Chapter 10 Interemdiate Accounting: Questions

1. The major characteristics of plant assets are (1) that they are acquired for use in operations and not for resale, (2) that they are long-term in nature and usually subject to depreciation, and (3) that they have physical substance.

2. The company should report the asset at its historical cost of $450,000, not its current value. The main reasons for this position are (1) at the date of acquisition, cost reflects fair value; (2) historical cost involves actual, not hypothetical transactions, and as a result is extremely reliable; and (3) gains and losses should not be anticipated but should be recognized when the asset is sold.

3. (a) The acquisition costs of land may include the purchase or contract price, the broker's commission, title search and recording fees, assumed taxes or other liabilities, and surveying, demolition (less salvage), and landscaping costs. (b) Machinery and equipment costs may properly include freight and handling, taxes on purchase, insurance in transit, installation, and expenses of testing and breaking-in. (c) If a building is purchased, all repair charges, alterations, and improvements necessary to ready the building for its intended use should be included as a part of the acquisition cost. Building costs in addition to the amount paid to a contractor may include excavation, permits and licenses, architect's fees, interest accrued on funds obtained for construction purposes (during construction period only) called avoidable interest, insurance premiums applicable to the constrution period, temporary buildings and structures, and property taxes levied on the building during the construction period.

4. (a) Land. (b) Land. (c) Land. (d) Machinery. The only controversy centers on whether fixed overhead should be allocated as a cost to the machinery. (e) Land Improvements, should be depreciated. (f) Buildings. (g) Buildings, provided the benefits in terms of information justify the additional cost involved in providing the information. (h) Land. (i) Land.

5. (a) The position that no fixed overhead should be capitalized assumes that the construction of plant (fixed) assets will be timed so as not to interfere with normal operations. If this were not the case, the savings anticipated by constructing instead of purchasing plant assets would be nullified by reduced profits on the product that could have been manufactured and sold. Thus, construction of plant assets during periods of low activity will have a minimal effect on the total amount of overhead costs. To capitalize a portion of fixed overhead as an element of the cost of constructed assets would, under these circumstances, reduce the amount assignable to operations and therefore overstate net income in the construction period and understate net income in subsequent periods because of increased depreciation charges. (b) Capitalizing overhead at the same rate as is charged to normal operations is defended by those who believe that all manufacturing overhead serves a dual purpose during plant asset construction periods. Any attempt to assign construction activities less overhead than the normal rate implies costing favors and results in the misstatement of the cost of both plant assets and finished goods.

6. (a) Disagree. Organization and promotion expenses should be expensed. (b) Agree. Architect's fees for plans actually used in construction of the building should be charged to the building account as part of the cost. (c) Agree. GAAP recommends that avoidable interest or actual interest cost, whichever is lower, be capitalized as part of the cost of acquiring an asset if a significant period of time is required to bring the asset to a condition or location necessary for its intended use. Interest costs are capitalized starting with the first expenditure related to the asset and capitalization would continue until the asset is substantially completed and ready for its intended use. Property taxes during construction should also be charged to the building account. (d) Disagree. Interest revenue is not considered part of the acquisition cost of the building and should be recorded as revenue.

7. Since the land for the plant site will be used in the operations of the firm, it is classified as property, plant, and equipment. The other tract is being held for speculation. It is classified as an investment.

8. A common accounting justification is that all costs associated with the construction of an asset, including interest, should be capitalized in order that the costs can be matched to the revenues which the new asset will help generate.

9. Assets that do not qualify for interest capitalization are (1) assets that are in use or ready for their intended use, and (2) assets that are not being used in the earnings activities of the firm.

10. The avoidable interest is determined by multiplying (an) interest rate(s) by the weighted-average amount of accumulated expenditures on qualifying assets. For the portion of weighted-average accumulated expenditures which is less than or equal to any amounts borrowed specifically to finance construction of the assets, the capitalization rate is the specific interest rate incurred. For the portion of weighted-average accumulated expenditures which is greater than specific debt incurred, the interest rate is a weighted average of all other interest rates incurred. The amount of interest to be capitalized is the avoidable interest, or the actual interest incurred, whichever is lower. As indicated in the chapter, an alternative to the specific rate is to use an average borrowing rate.

11. The total interest cost incurred during the period should be disclosed, indicating the portion capitalized and the portion charged to expense. Interest revenue from temporarily invested excess funds should not be offset against interest cost when determining the amount of interest to be capitalized. The interest revenue would be reported in the same manner customarily used to report any other interest revenue.

12. (a) Assets acquired by issuance of capital stock—when property is acquired by issuance of common stock, the cost of the property is not measured by par or stated value of such stock. If the stock is actively traded on the market, then the market value of the stock is a fair indication of the cost of the property because the market value of the stock is a good measure of the current cash equivalent price. If the market value of the common stock is not determinable, then the market value of the property should be established and used as the basis for recording the asset and issuance of common stock. (b) Assets acquired by gift or donation—when assets are acquired in this manner a strict cost concept would dictate that the valuation of the asset be zero. However, in this situation, accountants record the asset at its fair value. The credit should be made to Contribution Revenue. Contributions received should be credited to revenue unless the contribution is from a governmental unit. Even in that case, we believe that the credit should be to Contribution Revenue. (c) Cash discount—when assets are purchased subject to a cash discount, the question of how the discount should be handled occurs. If the discount is taken, it should be considered a reduction in the asset cost. Different viewpoints exist, however, if the discount is not taken. One approach is that the discount must be considered a reduction in the cost of the asset. The rationale for this approach is that the terms of these discounts are so attractive that failure to take the discount must be considered a loss because management is inefficient. The other view is that failure to take the discount should not be considered a loss, because the terms may be unfavorable or the company might not be prudent to take the discount. Presently both methods are employed in practice. The former approach is conceptually correct. (d) Deferred payments—assets should be recorded at the present value of the consideration exchanged between contracting parties at the date of the transaction. In a deferred payment situation, there is an implicit (or explicit) interest cost involved, and the accountant should be careful not to include this amount in the cost of the asset. (e) Lump sum or basket purchase—sometimes a group of assets are acquired for a single lump sum. When a situation such as this exists, the accountant must allocate the total cost among the various assets on the basis of their relative fair value. (f) Trade or exchange of assets—when one asset is exchanged for another asset, the accountant is faced with several issues in determining the value of the new asset. The basic principle involved is to record the new asset at the fair value of the new asset or the fair value of what is given up to acquire the new asset, whichever is more clearly evident. However, the accountant must also be concerned with whether the exchange has commercial substance and whether monetary consideration is involved in the transaction. The commercial substance issue rests on whether the expected cash flows on the assets involved are significantly different. In addition, monetary consideration may affect the amount of gain recognized on the exchange under consideration.

13. The cost of such assets includes the purchase price, freight and handling charges incurred, insurance on the equipment while in transit, cost of special foundations if required, assembly and installation costs, and costs of conducting trial runs. Costs thus include all expenditures incurred in acquiring the equipment and preparing it for use. When plant assets are purchased subject to cash discounts for prompt payment, the question of how the discount should be handled arises. The appropriate view is that the discount, whether taken or not, is considered a reduction in the cost of the asset. The rationale for this approach is that the real cost of the asset is the cash or cash equivalent price of the asset. Similarly, assets purchased on long-term payment plans should be accounted for at the present value of the consideration exchanged between the contracting parties at the date of the transaction.

14. (Fair value of land/Fair value of building and land) X Cost = Cost allocated to land ($500,000/$2,500,000) X $2,200,000 = $440,000 (Cost allocated to land) ($2,000,000/$2,500,000) X $2,200,000 = $1,760,000 (Cost allocated to building)

15. $10,000 + $4,208 = $14,208

16. Ordinarily accounting for the exchange of nonmonetary assets should be based on the fair value of the asset given up or the fair value of the asset received, whichever is more clearly evident. Thus any gains and losses on the exchange should be recognized immediately. If the fair value of either asset is not reasonably determinable, the book value of the asset given up is usually used as the basis for recording the nonmonetary exchange. This approach is always employed when the exchange has commercial substance. The general rule is modified when exchanges lack commercial substance. In this case, the enterprise is not considered to have completed the earnings process and therefore a gain should not be recognized. However, a loss should be recognized immediately. In certain situations, gains on an exchange that lacks commercial substance may be recorded when monetary consideration is received. When monetary consideration is received, it is assumed that a portion of the earnings process is completed, and therefore, a partial gain is recognized.

17. In accordance with GAAP which requires losses to be recognized immediately, the entry should be: Trucks (new) 42,000 Accumulated Depreciation 9,800* Loss on Disposal of Trucks 4,200** Trucks (old) 30,000 Cash 26,000 *[($30,000 - $6,000) X 49 months/120 months = $9,800] **(Book value $20,200 - $16,000 trade-in = $4,200 loss)

18. Ordinarily such expenditures include (1) the recurring costs of servicing necessary to keep property in good operating condition, (2) cost of renewing structural parts of major plant units, and (3) costs of major overhauling operations which may or may not extend the life beyond original expectation. The first class of expenditures represents the day-to-day service and in general is chargeable to operations as incurred. These expenditures should not be charged to the asset accounts. The second class of expenditures may or may not affect the recorded cost of property. If the asset is rigidly defined as a distinct unit, the renewal of parts does not usually disturb the asset accounts; however, these costs may be capitalized and apportioned over several fiscal periods on some equitable basis. If the property is conceived in terms of structural elements subject to separate replacement, such expenditures should be charged to the plant asset accounts. The third class of expenditures, major overhauls, is usually entered through the asset accounts because replacement of important structural elements is usually involved. Other than maintenance charges mentioned above are those expenditures which add some physical aspect not a part of the asset at the time of its original acquisition. These expenditures may be capitalized in the asset account. An expenditure which extends the life but not the usefulness of the asset is often charged to the Accumulated Depreciation account. A more appropriate treatment requires retiring from the asset and accumulated depreciation accounts the appropriate amounts (original cost from the asset account ) and to capitalize in the asset account the new cost. Often it is difficult to determine the original cost of the item being replaced. For this reason the replacement or renewal is charged to the Accumulated Depreciation account.

19. (a) Additions. Additions represent entirely new units or extensions and enlargements of old units. Expenditures for additions are capitalized by charging either old or new asset accounts depending on the nature of the addition. (b) Major Repairs. Expenditures to replace parts or otherwise to restore assets to their previously efficient operating condition are regarded as repairs. To be considered a major repair, several periods must benefit from the expenditure. The cost should be handled as an addition, improvement or replacement depending on the type of major repair made. (c) Improvements. An improvement does not add to existing plant assets. Expenditures for such better¬ments represent increases in the quality of existing plant assets by rearrangements in plant layout or the substitution of improved components for old components so that the facilities have increased productivity, greater capacity, or longer life. The cost of improvements is accounted for by charges to the appropriate property accounts and the elimination of the cost and accumulated depre¬ciation associated with the replaced components, if any. Replacements. Replacements involve an "in kind" substitution of a new asset or part for an old asset or part. Accounting for major replacements requires entries to retire the old asset or part and to record the cost of the new asset or part. Minor replacements are treated as period costs.

20. The cost of installing the machinery should be capitalized, but the extra month's wages paid to the dismissed employees should not, as this payment did not add any value to the machinery.

21. (a) Overhead of a business that builds its own equipment. Some accountants have maintained that the equipment account should be charged only with the additional overhead caused by such construction. However, a more realistic figure for cost of equipment results if the plant asset account is charged for overhead applied on the same basis and at the same rate as used for production. (b) Cash discounts on purchases of equipment. Some accountants treat all cash discounts as financial or other revenue, regardless of whether they arise from the payment of invoices for merchandise or plant assets. Others take the position that only the net amount paid for plant assets should be capitalized on the basis that the discount represents a reduction of price and is not income. The latter position seems more logical in light of the fact that plant assets are purchased for use and not for sale and that they are written off to expense over a long period of time. (c) Interest paid during construction of a building. GAAP requires that avoidable or actual interest cost, whichever is lower, be capitalized as part of the cost of acquiring an asset if a significant period of time is required to bring the asset to a condition and location necessary for its intended use. (d) Cost of a safety device installed on a machine. This is an addition to the machine and should be capitalized in the machinery account if material. (e) Freight on equipment returned before installation, for replacement by other equipment of greater capacity. If ordering the first equipment was an error, whether due to judgment or otherwise, the freight should be regarded as a loss. However, if information became available after the order was placed which indicated purchase of the new equipment was more advantageous, the cost of the return freight may be viewed as a necessary cost of the new equipment. (f) Cost of moving machinery to a new location. Normally, only the cost of one installation should be capitalized for any piece of equipment. Thus the original installation and any accumulated depreciation relating thereto should be removed from the accounts and the new installation costs (i.e., cost of moving) should be capitalized. In cases where this is not possible and the cost of moving is substantial, it is capitalized and depreciated appropriately over the period during which it makes a contribution to operations. (g) Cost of plywood partitions erected in the remodeling of the office. This is a part of the remodeling cost and may be capitalized as part of the remodeling itself is of such a nature that it is an addition to the building and not merely a replacement or repair. (h) Replastering of a section of the building. This seems more in the nature of a repair than anything else and as such should be treated as an expense. (i) Cost of a new motor for one of the trucks. This probably extends the useful life of the truck. As such it may be viewed as an extraordinary repair and charged against the accumulated depreciation on the truck. The remaining service life of the truck should be estimated and the depreciation adjusted to write off the new book value, less salvage, over the remaining useful life. A more appropriate treatment is to remove the cost of the old motor and related depreciation and add the cost of the new motor if possible.

22. This approach is not correct since at the very minimum the investor should be aware that certain assets are used in the business, which are not reflected in the main body of the financial statements. Either the company should keep these assets on the balance sheet or they should be recorded at salvage value and the resulting gain recognized. In either case, there should be a clear indication that these assets are fully depreciated, but are still being used in the business.

23. Gains or losses on plant asset retirements should be shown in the income statement along with other items that arise from customary business activities-usually as other revenues and gains or other expenses and losses.