Comparative analysis of notes to financial statements of three small entrepreneurs

Mali poduzetnici uvelike doprinose razvoju gospodarstva Republike Hrvatske, što pokazuju i ukupni prihodi od 190 milijardi kuna u 2019. godini. Većina njih organizirana je kao društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću radi određenih prednosti koje takav oblik organiziranja donosi. Okvir računovodstvenog izvještavanja za male poduzetnike objedinjuje načela, standarde i zakonske propise koji pomažu u sastavljanju i prezentiranju financijskih izvještaja. S obzirom na to da su mali poduzetnici prema Zakonu o računovodstvu RH dužni predati tri vrste financijskih izvještaja, oni moraju biti upoznati sa određenim zakonima i direktivama. Jedna od bitnijih je Direktiva 2013/34/EU koja govori o godišnjim financijskim izvještajima za određene vrste poduzeća. Godišnji financijski izvještaji se dostavljaju financijskoj agenciji, u ovom slučaju to je FINA – vodeća tvrtka na području pružanja financijskih usluga. Izvještaji se mogu predati osobno u poslovnoj jedinici ili putem web aplikacije RGFI (Registar godišnjih financijskih izvješća). Upravo s te aplikacije preuzete su bilješke uz financijske izvještaje triju malih poduzetnika koje su obrađene u ovom radu. Izvještaji su objavljeni javno kako bi korisnici, bili oni investitori, zaposlenici, Vlada, agencije ili građani, dobili uvid o financijskom stanju poduzeća koje ih zanima. Uz bilancu i račun dobiti i gubitka, mali poduzetnici objavili su i bilješke koje dodatno pojašnjavaju strukturu i vrijednost određenih stavki iz prethodna dva izvještaja. Njihova forma nije strogo definirana, međutim postoje određene informacije koje poduzeće mora objaviti. Prethodno navedena direktiva odredila je koje su to informacije i prema tim odredbama odrađena je analiza bilješki u ovom radu. Točnije, napravljena je usporedna analiza koja može predočiti koliko mala poduzeća posvećuju pažnju bilješkama i rade li to u skladu sa Hrvatskim standardima financijskog izvještavanja i Direktivom EU. Načelo pouzdanosti govori o ispravnosti financijskih izvještaja, a bez obzira koristi li poduzeće interno ili eksterno računovodstvo, konačnu odgovornost preuzima menadžer. Navođenjem krivih podataka i manipuliranjem informacijama krši se prethodno navedeni zakon i gubi se povjerenje u poduzeće od strane eksternih korisnika izvještaja. Pregledavanjem navedenih bilješki, vidljivo je da su korištena programska rješenja koja omogućavaju automatsku izradu financijskih izvješća i tako olakšavaju proces izvještavanja.Small entrepreneurs greatly contribute to the development of the economy of the Republic of Croatia, as shown by the total revenues of HRK 190 billion in 2019. Most of them are organized as a limited liability company due to certain advantages that such form of organization brings. Some of the advantages are simpler accounting and tax regulations compared to joint-stock companies. The accounting reporting framework for small businesses brings together principles, standards and legal regulations that assist in the preparation and presentation of financial statements. Considering that according to the Accounting Act of the Republic of Croatia, small entrepreneurs are required to submit three types of financial statements, they must familiarize themselves with certain laws and directives. One of the more important ones is Directive 2013/34/EU which talks about annual financial statements for certain types of companies. Annual financial reports are submitted to a financial agency, in this case it is FINA - a leading company in the field of providing financial services. The reports can be submitted in person at the business unit or through the web app RGFI (Register of Annual Financial Reports). It is from this app that the notes to the financial statements of three small entrepreneurs, which are processed in this paper, were taken. The reports are published so that the users, be they investors, employees, the Government, agencies or citizens, get an insight into the financial condition of the companies they are interested in. In addition to the balance sheet and profit and loss account, small entrepreneurs also published notes that further clarify the structure and value of certain items from the previous two reports. Their form is not strictly defined, however there is certain information that the company must publish. The already mentioned directive determined what this information is, and according to these provisions, the analysis of the notes in this paper was carried out. More precisely, a comparative analysis was made that can show how much attention small companies pay to notes and whether they do so in accordance with Croatian financial reporting standards and the EU Directive. The principle of reliability speaks about the correctness of financial statements, and regardless of whether the company uses internal or external accounting, the manager assumes the final responsibility. Stating wrong data and manipulating information violates the mentioned law and loses trust in the company on the part of external users of the report. All three processed companies are from the area of the city of Split, are organized as a limited liability company and belong to code 79.11. according to the National Classification of Activities. A comparative analysis of their notes shows that companies take care of their content. Using graphics and tables, the reader gets a better idea of the financial indicators of these companies. Although they contain some unnecessary or insufficient information, it can be said that they are well written and meet HSFI. By reviewing the mentioned notes, it is evident that software solutions were used that enable the automatic creation of financial reports and thus facilitate the reporting process