Question

Don Hawk Furnishings sells a variety of decorative pieces including a variety of candle holders. The business began the second quarter (April to June) of 2018 with 15 (Alanea) candle holders at a total cost of $108,750. The following transactions relating to the “Alanea” candle holders were completed during the quarter.

April 7 90 candle holders were purchased at a cost of $6,850 each. In addition the business paid freight charges of $800 cash on each candle holder to have the inventory shipped from the point of purchase to their warehouse.

April 30 The sales for April were 75 candle holders which yielded total sales revenue of $803,250. ( 15 of these units were sold on account to longstanding customers of the business)

May 6 A new batch of 80 candle holders was purchased at a total cost of $654,800

May 9 Upon inspection of the candle holders purchased on May 6, five (5) of the units were found to be defective and were returned to the supplier.

May 31 During the month 62 of the decorative pieces were sold at a price of $11,450 each.

June 5 A customer, to whom 7 of the candle holders were sold during the first business day of May, returned 3 of the candle holders, as they were of another make & model.

June 14 Owing to an increased demand, a further 110 candle holders were purchased at a cost of $9,000 each; the supplier gave a 3% quantity discount on the purchase.

June 30 116 candle holders were sold during June at a unit selling price of $12,250.

June 30 An actual count of inventory was carried out at the close of business which revealed that there were 36 pieces of the Alanea brand of merchandise in the store room. Unless

(C) Journalize the transactions for the month of April, assuming the company uses a:

- Periodic inventory system

- Perpetual inventory system

(D) The manager of the business, Don Hawk, has stated that his objective is to cut back on his tax liability as much as possible and is of the view that the FIFO method would be best. Do you agree with Don? Explain your answer clearly distinguishing between the first in, first out (FIFO) and last in, first out (LIFO) methods of inventory valuation.

Answer 1

Answer D

No, the manager Don is not right in his view that the FIFO method will reduce the tax liability. FIFO method computes the cost of goods sold lesser than LIFO method which leads to higher Income before tax and higher taxes. On the hand, LIFO method computes a higher cost of goods sold which leads to lower income before tax and thus lower taxes.

However, the above observation is applicable only in case of rising prices which is the case in the present scenario.