How tax law changes may affect the cost of capital

Description

Abstract: The costs of debt and equity capital are key components of business value under the income approach. But traditional methods of calculating the cost of debt, the cost of equity and the relative percentages of debt vs. equity financing may not be relevant under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This article explains what the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is, how it’s used in the income approach and what aspects of the income approach could change for valuations with effective dates after the TCJA was enacted.