Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

We elected to be treated as a REIT and believe that we have been organized and have operated in such a manner to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal and state income tax purposes. As a REIT, we are generally not subject to corporate level federal income taxes on earnings distributed to our stockholders. Since inception, we have distributed at least 100% of our taxable income annually. Accordingly, we have not included any provisions for federal income taxes related to the REIT in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.

Certain of our subsidiaries have elected TRS status. A TRS may provide certain services considered impermissible for REITs and may hold assets that REITs may not hold directly. We also own real property in jurisdictions outside the United States through foreign subsidiaries and are subject to income taxes on our pre-tax income earned from properties in such countries. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include an interim tax provision for our TRSs and foreign subsidiaries, as necessary, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020. Current income tax expense was $9.1 million and $10.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $17.5 million and $10.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. As a result of the U.S. federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), which was enacted on March 27, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized a $6.0 million current tax benefit during the six months ended June 30, 2020 by carrying back certain net operating losses, which is included within current tax expense described above.

There have been no significant changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities policies from what was disclosed in the 2020 Annual Report. Deferred income tax (expense) benefit was $(0.2) million and $3.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $2.4 million and $44.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Benefit from income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2020 included a deferred tax benefit of $37.2 million as a result of the release of a deferred tax liability relating to our investment in shares of Lineage Logistics (Note 8), which converted to a REIT during the period and is therefore no longer subject to federal and state income taxes, as well as a deferred tax benefit of $6.5 million as a result of the other-than-temporary impairment charges that we recognized on our equity method investments in CWI 1 and CWI 2 during the period (Note 8).