Exam 12: Estimating Cash Flows on Capital Budgeting Projects

Which of the following statements is correct?

Your company is considering a new project that will require $100,000 of new equipment at the start of the project. The equipment will have a depreciable life of 10 years and will be depreciated to a book value of $5,000 using straight-line depreciation. The cost of capital is 14 percent, and the firm's tax rate is 30 percent. Estimate the present value of the tax benefits from depreciation.

Which of the following statements is correct with respect to Section 179 deductions?

You are trying to pick the least-expensive machine for your company. You have two choices: machine A, which will cost $50,000 to purchase and which will have OCF of -$3,500 annually throughout the machine's expected life of three years; and machine B, which will cost $75,000 to purchase and which will have OCF of -$4,900 annually throughout that machine's four-year life. Both machines will be worthless at the end of their life. If you intend to replace whichever type of machine you choose with the same thing when its life runs out, again and again out into the foreseeable future, and if your business has a cost of capital of 14 percent, which one should you choose?

Your firm needs a machine which costs $60,000, and requires $15,000 in maintenance for each year of its five-year life. After five years, this machine will be replaced. The machine falls into the MACRS five-year class life category. Assume a tax rate of 35 percent and a discount rate of 10 percent. If this machine can be sold for $8,000 at the end of year 5, what is the after-tax salvage value?

Which of these is the process of estimating expected future cash flows of a project using only the relevant parts of the balance sheet and income statements?

A decrease in net working capital (NWC) is treated as a:

A new project would require an immediate increase in raw materials in the amount of $12,000. The firm expects that accounts payable will automatically increase $8,500. How much must the firm expect its investment in net working capital to change if they accept this project?

You have been asked by the president of your company to evaluate the proposed acquisition of a new special-purpose truck for $250,000. The truck falls into the MACRS three-year class, and it will be sold after three years for $50,000. Use of the truck will require an increase in NWC (spare parts inventory) of $5,000. The truck will have no effect on revenues, but it is expected to save the firm $80,000 per year in before-tax operating costs, mainly labor. The firm's marginal tax rate is 40 percent. What will the operating cash flow for this project be during year 3?

KADS, Inc., has spent $400,000 on research to develop a new computer game. The firm is planning to spend $50,000 on a machine to produce the new game. Shipping and installation costs of the machine will be capitalized and depreciated; they total $50,000. The machine has an expected life of three years, a $10,000 estimated resale value, and falls under the MACRS five-year class life. Revenue from the new game is expected to be $500,000 per year, with costs of $200,000 per year. The firm has a tax rate of 35 percent, an opportunity cost of capital of 15 percent, and it expects net working capital to increase by $25,000 at the beginning of the project. What will the year 3 free cash flow for this project be?

Which of the following is the IRS convention that requires that all property placed in service during a given period is assumed to be placed in service at the midpoint of that period?

Equipment was purchased for $45,000 plus $2,000 in freight charges. Installation costs were $1,500 and sales tax totaled $1,000. Hiring a special consultant to provide advice during the selection of the equipment cost $3,000. What is this asset's depreciable basis?

You have been asked by the president of your company to evaluate the proposed acquisition of a new special-purpose truck for $50,000. The truck falls into the MACRS three-year class, and it will be sold after three years for $20,000. Use of the truck will require an increase in NWC (spare parts inventory) of $2,000. The truck will have no effect on revenues, but it is expected to save the firm $20,000 per year in before-tax operating costs, mainly labor. The firm's marginal tax rate is 40 percent. What will the free cash flows for this project be?

One way to account for flotation costs of raising capital is to:

Your company is considering a new project that will require $2,000,000 of new equipment at the start of the project. The equipment will have a depreciable life of 10 years and will be depreciated to a book value of $250,000 using straight-line depreciation. The cost of capital is 12 percent, and the firm's tax rate is 39 percent. Estimate the present value of the tax benefits from depreciation.

Section 179 allows a business, with certain restrictions, to do which of the following?

You are considering the purchase of one of two machines used in your manufacturing plant. Machine A has a life of two years, costs $20,000 initially, and then $4,000 per year in maintenance costs. Machine B costs $25,000 initially, has a life of three years, and requires $3,500 in annual maintenance costs. Either machine must be replaced at the end of its life with an equivalent machine. Which is the better machine for the firm? The discount rate is 14 percent and the tax rate is zero.

You are trying to pick the least expensive car for your new delivery service. You have two choices: the Scion xA, which will cost $13,000 to purchase and which will have OCF of -$1,200 annually throughout the vehicle's expected life of three years as a delivery vehicle; and the Toyota Prius, which will cost $23,000 to purchase and which will have OCF of -$550 annually throughout that vehicle's expected five-year life. Both cars will be worthless at the end of their life. If you intend to replace whichever type of car you choose with the same thing when its life runs out, again and again out into the foreseeable future, and if your business has a cost of capital of 12 percent, what is the difference in the EAC of the two cars?

You are evaluating a project for The Ultimate recreational tennis racket, guaranteed to correct that wimpy backhand. You estimate the sales price of The Ultimate to be $300 per unit and sales volume to be 1,000 units in year 1; 1,250 units in year 2; and 1,325 units in year 3. The project has a three-year life. Variable costs amount to $200 per unit and fixed costs are $50,000 per year. The project requires an initial investment of $150,000 in assets that will be depreciated straight-line to zero over the three-year project life. The actual market value of these assets at the end of year 3 is expected to be $25,000. NWC requirements at the beginning of each year will be approximately 10 percent of the projected sales during the coming year. The tax rate is 30 percent and the required return on the project is 10 percent. What will the free cash flow for this project be in year 2?

Equipment was purchased for $100,000 plus $1,000 in freight charges. Installation costs were $500 and sales tax totaled $7,500. Hiring a special consultant to provide advice during the selection of the equipment cost $1,000. What is this asset's depreciable basis?