6. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) Why would a firm be willing to establish an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)? Check all that apply. It is common for financial institutions to loan money to ESOPs at below-market interest rates. Employers are not required to match Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from employees' paychecks when the employees are part of an ESOP. Cash dividends paid on ESOP stock are tax deductible if the dividends are used to repay the loan that established the ESOP. Atlantic Northern Inc. recently created an ESOP. The company issued 200,000 new shares of stock at $50 per share, which it sold to the ESOP. The ESOP borrowed $10 million to purchase the newly issued shares from the company. The financial institution was willing to lend the money to the ESOP, because Atlantic Northern Inc. signed a guarantee for the loan. The firm used the money from the ESOP to repurchase its shares on the open market at $50 per share. Which of the following statements describes the net effect of these transactions on Atlantic Northern Inc.'s balance sheet? The amount of the firm's total liabilities and total shareholders' equity will remain the same. The firm's total shareholders' equity will increase by $10 million. The firm's total liabilities will increase by $10 million