The Table Below Shows the Differences in Accounting Treatments for Goodwill

question 26

Essay

The table below shows the differences in accounting treatments for goodwill in three selected countries.
$\quad$$\quad$$\quad$$\quad$$\quad$$\quad$$\quad$$\text { Accounting for goodwill in selected countries }$
$\begin{array}{lccc} &\text { Option to expense }&\text {Option to charge to }\\&\underline{ \text { immediately }} &\underline{ \text { equity }} & \underline{\text { Tax deductible }} \\\text { United States }& \text { No } & \text { No } & \text { No* } \\\text { Great Britain } & \text { No } & \text { No } & \text { Yes } \\\text { No } & \text { Yes } & \text { No } & \text { No }\end{array}$
*Goodwill is tax deductible in the United States under limited circumstances, for the purposes of this question, assume it is not.

Given a company that has recognized significant acquisition goodwill, identify the country whose accounting and tax rules for goodwill would likely result in the highest valuation of the company. Justify and explain your answer.

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Definitions:

Each Decade

Referring to any period of ten years, often used to discuss changes or trends over time.

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The genetic transmission of height from parents to their offspring.

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Senescence refers to the process of aging, during which a cell's ability to divide and grow diminishes.