No par value shares in Singapore a preliminary discussion

Abstract

Little thought is given to the notion of par value although it is frequently used in our Companies Act, Statements of Accounting Standards and financial statements. Academics and practitioners alike apparently do not find it necessary to think much about it because the convention of having a par value for shares has been around for a very long time. At the same time, accounting textbooks more often describe the uses of par value rather than explain the reasons for its use. As a result, students and individuals who are new to this idea often find it difficult to understand, or even misunderstand, the concept of par value.