Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Note K – Income Taxes

The Company’s effective income tax rate is calculated as the amount of income tax expense (benefit) divided by income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes.  For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s effective income tax rates were as follows:

	2021	2020
Three months ended September 30,	21.1%	19.1%
Nine months ended September 30,	28.6%	18.6%

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended September 30, 2021 was above the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to income generated in Canada, which has a higher tax rate, offset by no tax applied to the pre-tax income of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM, which has the impact of decreasing the effective tax rate on income.

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended September 30, 2020 was below the statutory tax rate of 21% due to exploration expenses in certain foreign jurisdictions in which no income tax benefit is available, as well as no tax benefit available from the pre-tax loss of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM.

The effective tax rate for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021 was above the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to no tax applied to the pre-tax income of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM, which has the impact of increasing the effective tax rate on an overall loss.

The effective tax rate for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020 was below the statutory tax rate of 21% due to exploration expenses in certain foreign jurisdictions in which no income tax benefit is available, as well as no tax benefit available from the pre-tax loss of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM. These items reduced the tax credit on a reported pre-tax net loss.

The Company’s tax returns in multiple jurisdictions are subject to audit by taxing authorities, and currently the Company is under audit in several of these jurisdictions.  These audits often take multiple years to complete and settle.  Although the Company believes that recorded liabilities for unsettled issues are adequate, additional gains or losses could occur in future years from resolution of outstanding unsettled matters.  As of September 30, 2021, the earliest years remaining open for audit and/or settlement in our major taxing jurisdictions are as follows: United States – 2016; Canada – 2016; Malaysia – 2014; and

United Kingdom – 2018. Following the divestment of Malaysia in the third quarter of 2019, the Company has retained certain possible liabilities and rights to income tax receivables relating to Malaysia for the years prior to 2019. The Company believes current recorded liabilities are adequate