Revaluation of Tangible Fixed Assets: A Comparison of Tax and Financial Effects in Terms of TAS 16 and Tax Procedure Law Applications
Chapter from the book:
Doğan,
Z.
(ed.)
2026.
Current Issues in Accounting.
Synopsis
The book values of economic assets, particularly in an inflationary environment, often fail to reflect their current market values. For this reason, revaluation practices have gained significant importance in order to enhance the reliability of businesses’ financial statements and support the decision-making processes of stakeholders. Revaluation is applied within the framework of both Turkish Accounting Standard 16 (TAS 16) and the Tax Procedure Law. It ensures that economic assets are presented in the financial statements at their current values. From a tax legislation perspective, the continuous revaluation carried out under the provisions of Repeated Article 298/Ç of the Tax Procedure Law creates additional depreciation expense for depreciable tangible fixed assets, thereby reducing the tax burden. On the other hand, the one-time revaluation performed under Provisional Article 32, which applies to both depreciable and non-depreciable tangible fixed assets, provides tax advantages for assets that are planned to be disposed of in the short term. This situation highlights that when deciding which revaluation method to apply, businesses must consider not only the current period’s taxation but also the future tax burden and the treatment of revaluation surpluses—whether they are added to capital or transferred to a special fund account. From an accounting standards perspective, revaluation requires that increases in the fair value of tangible fixed assets be recognized in other comprehensive income and accounted for under a revaluation surplus (revaluation fund). This approach allows the increase in the value of tangible fixed assets to be transferred to prior years’ profits, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the enterprise’s financial structure. In conclusion, revaluation practices not only ensure that financial statements are presented fairly and reliably in accordance with their true economic substance, but also serve as an important tool that supports the financial sustainability of businesses and enhances their capacity for tax and financial planning. Furthermore, the revaluation surpluses arising from revaluation strengthen equity and can create favorable effects for businesses in areas such as finance expense restrictions and thin capitalization calculations. They can also contribute to reducing or even eliminating the risks of technical insolvency and over-indebtedness.
