Answer:
the after-tax cost of debt is 13.24
Explanation:
The after-tax cost of debt is the initial cost of debt as a result of the incremental income tax rate.
The after-tax cost of debt is dependent on the incremental tax rate of a business. If profits are low, a business would pay low tax rate, which means that the after-tax cost of debt will increase. Also, if the business profits increase, they would pay higher tax rate, so its after-tax cost of debt will decline.
Given that:
Required return (r) = 11.50% = 0.0115
The yield on a 20-year treasury bond (y) = 5.50% = 0.055
beta (b) = 1.29
rs = y + (r -y) x b
after-tax cost of debt = 5.50% + (11.50% - 5.50%) x 1.29
after-tax cost of debt = 13.24%
