of leases in the financial statements. Generally, all leases have to be recognized based on the “right of use approach”.

IFRS 16 replaces IAS 17 Leases, IFRIC 4 Determining whether an Arrangement contains a Lease, SIC-15 Operating Leases- Incentives and SIC-27 Evaluating the Substance of Transactions Involving the Legal Form of a Lease. IFRS 16 sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases and requires lessees to account for all leases under a single on-balance sheet model similar to the accounting for finance leases under IAS 17. The standard includes two recognition exemptions for lessees – leases of ’low-value’ assets (e.g., personal computers) and short-term leases (i.e., leases with a lease term of 12 months or less). At the commencement date of a lease, a lessee will recognize a liability to make lease payments (i.e., the lease liability) and an asset representing the right to use the underlying asset during the lease term (i.e., the right-of-use asset). Lessees will be required to separately recognize the interest expense on the lease liability and the depreciation expense on the right-of-use asset.

Lessees will be also required to remeasure the lease liability upon the occurrence of certain events (e.g., a change in the lease term, a change in future lease payments resulting from a change in an index or rate used to determine those payments). The lessee will generally recognize the amount of the remeasurement of the lease liability as an adjustment to the right-of-use asset.

Lessor accounting under IFRS 16 is substantially unchanged from today’s accounting under IAS 17. Lessors will continue to classify all leases using the same classification principle as in IAS 17 and distinguish between two types of leases: operating and finance leases.

IFRS 16, which is effective for annual periods beginning on January 1, 2019, requires lessees and lessors to make more extensive disclosures than under IAS 17.

Transition to IFRS 16

The Company will adopt the IFRS 16 using the modified retrospectively method with the date of initial applications on January 1, 2019. Moreover, the Company will apply the new requirements regarding IFRS 16 to all contracts identified as leases under the current accounting standard and reassessed all services, in order to identify lease components or an implicit accounting lease within these contracts.

The Company will elect to use the exemptions applicable to the standard on lease contracts for which the lease terms ends within 12 months as of the date of initial application, and lease contracts for which the underlying asset is of low value. The Company has leases of certain office equipment (i.e., personal computers, printing and photocopying machines, mainly) that are considered low value assets.

The Company identified a significant number of lease assets such as towers, physical facilities (office buildings, stores and sites, mainly), circuits, among others. The implementation of IFRS 16 required a significant effort due to the fact of the need to make certain estimates, such as the leases term, based on the non-cancelable period and the periods covered by options to extend the lease. AMX extended the lease terms beyond the non-cancelable period only when it was reasonably certain to extend it. The reasonability of the extension is affected on several factors, such as regulation, business model, and geographical business strategies.

AMX expects that the changes in the implementation of IFRS 16 will have a significant impact on its financial statements from the date of adoption. The Company expects that the opening balances at the date of initial application will increase in right of use assets and lease liabilities between Ps.113,000,000 and Ps.132,000,000 without a material impact in equity.

Estimated initial impact are based on the assessment conducted to date and could have a difference because of the lease borrowing rate and the volume of contracts considered in the implementation process. The new accounting policies will not be final until the Company presents its first financial statements subsequent to the effective date of IFRS 16.

IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts

In May 2017, the IASB issued IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts (IFRS 17), a comprehensive new accounting standard for insurance contracts covering recognition and measurement, presentation and disclosure. Once effective, IFRS 17 will replace IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts (IFRS 4) that was issued in 2005. IFRS 17 applies to all types of insurance contracts (i.e., life, non-life, direct insurance and re-insurance), regardless of the type of entities that issue them, as well as to certain guarantees and financial instruments with discretionary participation features. A few scope exceptions will apply. The overall objective of IFRS 17 is to provide an accounting model for insurance contracts that is more useful and consistent for insurers. In contrast to the requirements in IFRS 4, which are largely based on grandfathering previous local accounting policies, IFRS 17 provides a comprehensive model for insurance contracts, covering all relevant accounting aspects. The core of IFRS 17 is the general model, supplemented by:

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A specific adaptation for contracts with direct participation features (the variable fee approach)

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A simplified approach (the premium allocation approach) mainly for short-duration contracts

IFRS 17 is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2021, with comparative figures required.

Early application is permitted, provided the entity also applies IFRS 9 and IFRS 15 on or before the date it first applies IFRS 17.

The company is evaluating the effects, however, it does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a significant impact.

IFRIC Interpretation 23 Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatment

The Interpretation addresses the accounting for income taxes when tax treatments involve uncertainty that affects the application of IAS 12 and does not apply to taxes or levies outside the scope of IAS 12, nor does it specifically include requirements relating to interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax treatments.

The Interpretation specifically addresses the following:

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Whether an entity considers uncertain tax treatments separately

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The assumptions an entity makes about the examination of tax treatments by taxation authorities

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How an entity determines taxable profit (tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates

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How an entity considers changes in facts and circumstances

An entity has to determine whether to consider each uncertain tax treatment separately or together with one or more other uncertain tax treatments. The approach that better predicts the resolution of the uncertainty should be followed. The interpretation is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019, but certain transition reliefs are available. The Company will apply the interpretation from its effective date. The Company will establish the processes and procedures to obtain the necessary information to apply the Interpretation in a timely manner.

The company estimates that the adoption of this standard will not have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Amendments to IFRS 9: Prepayment Features with Negative Compensation

Under IFRS 9, a debt instrument can be measured at amortized cost or at fair value through other comprehensive income, provided that the contractual cash flows are ‘solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding’ (the SPPI criterion) and the instrument is held within the appropriate business model for that classification. The amendments to IFRS 9 clarify that a financial asset passes the SPPI criterion regardless of the event or circumstance that causes the early termination of the contract and irrespective of which party pays or receives reasonable compensation for the early termination of the contract.

The amendments should be applied retrospectively and are effective from 1 January 2019, with earlier application permitted. These amendments have no impact on the consolidated financial statements of the Company.

Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28: Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture

The amendments address the conflict between IFRS 10 and IAS 28 in dealing with the loss of control of a subsidiary that is sold or contributed to an associate or joint venture. The amendments clarify that the gain or loss resulting from the sale or contribution of assets that constitute a business, as defined in IFRS 3, between an investor and its associate or joint venture, is recognized in full. Any gain or loss resulting from the sale or contribution of assets that do not constitute a business, however, is recognized only to the extent of unrelated investors’ interests in the associate or joint venture. The IASB has deferred the effective date of these amendments indefinitely, but an entity that early adopts the amendments must apply them prospectively. The Company will apply these amendments when they become effective.

Amendments to IAS 19: Plan Amendment, Curtailment or Settlement

The amendments to IAS 19 address the accounting when a plan amendment, curtailment or settlement occurs during a reporting period. The amendments specify that when a plan amendment, curtailment or settlement occurs during the annual reporting period, an entity is required to:

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Determine current service cost for the remainder of the period after the plan amendment, curtailment or settlement, using the actuarial assumptions used to remeasure the net defined benefit liability (asset) reflecting the benefits offered under the plan and the plan assets after that event.

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Determine net interest for the remainder of the period after the plan amendment, curtailment or settlement using: the net defined benefit liability (asset) reflecting the benefits offered under the plan and the plan assets after that event; and the discount rate used to remeasure that net defined benefit liability (asset).

The amendments also clarify that an entity first determines any past service cost, or a gain or loss on settlement, without considering the effect of the asset ceiling. This amount is recognized in profit or loss.

An entity then determines the effect of the asset ceiling after the plan amendment, curtailment or settlement. Any change in that effect, excluding amounts included in the net interest, is recognized in other comprehensive income.

The amendments apply to plan amendments, curtailments, or settlements occurring on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period that begins on or after 1 January 2019, with early application permitted. These amendments will apply only to any future plan amendments, curtailments, or settlements of the Company.

Amendments to IAS 28: Long-term interests in associates and joint ventures

The amendments clarify that an entity applies IFRS 9 to long-term interests in an associate or joint venture to which the equity method is not applied but that, in substance, form part of the net investment in the associate or joint venture (long-term interests). This clarification is relevant because it implies that the expected credit loss model in IFRS 9 applies to such long-term interests.

The amendments also clarified that, in applying IFRS 9, an entity does not take account of any losses of the associate or joint venture, or any impairment losses on the net investment, recognized as adjustments to the net investment in the associate or joint venture that arise from applying IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures.

The amendments should be applied retrospectively and are effective from 1 January 2019, with early application permitted. Since the Company does not have such long-term interests in its associate and joint venture, the amendments will not have an impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Annual Improvements 2015-2017 Cycle (issued in December 2017)

These improvements include:

• IFRS 3 Business Combinations

The amendments clarify that, when an entity obtains control of a business that is a joint operation, it applies the requirements for a business combination achieved in stages, including remeasuring previously held interests in the assets and liabilities of the joint operation at fair value. In doing so, the acquirer remeasures its entire previously held interest in the joint operation.

An entity applies those amendments to business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or after 1 January 2019, with early application permitted.

These amendments will apply on future business combinations of the Company.

• IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements

A party that participates in, but does not have joint control of, a joint operation might obtain joint control of the joint operation in which the activity of the joint operation constitutes a business as defined in IFRS 3. The amendments clarify that the previously held interests in that joint operation are not remeasured.

An entity applies those amendments to transactions in which it obtains joint control on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or after 1 January 2019, with early application permitted. These amendments are currently not applicable to the Company but may apply to future transactions.

• IAS 12 Income Taxes

The amendments clarify that the income tax consequences of dividends are linked more directly to past transactions or events that generated distributable profits than to distributions to owners. Therefore, an entity recognizes the income tax consequences of dividends in profit or loss, other comprehensive income or equity according to where the entity originally recognized those past transactions or events.

An entity applies those amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019, with early application is permitted. When an entity first applies those amendments, it applies them to the income tax consequences of dividends recognized on or after the beginning of the earliest comparative period. Since the Company´s current practice is in line with these amendments, the Company does not expect any effect on its consolidated financial statements.

• IAS 23 Borrowing Costs

The amendments clarify that an entity treats as part of general borrowings any borrowing originally made to develop a qualifying asset when substantially all of the activities necessary to prepare that asset for its intended use or sale are complete.

An entity applies those amendments to borrowing costs incurred on or after the beginning of the annual reporting period in which the entity first applies those amendments. An entity applies those amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019, with early application permitted. Since the Company´s current practice is in line with these amendments, the Company does not expect any effect on its consolidated financial statements.