To what extent do you consider the following items to be proper costs of the fix

Question

To what extent do you consider the following items to be proper costs of the fixed asset? Give reasons for your opinions. (a) Overhead of a business that builds its own equipment. (b) Cash discounts on purchases of equipment. (c) Interest paid during construction of a building. (d) Cost of a safety device installed on a machine. (e) Freight on equipment returned before installation, for replacement by other equipment of greater capacity. (f) Cost of moving machinery to a new location. (g) Cost of plywood partitions erected as part of the remodeling of the office. (h) Replastering of a section of the building. (i) Cost of a new motor for one of the trucks.

Explanation / Answer

(a) Overhead of a business which 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 (see Question 5). (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. FASB Statement No. 34 recommends 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 if 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 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 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.

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