The key differences between leasing and borrowing is :
- In a lease contract, there is a lessor and a lessee, the lessor
allows the lessee to use a particular asset for a given period of
time in return fro a recurring payment. At the end of the lease
term, the lessee has to return the asset to the lessor as the
lessor does not own the asset or the lessee will have purchase the
asset from the lessor. There are 2 types of leases finance lease
and operating lease. In case of a lease, the lessor cannot impose
bankruptcy on the lessee in case there is a default. The lease
payments are fully tax deductible
- In the case of borrowing, the borrower lends money at a
particular rate of interest which either has to be made annually,
quarterly or semi-annually and is fixed. If your company has good
income, a strong cash position, and comfortable borrowing capacity,
a bank loan would be a good choice. If the borrower fails to repay
the loan, the bank can take over the assets secured with bank of
the company borrowing. whereas in the case of a borrowing, the
borrower enjoys tax benefits for only the interest portion of the
loan.
No, they are not perfect substitutes.