When a Government Finances the Purchase of a Capital Asset

Essay

When a government finances the purchase of a capital asset from a governmental fund, the acquisition is treated as an expenditure and reduces net current financial resources during the year of acquisition. During the years that principal and interest payments are being made on the debt incurred to finance the capital asset acquisition, the principal and interest amounts are also treated as expenditures. This appears to reduce the net current financial resources by twice the cost of the capital asset. Discuss these transactions and their overall effect on the net current financial resources of the government.