Debt capital divided by total assets. This will tell you how much the company relies on debt to finance assets. When calculating this ratio, it is conventional to consider both current and non-current debt and assets. In general, the lower the company's reliance on debt for asset formation, the less risky the company is since excessive debt can lead to a very heavy interest and principal repayment burden. However, when a company chooses to forgo debt and rely largely on equity, they are also giving up the tax reduction effect of interest payments. Thus, a company will have to consider both risk and tax issues when deciding on an optimal debt ratio.

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