Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation and Liquidity

 

The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared using the accrual method of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities in the normal course of business. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company has incurred losses in the amounts of approximately $13.7 million and $4.1 million, respectively.

 

As of April 30, 2018, we had cash totaling approximately $7.6 million. During the year ended April 30, 2018, The Company completed private placements to several investors for the sale of the Company’s common stock for aggregate net proceeds of approximately $2.6 million between July 2017 and October 2017 and completed a private placement to several investors for the sale of the Company’s Series E Preferred Stock and warrants for aggregate net proceeds of approximately $4.9 million in January 2018 (See Note 6). Cash flows from financing activities continued to provide the primary source of our liquidity. The Company is anticipating raising additional capital but there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so or if the terms will be favorable. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets or the amounts of and classification of liabilities that might be necessary in the event the Company cannot continue in existence.

 

The above financing transactions substantially lowered the Company’s potential cash exposure. Additionally, the Company is able to control cash spending on its exploration activities. As a result, as of the date of the issuance of these consolidated financial statements, the Company believes its current cash position as a result of the Company’s financing activities during the year ended April 30, 2018 has alleviated substantial doubt about its ability to sustain operations through at least the next 12 months from the issuance date of the consolidated financial statements.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. As of April 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company does not have any cash equivalents.

 

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

 

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated balance sheet, and revenues and expenses for the period then ended. Actual results may differ significantly from those estimates. Significant estimates made by management include, but are not limited to valuation of mineral rights, goodwill, stock-based compensation, the fair value of common stock issued and the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. ASC 820 establishes a common definition for fair value to be applied in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America that requires the use of fair value measurements, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure about such fair value measurements.

 

ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Additionally, ASC 820 requires the use of valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

  

These inputs are prioritized below:

 

Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data, which require the use of the reporting entity’s own assumptions.

 

The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s (“FASB”) accounting standard for such instruments. Under this standard, financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

 

The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash, prepaid expense and other current assets – current, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities, approximate their estimated fair values based on the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

Goodwill and other intangible assets

 

In accordance with ASC 350-30-65, the Company assesses the impairment of identifiable intangibles whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors the Company considers to be important which could trigger an impairment review include the following:

 

  1. Significant underperformance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results;
  2. Significant changes in the manner of use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the overall business; and
  3. Significant negative industry or economic trends.

 

When the Company determines that the carrying value of intangibles may not be recoverable based upon the existence of one or more of the above indicators of impairment and the carrying value of the asset cannot be recovered from projected undiscounted cash flows, the Company records an impairment charge. The Company measures any impairment based on a projected discounted cash flow method using a discount rate determined by management to be commensurate with the risk inherent in the current business model. Significant management judgment is required in determining whether an indicator of impairment exists and in projecting cash flows.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, or at least annually. The Company recognizes an impairment loss when the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. The amount of impairment is measured as the difference between the asset’s estimated fair value and its book value. During the year ended April 30, 2018, the Company determined that the carrying value of Goodwill (see Note 4) exceeded its fair value, which triggered an impairment analysis. The Company recorded a goodwill impairment expense of $6,094,760 during the year ended April 30, 2018, nonrecurring level 3 fair value measurement.

 

Mineral Rights

 

Costs of lease, exploration, carrying and retaining unproven mineral lease properties are expensed as incurred. The Company expenses all mineral exploration costs as incurred as it is still in the exploration stage. If the Company identifies proven and probable reserves in its investigation of its properties and upon development of a plan for operating a mine, it would enter the development stage and capitalize future costs until production is established.

 

When a property reaches the production stage, the related capitalized costs are amortized on a units-of-production basis over the proven and probable reserves following the commencement of production. The Company assesses the carrying costs of the capitalized mineral properties for impairment under ASC 360-10, “Impairment of long-lived assets”, and evaluates its carrying value under ASC 930-360, “Extractive Activities - Mining”, annually. An impairment is recognized when the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the mineral properties. Impairment losses, if any, are measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the mineral properties over its estimated fair value.

 

To date, the Company has not established the commercial feasibility of any exploration prospects; therefore, all exploration costs are being expensed.

 

ASC 930-805, “Extractive Activities-Mining: Business Combinations” (“ASC 930-805”), states that mineral rights consist of the legal right to explore, extract, and retain at least a portion of the benefits from mineral deposits. Mining assets include mineral rights. Acquired mineral rights are considered tangible assets under ASC 930-805. ASC 930-805 requires that mineral rights be recognized at fair value as of the acquisition date. As a result, the direct costs to acquire mineral rights are initially capitalized as tangible assets. Mineral rights include costs associated with acquiring patented and unpatented mining claims.

 

ASC 930-805 provides that in measuring the fair value of mineral assets, an acquirer should take into account both:

 

● The value beyond proven and probable reserves (“VBPP”) to the extent that a market participant would include VBPP in determining the fair value of the assets.

 

● The effects of anticipated fluctuations in the future market price of minerals in a manner that is consistent with the expectations of market participants.

 

Share-Based Compensation

 

Share-based compensation is accounted for based on the requirements of ASC 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation’ (“ASC 718”) which requires recognition in the financial statements of the cost of employee and director services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments over the period the employee or director is required to perform the services in exchange for the award (presumptively, the vesting period). ASC 718 also requires measurement of the cost of employee and director services received in exchange for an award based on the grant-date fair value of the award. Pursuant to ASC 505, “Equity – Equity Based Payments to Non-Employees” (“ASC 505-50”), for share-based payments to consultants and other third-parties, compensation expense is determined at the measurement date which is the grant date. Until the measurement date is reached, the total amount of compensation expense remains uncertain.

 

Accounting for Warrants

 

The Company classifies as equity any contracts that (i) require physical settlement or net-share settlement or (ii) gives the Company a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in its own shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement). The Company classifies as assets or liabilities any contracts that (i) require net-cash settlement (including a requirement to net-cash settle the contract if an event occurs and if that event is outside the control of the Company) or (ii) gives the counterparty a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement).

  

The Company assessed the classification of its common stock purchase warrants as of the date of each equity offering and determined that such instruments met the criteria for equity classification, as the settlement terms indicate that the instruments are indexed to the entity’s underlying stock.

 

Convertible Preferred Stock

 

The Company accounts for its convertible preferred stock under the provisions of ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”, which sets forth the standards for how an issuer classifies and measures certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. ASC 480 requires an issuer to classify a financial instrument that is within the scope of ASC 480 as a liability if such financial instrument embodies an unconditional obligation to redeem the instrument at a specified date and/or upon an event certain to occur.

 

Convertible Instruments

 

The Company bifurcates conversion options from their host instruments and account for them as free standing derivative financial instruments according to certain criteria. The criteria includes circumstances in which (a) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, (b) the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not re-measured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur and (c) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. An exception to this rule when the host instrument is deemed to be conventional as that term is described under applicable U.S. GAAP.

 

When the Company has determined that the embedded conversion options should not be bifurcated from their host instruments, the Company records, when necessary, a beneficial conversion feature (“BCF”) related to the issuance of convertible debt and equity instruments that have conversion features at fixed rates that are in-the-money when issued, and the fair value of warrants issued in connection with those instruments. The BCF for the convertible instruments is recognized and measured by allocating a portion of the proceeds to warrants, based on their relative fair value, and as a reduction to the carrying amount of the convertible instrument equal to the intrinsic value of the conversion feature. The discounts recorded in connection with the BCF and warrant valuation are recognized a) for convertible debt as interest expense over the term of the debt, using the effective interest method or b) for convertible preferred stock as dividends at the time the stock first becomes convertible.

  

Income taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes pursuant to the provision of ASC 740-10, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASC 740-10”), which requires, among other things, an asset and liability approach to calculating deferred income taxes. The asset and liability approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is provided to offset any net deferred tax assets for which management believes it is more likely than not that the net deferred asset will not be realized.

 

The Company follows the provision of ASC 740-10 related to Accounting for Uncertain Income Tax Positions. When tax returns are filed, there may be uncertainty about the merits of positions taken or the amount of the position that would be ultimately sustained. In accordance with the guidance of ASC 740-10, the benefit of a tax position is recognized in the financial statements in the period during which, based on all available evidence, management believes it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of appeals or litigation processes, if any. Tax positions taken are not offset or aggregated with other positions.

 

Tax positions that meet the more likely than not recognition threshold are measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely of being realized upon settlement with the applicable taxing authority. The portion of the benefit associated with tax positions taken that exceed the amount measured as described above should be reflected as a liability for uncertain tax benefits in the accompanying balance sheet along with any associated interest and penalties that would be payable to the taxing authorities upon examination. The Company believes its tax positions are all more likely than not to be upheld upon examination. As such, the Company has not recorded a liability for uncertain tax benefits.

 

The Company has adopted ASC 740-10-25, “Definition of Settlement”, which provides guidance on how an entity should determine whether a tax position is effectively settled for the purpose of recognizing previously unrecognized tax benefits and provides that a tax position can be effectively settled upon the completion and examination by a taxing authority without being legally extinguished. For tax positions considered effectively settled, an entity would recognize the full amount of tax benefit, even if the tax position is not considered more likely than not to be sustained based solely on the basis of its technical merits and the statute of limitations remains open. The federal and state income tax returns of the Company are subject to examination by the IRS and state taxing authorities, generally for three years after they are filed.

 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was enacted in December 2017. Among other things, the Act reduced the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 34 percent to 21 percent as of January 1, 2018 and eliminated the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) for corporations. Since the deferred tax assets are expected to reverse in a future year, it has been tax effected using the 21% federal corporate tax rate. As a result of the reduction in the corporate tax rate, the Company decreased its gross deferred tax assets by approximately $2.1 million which was offset by a corresponding decrease to the valuation allowance as of April 30, 2018, which has no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2018.

 

On December 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118, which allows a measurement period, not to exceed one year, to finalize the accounting for the income tax effects of the Act. Until the accounting for the income tax effects of the Act is complete, the reported amounts are based on reasonable estimates, are disclosed as provisional and reflect any adjustments in subsequent periods as estimates are refined or the accounting of the tax effects are completed.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting”, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include all share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. ASU 2018-07 specifies that Topic 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which the grantor acquires goods and services to be used or consumed in its own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. ASU 2018-07 also clarifies that Topic 718 does not apply to share-based payments used to effectively provide (1) financing to the issuer or (2) awards granted in conjunction with selling goods or services to customers as part of a contract accounted for under ASC 606. ASU 2018-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted, but no earlier than our adoption of ASC 606. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact this guidance will have on its condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by FASB that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on the financial statements upon adoption. The Company does not discuss recent pronouncements that are not anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.