Answer:
Total amount of dividends paid over the last three years is $20500
Explanation:
The net income of the company is either retained in the company or paid out as dividends. To calculate the value of the ending retained earnings, we use the following formula,
Ending balance = Beginning balance + Net Income - Dividends
We first need to calculate the total net income for the 3 year period. The total net income for the 3 year period is, 3 * 6500 = $19500
Plugging in the available values for the ending and beginning balance of retained earnings and net income, we can calculate the value of total dividends paid for the three year period.
15000 = 16000 + 19500 - Dividends
Dividends = 35500 - 15000
Dividends = $20500