How does a DTL arise from PP&E depreciation?
Tax depreciation is usually faster than book depreciation — shorter tax useful lives and declining-balance methods are allowed, while book depreciation runs straight-line over the longer useful life.
The tax base of the asset falls faster than the book value, so a temporary difference builds up, which is recognized as a DTL.
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Inputs:
- Cost: 100
- Book depreciation: straight-line over 10 years = 10 p.a.
- Tax depreciation: declining-balance over 5 years = 20 p.a.
- Tax rate: 30%
DTL schedule (buildup + reversal):
```
Year Book value Tax base Difference DTL (= 30% × difference)
1 90 80 10 3
2 80 60 20 6
3 70 40 30 9
4 60 20 40 12
5 50 0 50 15 ← Peak
6 40 0 40 12
7 30 0 30 9
8 20 0 20 6
9 10 0 10 3
10 0 0 0 0 ← Fully reversed
```
In years 1–5 the cash tax is lower than the income-statement tax (the DTL buildup is non-cash); in years 6–10 it reverses. Over the full life the effect nets out — total cash tax = total income-statement tax.
For capex-intensive targets, show the DTL buildup separately in the DCF — cash taxes in years 1–5 are typically 5–10% lower than income-statement taxes, so FCF is correspondingly higher.