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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate from continuing operations was one percent in the three months ended March 31, 2018, which includes the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Act") and a tax benefit from the release of a portion of our valuation allowance as the result of the realization of certain deferred tax assets. Our effective tax rate from continuing operations was 40 percent in the three months ended March 31, 2017, which included a tax benefit from the release of a portion of our valuation allowance as the result of the realization of certain deferred tax assets and a tax expense associated with a non-cash impairment related to goodwill associated with our owned mineral assets which were sold in the three months ended March 31, 2017. Our effective tax rate for both periods also includes the effect of state income taxes, nondeductible items and benefits from noncontrolling interests.
At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, our deferred tax assets, net of deferred tax liabilities, were $39,911,000 and $41,606,000, offset by a valuation allowance of $38,544,000 and $39,578,000 for the portion of the deferred tax assets that we have determined is more likely than not to be unrealizable.
In determining our valuation allowance, we assessed available positive and negative evidence to estimate whether sufficient future taxable income will be generated to permit use of the existing deferred tax asset. A significant piece of objective evidence evaluated was the cumulative loss incurred over the three-year period ended March 31, 2018, principally driven by impairments of oil and gas and real estate properties in prior years. Such evidence limits our ability to consider other subjective evidence, such as our projected future taxable income.
The amount of deferred tax asset considered realizable could be adjusted if negative evidence in the form of cumulative losses is no longer present and additional weight is given to subjective evidence, such as our projected future taxable income.
The Tax Act, which was enacted on December 22, 2017, reduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent for all corporations effective January 1, 2018. ASC 740 requires companies to reflect the effects of a tax law change in the period in which the law is enacted. Accordingly, we remeasured our deferred tax assets and liabilities along with the corresponding valuation allowance as of the 2017 enactment date. This remeasurement resulted in no additional tax expense or benefit except for the release of a portion of the valuation allowance for AMT Credits which became refundable as a result of the tax law change. The initial remeasurement was our best estimate based on the information available at the time and may change as additional information, such as regulatory guidance, becomes available. Any required adjustment will be reflected as a discrete expense or benefit in the quarter that it is identified, as allowed by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, no adjustments to the remeasurement of our deferred tax accounts were recognized.
On October 5, 2017, D.R. Horton acquired 75 percent of our common stock resulting in an ownership change under Section 382. Section 382 limits our ability to use certain tax attributes and built-in losses and deductions in a given year. Any tax attributes or built-in losses and deductions that were limited in 2017 or are limited in 2018 are expected to be fully utilized in future years.
Our unrecognized tax benefits totaled $441,000 at March 31, 2018, all of which would affect our effective tax rate, if recognized.