Ernst Electrical has 9,000 shares of stock outstanding and no debt. The new CFO is considering issuing $80,000 of debt and using the proceeds to retire 1,500 shares of stock. The coupon rate on the debt is 7.5 percent. What is the break-even level of earnings before interest and taxes between these two capital structure options?
A. $18,500
B. $21,000
C. 24,000
D. 32,500
E. 36,000