mike23 Jun 1, 2014:

Sure thing
"Under the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) a provision is a liability, while under United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) it is an expense. Thus, in the United States, a liability for income tax is described as Income Tax Expense, while under IFRS it is described as Income Tax Payable. Similarly, warranty costs are treated as an expense under GAAP and a liability under IFRS."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provision_(accounting)
http://www.accountantforums.com/provisions-under-ifrs-and-ga...

The word 'reserve' may be confusing too
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-reserve-accounting.htm

Monika Wojewoda Jun 1, 2014:

One should be careful when using the term "an expense", as there are expenses recognized for accounting purposes and those which are recorded for tax purposes, and the former and the latter are not always the same items.