The lease is a contract whereby one party, the lessor - grants the right to use a particular good for a period of time to the other party, the lessee - which will pay for the transfer of the right to use a fixed amount regularly. Operating and capital leases are two types of treatments of equipment leases. The classification of leases adopted in International Accounting Standard (IAS) 17 Leases is based on the extent to which risks and rewards incidental to ownership of a leased asset lie with the lessor or the lessee. The type of lease determines how the lease is is booked and determines the tax benefits a company will derive from the lease. In an operating lease, the lessor transfers only the right to use the property to the lessee. At the end of the lease period, the lessee returns the property to the lessor. Since the lessee does not assume the risk of ownership, the lease expense is treated as an operating expense in the income statement and the lease does not affect the balance sheet. In a capital lease, the lessee assumes some of the risks of ownership and enjoys some of the benefits. Consequently, the lease, when signed, is recognized both as an asset and as a liability (for the lease payments) on the balance sheet. The two leasing options lead to different financial statement presentation for companies. It is important for users of financial statements to have a clear picture of the lease obligations of both the lessee and the lessor. The way leasing transactions have been structured in the past has caused major variations in the presentation of financial statements. The objective of the proposed new standard is to facilitate a better understanding of debt financing as it relates to leases. The standard is intended to ensure that leases are reflected properly on the finacial statments. The proposed new IAS, Leases will make no distinction between operating and financing leases. Instead, all leases will be covered under the concept of “right-to-use” asset, which basically means the ability to use a specified asset over the term of the lease. Different financial statement reporting of leases will be required.