Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Note 12 - Income Taxes

v3.20.4
Note 12 - Income Taxes
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements  
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

12. Income Taxes

 

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense

 

Components of income tax (benefit) expense were as follows (in thousands):

 

   

Year Ended December 31,

 
   

2020

   

2019

   

2018

 

Current

  $ 134     $ (11,092 )   $ 35  

Deferred

    (30,287 )     (64,102 )     500  

Total income tax (benefit) expense

  $ (30,153 )   $ (75,194 )   $ 535  

 

Reconciliation

 

The reconciliation of income taxes computed at the U.S. federal statutory tax rate to our income tax (benefit) expense is as follows (in thousands):

 

   

Year Ended December 31,

 
   

2020

   

2019

   

2018

 

Income tax (benefit) expense at the federal statutory rate

  $ 1,604     $ (233 )   $ 52,366  

Compensation adjustments

    1,373       971       457  

State income taxes

    75       (175 )     560  

Uncertain tax position

          (11,523 )      

Impact of U.S. legislative changes

    (21,345 )           487  

Valuation allowance

    (12,018 )     (64,704 )     (53,980 )

Other

    158       470       645  

Total income tax (benefit) expense

  $ (30,153 )   $ (75,194 )   $ 535  

 

Our effective tax rate for the years 2020, 2019 and 2018 differed from the applicable federal statutory rate of 21.0% primarily due to the impact of the valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, which is discussed below.  As a result, effective tax rates for the years presented above are not meaningful.

 

Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

 

   

December 31,

 
   

2020

   

2019

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

               

Property and equipment

  $ 37,535     $ 21,647  

Derivatives

           

Investment in non-consolidated entity

    8,070       14,716  

Other

    2,588       2,283  

Total deferred tax liabilities

    48,193       38,646  

Deferred tax assets:

               

Property and equipment

           

Derivatives

    3,416       1,409  

Asset retirement obligations

    84,332       76,924  

Federal net operating losses

    47,307       15,265  

State net operating losses

    8,136       7,393  

Interest expense limitation carryover

    16,304       48,458  

Share-based compensation

    419       965  

Valuation allowance

    (22,361 )     (54,436 )

Other

    4,843       6,584  

Total deferred tax assets

    142,396       102,562  

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)

  $ 94,203     $ 63,916  

 

Income Taxes Receivable, Refunds and Payments

 

As of  December 31, 2020, we do not have any current income taxes receivable.  As of December 31, 2019, we had current income taxes receivable of $1.9 million which was received in 2020 and related to a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryback claim for the year 2017 that we carried back to prior years.   During 2019, we received refunds of $51.8 million related to our NOL carryback claims for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 that were carried back to prior years. Additionally, we received $4.5 million in interest income associated with the refunds in 2019. These carryback claims, in addition to the 2017 claim, were made pursuant to IRC Section 172(f) (related to rules regarding “specified liability losses”), which permits certain platform dismantlement, well abandonment and site clearance costs to be carried back 10 years.  During the years ending December 31, 2020 and 2019, we did not make any tax payments of significance.

 

Net Operating Loss and Interest Expense Limitation Carryover

 

The table below presents the details of our net operating loss and interest expense limitation carryover as of December 31, 2020 (in thousands):

 

   

Amount

   

Expiration Year

 

Federal net operating loss

  $ 225,274       earliest is 2037  

State net operating loss

    136,440       2026-2038  

Interest expense limitation carryover

    75,341       N/A  

 

Valuation Allowance

 

During 2020 and 2019, we recorded a decrease in the valuation allowance of $32.1 million and $63.3 million, respectively, related to federal and state deferred tax assets.  Deferred tax assets are recorded related to net operating losses and temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities expected to produce tax deductions in future periods.  The realization of these assets depends on recognition of sufficient future taxable income in specific tax jurisdictions in which those temporary differences or net operating losses are deductible.   In assessing the need for a valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of them will not be realized.  

 

Throughout 2020, the Company has been assessing the realizability of our deferred tax assets by considering positive factors such as, when considering the Company’s results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the Company has cumulative pre-tax income during this three year period.  Based on the assessment, we determined that the Company’s ability to maintain long-term profitability despite near-term changes in commodity prices and operating costs demonstrated that a portion of the Company’s net deferred tax assets would more likely than notbe realized.  During 2020, we released $32.1 million of the valuation allowance, resulting in an income tax benefit in 2020 primarily as a result of the enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“Cares Act”) on March 27, 2020 and the issuance by the United States Treasury Department (Treasury) of final and proposed regulations under Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 163(j) on July 28, 2020 that provided additional guidance and clarification to the business interest expense limitation  The portion of the valuation allowance remaining relates to state net operating losses, charitable contributions carryover and the disallowed interest limitation carryover under IRC section 163(j).  As of  December 31, 2020, the Company’s valuation allowance was $22.4 million.

 

Uncertain Tax Positions

 

The table below sets forth the beginning and ending balance of the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits.  During 2019, the settlement of our net operating loss carryback claims with the IRS effectively allowed us to also settle our uncertain tax position which resulted in a change in our unrecognized tax benefits and materially impacted our income tax benefit.

 

Reconciliation of the balances of our uncertain tax positions are as follows (in thousands):

 

   

December 31,

 
   

2020

   

2019

 

Balance, beginning of period

  $     $ 9,482  

Decrease during the period

          (9,482 )

Balance, end of period

  $     $  

 

Years open to examination

 

The tax years from 2017 through 2020 remain open to examination by the tax jurisdictions to which we are subject.

 

 

 W&T OFFSHORE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)