CHANGES IN FIXED ASSETS ARISING FROM THE CONVERGENCE TO INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS: THE CASE OF COMPANY ALFA

In the Balance Sheet of companies, fixed assets are considered the goods destinated to the operations of the company. In this context, depreciation corresponds to a decrease of property value resulting from the usage of the goods, the action of the nature or obsolescence. The adoption by companies of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), together with the Brazilian Law 11.638/07, has brought some changes in the criteria of goods registred as fixed assets, mainly in the way of calculating depreciation. Before this law, it was calculated obeying rates established by the tax authorities, but now, under the new rules, the depreciation rates used may be elaborated according to the use, regarding to the criteria established by the company itself, only if properly justified. Therefore, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the changes and impacts brought by Law 11.638/07 on company Alfa's fixed assets. By the end of this study, it was possible to identify the adjustments made to bring more credibility to the company's results, making it closer to the reality.