A company with $795,000 in operating assets is considering the purchase of a machine that costs $85,000 and which is expected to reduce operating costs by $17,000 each year. These reductions in cost occur evenly throughout the year. The payback period for this machine in years is closest to (Ignore income taxes.): (Round your answer to 1 decimal place.)

What could explain why a decrease in taxes could lead to a less-than-proportionate increase in output? a. as a result of diminishing returns to current consumption, consumers may choose to spread the extra spending over the long term rather than consuming the proceeds of a tax cut all at once. b. consumers may choose to save much of the tax cut in anticipation of having to pay higher taxes in the future. c. a decrease in taxes will necessitate lower government outlays, thus largely offsetting the higher consumption expenditures of households. d. all of the above. e. a and b only.