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Accounting for Leases – Financial Versus Operational Leases - Impacts on Financial Statements and on Financial Analysis

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Submitted By lfaria
Words 860
Pages 4
Course: Financial Accounting

Theme 1:

"Accounting for leases – Financial versus Operational Leases impacts on financial statements and on financial analysis."

"Accounting for leases – Financial versus Operational Leases - impacts on financial statements and on financial analysis"

A lease is a contractual agreement between two parties for the hire of an asset. The lessee – user of the asset – will pay a lease rent to the lessor – owner of the asset – to be able to use it during a certain period. At the end of the lease the asset is returned to the lessor. A lease is then just another source of capital and firms may find them preferred solutions to buying for a variety of reasons. First, the lessor may have access to cheaper capital on the markets and be able to pass on past of the resultant savings to the lessee. Then, leases normally involve smaller transaction costs than bonded debts and may offer more flexible contract terms. Additionally, there are normally tax benefits associated. A particular situation where leases may be of great help is when trying to setup new businesses. The budget is usually tight and the access to capital markets more difficult and expensive than for well established companies. In this situation, leasing allows to avoid heavy upfront costs and obtain more equipment sooner. It may be even possible to defer payment for a while and give the company opportunity to put business running smoothly before getting into heavier expenses. All leases are classified into one of two major categories: ‘financial leases’ or ‘operational leases’. Conceptually, a financial lease is a lease in which the lessee takes the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset. In simpler terms, a financial lease is a full-payout, non-cancellable agreement, in which the lessee is responsible for maintenance, taxes, insurance and assumes the risk of

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