Income Tax Implications
Read the following case study:
The Whitley Corporation's year-end is December 31. It is now October 1, 2013. The Whitley management team is taking a look at the prior nine months and attempting to make some short-term strategy decisions.
Whitley has experienced steady growth over the five preceding years. The result has been a steadily increasing EPS. Last year, Whitley reported an EPS of 1.95.
This year, owing to a mild recession, Whitley's sales have fallen off. Management is looking for strategies that can improve the appearance of the financial statements. At the same time, there is a need for new equipment in the plant. Despite the recession, Whitley has enough cash to make the purchase.
Based on currently enacted tax law, the purchase of the equipment will result in a future taxable amount of $50,000. Whitley management feels that it can wait four to six months to purchase the machine. Whitley's tax rate is 40 percent.
Write a response of no more than 1,050 words to the following:
· Determine the projected amount of income tax expense that would be reported if Whitley waits until next year to purchase the equipment.
· Determine the projected amount of income tax expense that would be reported if Whitley purchases the equipment in 2013.
· Explain why Whitley should/shouldn't wait to purchase the equipment? Your answer should take into consideration the expected financial statement effects, as well as the effect on EPS. Support your conclusions with pro forma data. The number of shares that Whitley will use to calculate EPS is 55,500.
· Determine the ethical considerations of this case?
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