Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

The Company adjusts its effective tax rate each quarter to be consistent with the estimated annual effective tax rate. The Company also records the tax effect of unusual or infrequently occurring discrete items.

The provision for income taxes is shown in the tables below:



	Three Months Ended June 30
	2019		2018
Income tax expense	$	4,808	$	4,051



	Six Months Ended June 30
	2019		2018
Income tax expense	$	2,645	$	3,587

The income tax expense increased $0.8 million to $4.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2018. The increase is due to an increase in pre-tax income of $2.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2018.

The income tax expense decreased $0.9 million to $2.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2018. The decrease is due to a decrease in pre-tax income of $5.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2018.

The Company's 2019 effective tax rate, before discrete items, is estimated to be 22%.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded a re-measurement of its deferred tax balances (related mostly to timing differences for plant-related items). The final impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) may differ from the recorded amounts, possibly materially, due to regulatory decisions that could differ from the Company’s determination of how the impact of the TCJA are allocated between customers and shareholders. In addition, changes in interpretations, guidance on legislative intent, and any changes in accounting standards for income taxes in response to the TCJA could also impact the recorded amounts.

The Company is continuing to work with state regulators to finalize the customer net refund of $107.0 million to ensure compliance with federal normalization rules and will record any adjustments based on state regulator's decisions.

The Company had unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $10.6 million and $11.5 million as of June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2019 and 2018 are approximately $3.1 million and $2.2 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would result in an adjustment to the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company does not expect its unrecognized tax benefits to change significantly within the next 12 months.