FN1 Module 5 Past Exam Questions Multiple Choice Questions A. Which of the following is necessary for the capital budgeting process? 1) The amount of overhead allocated to the project 2) Interest paid on funds raised to finance the project 3) The timing of the project’s net cash benefits 4) The amount of money spent on research and development B. Which of the following is not a relevant consideration for evaluating new projects? 1) The change in the firm’s fixed costs 2) The change in the firm’s variable costs 3) The change in the firm’s amortization expense 4) The change in the firm’s tax expense C. Capital cost allowance (CCA) reduces taxable income because Canada Revenue Agency considers it an expense, although it is not an actual cash flow. Which of the following statements about CCA is not true? 1) The half-year rule applies equally to net additions and net dispositions to an asset class. 2) CCA is important because it reduces taxes payable (by reducing taxable income) in the years after the purchase of the asset. 3) Assets are grouped into classes with each class having a specific CCA rate set by Canada Revenue Agency. 4) CCA is calculated based on the unamortized capital cost (UCC) of the asset class, and without additions or disposals it will continue indefinitely. D. Which of the following is relevant for determining the net present value (NPV) of a proposed project? 1) Interest paid on the funds raised to finance the project 2) The amount of money spent on research and development 3) The amount of avoidable overhead costs allocated to the project 4) The amount of otherwise unavoidable overhead costs allocated to the project 1 FN1 Module 5 Past Exam Questions Short Answer Questions E. Rules important for estimating project cash flows in a capital budgeting analysis include the following: (1) use actual cash flows, not accounting income and (2) use incremental cash flows. Briefly explain why each of these rules is important and relevant for capital budgeting analysis. Answer: Actual cash flows should be used because they are what matter to shareholders. Dividends are paid and reinvestment is made by the firm from actual cash flows, not accounting profits. Cash flows differ from accounting profits in several ways, including the fact that accounting profit includes non-cash expenses such as amortization and may include the arbitrary allocation of items that may not involve incremental cash flows (for example, overhead). Only those cash flows that are incremental to a project are relevant in a capital budgeting analysis. This then implies that sunk costs should be ignored because they cannot be reclaimed if the project is not undertaken; sunk costs are not incremental. It also implies that opportunity costs should be included because the use of resources for the project means that resources cannot be used elsewhere. F. State why financing charges are not used in determining operating cash flows from a project in a capital budgeting analysis. Answer: Financing charges associated with financing a particular project are accounted for through the application of the correct discount rate when evaluating the project. Thus, if they were (also) used in determining cash flows, financing charges would be double counted. 2