§ 413.149 Depreciation: Allowance for depreciation on assets financed with Federal or public funds.

(a) Principle. Depreciation is allowed on assets financed with Hill-Burton or other Federal or public funds. (b) Application. Like other assets (including other donated depreciable assets), assets financed with Hill-Burton or other Federal or public funds become a part of the provider institution's plant and equipment to be used in furnishing services. It is the function of payment of depreciation to provide funds that make it possible to maintain the assets and preserve the capital employed in the production of services. Therefore, irrespective of the source of financing of an asset, if it is used in the providing of services for beneficiaries of the program, payment for depreciation of the asset is, in fact, a cost of the production of those services. Moreover, recognition of this cost is necessary to maintain productive capacity for the future. An incentive for funding of depreciation is provided in these principles by the provision that investment income on funded depreciation is not treated as a reduction of allowable interest expense under § 413.153(a).