In: Accounting
The invoice price of a manufacturing machine is $1,600,000. The company incurred other costs relating to the acquisition and installation of the machine (freight-in, wiring, labor for installation, etc.) that totaled $18,500. Management estimates that the machine has a 7-year life with no residual value. The chief executive officer, in a conversation with the chief financial officer, suggests that the incidental costs of $18,500 should be expensed immediately, and offered the following rationale:
A. If the machine was sold, the incidental costs could not be recovered in the sales price.
B. The inclusion of the $18,500 in the machinery account in the general ledger will not necessarily result in a reasonably close approximation of a market price of the asset in the future, because of the possibility of changing supply and demand levels.
C. Charging the $18,500 to expense immediately will reduce both federal and state income taxes.
As an external consultant with accounting expertise, prepare a brief memo, outlining the proper recognition according to US GAAP. Be sure to address the rationales provided by the chief executive officer.