Jorgansen Lighting, Inc., manufactures heavy-duty street lighting systems for municipalities. The company uses variable costing for internal management reports and absorption costing for external reports to shareholders, creditors, and the government. The company has provided the following data:

	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Inventories
Beginning (units)	210	160	190
Ending (units)	160	190	220
Variable costing net operating income	$290,000	$269,000	$250,000

1. Calculate each years absorption costing net operating income. (Enter any losses or deductions as a negative value.)

Reconciliation of Variable Costing and Absorption Costing Net Operating Incomes
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Variable costing net operating income
Add (deduct) fixed manufacturing overhead deferred in (released from) inventory under absorption costing
Absorption costing net operating income

2. Assume in Year 4 that the companys variable costing net operating income was $260,000 and its absorption costing net operating income was $300,000.

a. Did inventories increase or decrease during Year 4?

b. How much fixed manufacturing overhead cost was deferred or released from inventory during Year 4?