DISCOUNTING TECHNIQUE is also called present value technique. It is the process of calculating the present value of cash flows. Discounting is determining the present value of a future amount. Present value is the current value of a future amount. That is in discounting; the present value of cash flows at a specified interest rate at the beginning of a specified period of time is calculated. This is the most essential concept in financial decision making. The present value (P) of a lump sum (F) occurring at the end of n period at i rate of interest is given by the equation
The present value factor can be found out by referring to the present value tables.