11 Below is a section of the American Eagle Company tax note:

The company rents some of the premises where its warehouses are located. The rent requires payments at the end of each month (ordinary annuity). At the end of the year the rent for the month of December is paid the first week of the first month of the following year. This rent is accumulated in the Statement of Financial Position as rent payable. Assuming that the average tax rate of the company is 22.4% (.224) and the rental expense in the 2019 Statement of Income and Expenses was 24,000 (in thousands), how much was deducted in the 2019 return (in thousands ) for rental expense ?

a. $22,000

b. $4,000

c. $28,000

d. $24,000

e. $20,000