INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS

INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS

Oaktree is a publicly traded partnership and Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc., two of its Intermediate Holding Companies, are wholly-owned corporate subsidiaries. Income earned by these corporate subsidiaries is subject to U.S. federal and state income taxation and taxed at prevailing rates. Income earned by non-corporate subsidiaries is not subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax and is allocated to the Oaktree Operating Group’s unitholders.  The Company’s effective tax rate is dependent on many factors, including the estimated nature of many amounts and the mix of revenues and expenses between the subsidiaries that are or are not subject to income tax; consequently, from period to period the effective tax rate is subject to significant variation. The Company’s effective tax rate used for interim periods is based on the estimated full-year income tax rate. Certain future items that cannot be reliably estimated, such as incentive income, are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate. The tax expense or benefit stemming from these items is recognized in the same period as the underlying income or expense.

Tax authorities currently are examining certain income tax returns of Oaktree, with certain of these examinations at an advanced stage. During the four quarters ending June 30, 2017, the Company believes that it is reasonably possible that one outcome of these current examinations and expiring statutes of limitation on other items may be the release of up to approximately $3.8 million of previously accrued Operating Group income taxes. The Company believes that it has adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcomes related to its tax examinations and that any settlements related thereto will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements; however, there can be no assurances as to the ultimate outcomes.

Tax Receivable Agreement

Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. have entered into a tax receivable agreement with OCGH unitholders that, as amended, provides for the payment to an exchanging or selling OCGH unitholder of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income taxes that they actually realize (or are deemed to realize in the case of an early termination payment by Oaktree Holdings, Inc. or Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc., or a change of control) as a result of an increase in the tax basis of the assets owned by the Oaktree Operating Group. When an exchange of OCGH units results in an increase to the tax basis of the assets owned by the Oaktree Operating Group, a deferred tax asset and an associated liability for payments to OCGH unitholders under the tax receivable agreement are recorded, subject to realizability considerations. The establishment of a deferred tax asset increases additional paid-in capital because the transactions are between Oaktree and its unitholders.

No amounts were paid under the tax receivable agreement during the six months ended June 30, 2016.