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Question: One financial accounting issue encountered when a company constructs its own plant is whether the interest cost on funds borrowed to finance construction should be capitalized and then amortized over the life of the assets constructed. What is the justification for capitalizing such interest?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer

Interest cost is capitalized because all cost incurred on the construction should be included in the construction cost. So, financing cost also included in the construction cost.

Step by step solution

01

Interest cost during construction

Normally companies use the three approaches to treat the interest costs. These are the:

  1. No capitalization of interest cost incurred in construction.
  2. Capitalization of all financing cost from debt or stock.
  3. Capitalization of interest cost of the debt only.
02

Reason for capitalization of interest cost

Company needs to capitalize all the cost incurred on the assets to made asset ready for use. According to this view point, company also need to capitalize the financing cost incurred in the construction of the assets. So, interest cost incurred for construction of plant assets is capitalized.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Durler Company purchased equipment on January 2, 2013, for \(112,000. The equipment had an estimated useful life of 5 years with an estimated salvage value of \)12,000. Durler uses straight-line depreciation on all assets. On January 2, 2017, Durler exchanged this equipment plus \(12,000 in cash for newer equipment. The old equipment has a fair value of \)50,000.

Accounting

Prepare the journal entry to record the exchange on the books of Durler Company. Assume that the exchange has commercial substance.

Analysis

How will this exchange affect comparisons of the return on asset ratio for Durler in the year of the exchange compared to prior years?

Principles

How does the concept of commercial substance affect the accounting and analysis of this exchange?

(Entries for Asset Acquisition, Including Self-Construction) Below are transactions related to Duffner Company.

  1. The City of Pebble Beach gives the company 5 acres of land as a plant site. The fair value of this land is determined to be \(81,000.
  2. 13,000 shares of common stock with a par value of \)50 per share are issued in exchange for land and buildings. The property has been appraised at a fair value of \(810,000, of which \)180,000 has been allocated to land and \(630,000 to buildings. The stock of Duffner Company is not listed on any exchange, but a block of 100 shares was sold by a stockholder 12 months ago at \)65 per share, and a block of 200 shares was sold by another stockholder 18 months ago at \(58 per share.

No entry has been made to remove from the accounts for Materials, Direct Labor, and Overhead the amounts properly chargeable to plant asset accounts for machinery constructed during the year. The following information is given relative to costs of the machinery constructed.

Materials used

\)12,500

Factory supplies used

900

Direct labor incurred

15,000

Additional overhead (over regular) caused by construction of machinery, excluding factory supplies used

2,700

Fixed overhead rate applied to regular manufacturing operations

60% of direct labor cost

Cost of similar machinery if it had been purchased from

Outside suppliers

44,000

Instructions

Prepare journal entries on the books of Duffner Company to record these transactions.

The invoice price of a machine is \(50,000. Various other costs relating to the acquisition and installation of the machine, including transportation, electrical wiring, special base, and so on amount to \)7,500. The machine has an estimated life of 10 years, with no salvage value at the end of that period.

The owner of the business suggests that the incidental costs of \(7,500 be charged to theexpense immediately for the following reasons.

  1. If the machine should be sold, these costs cannot be recovered in the sales price.
  2. The inclusion of the \)7,500 in the machinery account on the books will not necessarily result in a closer approximation of the market price of this asset over the years, because of the possibility of changing demand and supply levels.
  3. Charging the $7,500 to expense immediately will reduce federal income taxes.

Instructions

Discuss each of the points raised by the owner of the business.

Question: What are the major characteristics of plant assets?

Question: Provide examples of assets that do not qualify for interest capitalization

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