6. Operating leases (S26.3) Acme has branched out to rentals of office furniture to start-up companies. Consider a $3,000 desk. Desks last for six years and can be depreciated immediately.

What is the break-even operating lease rate for a new desk? Assume that lease rates for old and new desks are the same and that Acme’s pretax administrative costs are $400 per desk in each of years 1 to 6. The cost of capital is 9% and the tax rate is 21%. Lease payments are made in advance, that is, at the start of each year. The inflation rate is zero.