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

$3,000

b.

Cost of real estate acquired as a plant site: Land

325,000

 

Building

75,000

c.

Delinquent real estate taxes on property, assumed by purchaser

10,000

d.

Special assessment paid to city for extension of water main to the

 

property

12,800

e.

Cost of razing and removing building

3,900

f.

Proceeds from sale of salvage materials from old building

4,000*

g.

Cost of filling and grading land

17,500

h.

Architect’s and engineer’s fees for plans and supervision

40,000

i.

Premium on one year insurance policy during construction

4,800

j.

Cost of trees and shrubbery planted

9,000

k.

Money borrowed to pay building contractor

800,000*

l.

Cost of paving parking lot to be used by customers

15,000

m.

Cost of repairing windstorm damage during construction

2,000

n.

Cost of repairing vandalism damage during construction

$2,500

o.

Cost of floodlights installed on parking lot

1,100

p.

Interest incurred on building loan during construction

42,000

q.

Payment to building contractor for new building

915,000

r.

Proceeds from insurance company for windstorm and vandalism damage

4,000*

s.

Refund of premium on insurance policy (i) canceled after 11 months

400*

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:

 

 

Land

 

Other

Item

Land

Improvements

Building

Accounts

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.