The following payments and receipts are related to land, land improvements, and buildings acquired for use in a wholesale ceramic business

The following payments and receipts are related to land, land improvements, and buildings acquired for use in a wholesale ceramic business. The receipts are identified by an asterisk.

a. Fee paid to attorney for title search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $   2,500 b. Cost of real estate acquired as a plant site: Land. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285,000 Building (to be demolished) . . . . . . . . . . . .55,000 c. Delinquent real estate taxes on property, assumed by purchaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,500 d. Cost of tearing down and removing building acquired in (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,000 e. Proceeds from sale of salvage materials from old building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000* f. Special assessment paid to city for extension of water main to the property. . . . . . . . 29,000 g. Architect’s and engineer’s fees for plans and supervision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,000 h. Premium on one-year insurance policy during construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,000 i. Cost of filling and grading land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000 j. Money borrowed to pay building contractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900,000* k. Cost of repairing windstorm damage during construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,500 l. Cost of paving parking lot to be used by customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,000 m. Cost of trees and shrubbery planted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,000 n. Cost of floodlights installed on parking lot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 o. Cost of repairing vandalism damage during construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,500 p. Proceeds from insurance company for windstorm and vandalism damage . . . . . . . . . 7,500* q. Payment to building contractor for new building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800,000 r. Interest incurred on building loan during construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,500 s. Refund of premium on insurance policy (h) canceled after 11 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500*

Instructions

1. Assign each payment and receipt to Land (unlimited life), Land Improvements (limited life), Building, or Other Accounts. Indicate receipts by an asterisk. Identify each item by letter and list the amounts in columnar form, as follows:

Item Land Land Improvements Building

2. Determine the amount debited to Land, Land Improvements, and Building.

3. The costs assigned to the land, which is used as a plant site, will not be depreciated, while the costs assigned to land improvements will be depreciated. Explain this seemingly contradictory application of the concept of depreciation.

4. What would be the effect on the current year’s income statement and balance sheet if the cost of filling and grading land of $12,000 [payment (i)] was incorrectly classified as Land Improvements rather than Land? Assume that Land Improvements are depreciated over a 20-year life using the double-declining-balance method.

Answer:

1.Land Other

Item Land Improvements Building Accounts

a. $ 2,500

b. 340,000

c. 15,500

d. 5,000

e. (4,000)

f. 29,000

g.$ 60,000

h.6,000

i. 12,000

j.$(900,000)

k.5,500

l.$32,000

m.11,000

n.2,000

o.2,500

p.(7,500)

q.800,000

r.34,500

s.(500)

2. $400,000 $45,000 $900,000

* Received cash.

3. Land used as a plant site does not lose its ability to provide services; thus, it is

not depreciated. However, land improvements do lose their ability to provide

services as time passes and are, therefore, depreciated.

4. Because land improvements are depreciated, depreciation expense of $1,200 

[$12,000 × (100% ÷ 20) × 2] would be overstated and net income would be 

understated by $1,200 on the income statement. On the balance sheet, Land 

would be understated by $12,000, Land Improvements would be overstated by 

$10,800 ($12,000 – $1,200), and Retained Earnings would be understated 

by $1,200.