Which of the following statements about variable costs is true?

Variable costs are expenses that fluctuate in direct proportion to the level of production or activity within a business. This means that as a company increases its output, such as by producing more goods or providing additional services, variable costs will increase accordingly, and conversely, if output decreases, so will these costs. Common examples of variable costs include raw materials, labor directly involved in production, and shipping costs.

This relationship is critical for businesses in managing their cost structures and determining pricing strategies, as understanding how variable costs behave helps in budgeting for production processes and scaling operations effectively. Other options do not align with the true nature of variable costs, as they do not remain constant regardless of output, are not only fixed associated, and do impact short-term financial decisions more directly than long-term planning, which often considers more fixed costs as well.