TEAM OPERATING LEASE VS TEAM SALES-TYPE LEASE

YOU ARE TEAM OPERATING LEASE.

Medic-Tech, Inc. is a supplier of medical equipment. It recently introduced a new line of equipment that may revolutionize the medical profession. Because of the new technology, potential users of the equipment are reluctant to purchase the equipment, but they are willing to enter into a lease arrangement if they can classify the lease as an operating lease. The new equipment will replace equipment that Medic-Tech has been selling in the past. Leasing the new equipment will result in a loss of an estimated 25% in equipment sales.

Some members of management want to structure the leases so that Medic-Tech, as the lessor, can classify the lease as a sales-type lease and thus avoid further reduction of income. Others believe that they should treat the leases as operating leases and minimize the income tax liability in the short term. They are uncertain, however, as to how the financial statements would be affected under these two different approaches. They also are uncertain as to how leases could be structured to permit the lessee to treat the lease as an operating lease and the lessor to treat it as a sales-type lease.

As teams of accountants for Medic-Tech explain how Medic-Tech should record the leases (operating lease), be sure to support your rationale and explain the advantages and disadvantages of the method or approach of your team (operating lease). Be ready to defend your operating lease team against the approach chosen by the other group (sales-type lease) of accountants at Medic-Tech in front of the Executive Committee of Medic-Tech.