R&D expenses should be treated as capital expenditures and amortized over multiple periods rather than fully expensed in the period incurred because: 1) R&D often creates long-term benefits similar to other capital investments; 2) Capitalizing and amortizing R&D achieves better matching of costs and benefits than expensing; 3) Treating R&D as a capital asset increases a firm's capital and lowers risk, as the costs are spread over time rather than impacting a single period.

1. Why do current capital earnings generate lower risk as opposed to expensing R&D?
Solution
Research & Development expense citied the long term benefit .R&D cost be expensed in the
period
When it is incurred as the amount & timing of economic benefit from such cost are two
uncertain.
Capital expenditures are defined as those expenditures that are likely to create benefits over
multiple periods. By this definition, investments in land, plant and long term equipment are
capital investments, but so is research and development. In fact, a reasonable argument can be
made that research and development expenses (R&D) are more long term than investments in
physical plant and equipment at many firms. Thus, it follows that R&D expenses should be
treated as capital expenditures.
Capitalization & amortization of R&D cost achieving better matching of cost and benefit, than
that obtain under immediate expensing.
The capital assets of a firm will increase when R&D expenses are capitalized. As per accounting
rules clearly specify that operating expenses are expense designed to generate income in the
current period where capital expenses are designed to profit benefit over multiple period. R&D
expenses should be treated as capital expenses and should not be shown as operating expense of
a current period. R&D expense create a research assets that has to be amortized overtime,
because of this reason current capital earning generate lower risk as opposed to expensing R&D.