(Lease Capitalization, Bargain-Purchase Option) Baden Corporation entered into a lease agreement for 10 photocopy machines for its corporate headquarters. The lease agreement qualifies as an operating lease in all terms except there is a bargain-purchase option. After the 5-year lease term, the corporation can purchase each copier for \(1,000, when the anticipated fair value is \)2,500.

Jerry Suffolk, the financial vice president, thinks the financial statements must recognize the lease agreement as a capital lease because of the bargain-purchase option. The controller, Diane Buchanan, disagrees: “Although I don’t know much about the copiers themselves, there is a way to avoid recording the lease liability.” She argues that the corporation might claim that copier technology advances rapidly and that by the end of the lease term the machines will most likely not be worth the $1,000 bargain price.

Instructions

Answer the following questions.

(b) Should the controller’s argument be accepted if she does not really know much about copier technology? Would it make a difference if the controller were knowledgeable about the pace of change in copier technology?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer

If Buchanan has no particular expertise in copier technology, she has no rational case for her suggestion.

Step by step solution

01

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Meaning of Capital Lease

A capital lease is a long-term lease that is neither reversible nor cancelable. In the capital lease, it transfers all the rights that come with the ownership of the assets while payments are still being made to the owner.

02

Explaining the argument of the controller

Buchanan's advice is illogical if she has no experience with copier technology. If she has the experience, her solution may be reasonable and not just a way to get around recognizing a liability on the balance sheet.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Lessee-Lessor Entries, Sales-Type Lease) Glaus Leasing Company agrees to lease machinery to Jensen Corporation on January 1, 2017. The following information relates to the lease agreement.

  1. The term of the lease is 7 years with no renewal option, and the machinery has an estimated economic life of 9 years.
  2. The cost of the machinery is \(525,000, and the fair value of the asset on January 1, 2017, is \)700,000.
  3. At the end of the lease term, the asset reverts to the lessor and has a guaranteed residual value of $100,000. Jensen depreciates all of its equipment on a straight-line basis.
  4. The lease agreement requires equal annual rental payments, beginning on January 1, 2017.
  5. The collectibility of the lease payments is reasonably predictable, and there are no important uncertainties surrounding the amount of costs yet to be incurred by the lessor. 6. Glaus desires a 10% rate of return on its investments. Jensen’s incremental borrowing rate is 11%, and the lessor’s implicit rate is unknown.

Instructions

(Assume the accounting period ends on December 31.)

  1. Discuss the nature of this lease for both the lessee and the lessor.

How should changes in the estimated unguaranteed residual value be handled by the lessor?

Question: (Lessee Entries and Balance Sheet Presentation, Capital Lease) On January 1, 2017, Cage Company contracts to lease equipment for 5 years, agreeing to make a payment of \(137,899 (including the executory costs of \)6,000) at the beginning of each year, starting January 1, 2017. The taxes, the insurance, and the maintenance, estimated at \(6,000 a year, are the obligations of the lessee. The leased equipment is to be capitalized at \)550,000. The asset is to be depreciated on a double-declining-balance basis, and the obligation is to be reduced on an effective-interest basis. Cage’s incremental borrowing rate is 12%, and the implicit rate in the lease is 10%, which is known by Cage. Title to the equipment transfers to Cage when the lease expires. The asset has an estimated useful life of 5 years and no residual value.

Instructions

(e) Prepare the journal entry to record the lease payment of January 1, 2018, assuming reversing entries are not made.

(Lessor Computations and Entries, Sales-Type Lease with Unguaranteed Residual Value) George Company manufactures a check-in kiosk with an estimated economic life of 12 years and leases it to National Airlines for a period of 10 years. The normal selling price of the equipment is \(278,072, and its unguaranteed residual value at the end of the lease term is estimated to be \)20,000. National will pay annual payments of \(40,000 at the beginning of each year and all maintenance, insurance, and taxes. George incurred costs of \)180,000 in manufacturing the equipment and $4,000 in negotiating and closing the lease. George has determined that the collectibility of the lease payments is reasonably predictable, that no additional costs will be incurred, and that the implicit interest rate is 10%.

Instructions

(a) Discuss the nature of this lease in relation to the lessor and compute the amount of each of the following items.

(2) Sales price.

What is the nature of a “sale-leaseback” transaction?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Business Studies Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free