
1-16 FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS
v-1.1 v05/15/94
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Depreciation
DEPRECIATION in the Income Statement is a charge against income based
on an estimate of the percentage of the original cost for fixed assets
that has been used up in the production process during the period
covered by the Income Statement.
For example, suppose that a piece of equipment is purchased for
$500,000. For tax purposes, most governments do not allow companies
to charge the entire $500,000 as a business expense
at the time of purchase. Instead, they require the purchase to be
"capitalized," which means it is carried on the books as an asset.
However, equipment has a finite useful life to the company, so
governments allow a portion of the equipment purchase price to
be deducted from operating expenses each year of its useful life.
Typically, governments will provide depreciation schedules that classify
each type of equipment and dictate its estimated useful life.
Straight-line
depreciation
In our example, the piece of equipment may have an estimated useful
life of five years and, therefore, will have no value at the end of the five
years. Using a straight-line depreciation method, the annual amount that
the company may deduct is ($500,000 - $0) /
5 yrs. = $100,000. There are several different depreciation methods
and any accounting text can provide a more detailed discussion of their
calculations and uses.
Non-cash
bookkeeping
entry
Remember, DEPRECIATION is not a cash expense like LABOR AND
MATERIAL costs; it is simply a bookkeeping entry on the Balance Sheet
and on the Income Statement. The cash expense for fixed assets is
incurred at the time of purchase.