Note 9 – Income Taxes

Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

On December 22, 2017, the Act was signed into U.S. law. ASC 740 requires companies to recognize the effect of tax law changes in the period of enactment even though the effective date for most provisions is for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, or in the case of certain other provisions of the law, January 1, 2018.

Given the significance of the legislation, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin ("SAB") No. 118 (“SAB 118”), which allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year “measurement period” similar to that used when accounting for business combinations. However, the measurement period is deemed to have ended prior to the one year term when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting. During the measurement period, impacts of the law are expected to be recorded at the time a reasonable estimate for all or a portion of the effects can be made, and provisional amounts can be recognized and adjusted as information becomes available, prepared, or analyzed.

SAB 118 summarizes a three-step process to be applied at each reporting period to account for and qualitatively disclose: (1) the effects of the change in tax law for which accounting is complete; (2) provisional amounts (or adjustments to provisional amounts) for the effects of the tax law where accounting is not complete, but that a reasonable estimate has been determined; and (3) a reasonable estimate cannot yet be made and therefore taxes are reflected in accordance with law prior to the enactment of the Act.

As part of the ACT, the U.S. corporate income tax rate applicable to us decreased from 35% to 21%. This rate change resulted in the remeasurement of our net deferred tax asset (“DTA”) as of December 31, 2017. The effect was approximately $33.7 million, which was completely offset by a change in our valuation allowance.

Pursuant to the ACT, alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) credit carryforwards will be eligible for a 50% refund through tax years 2018 through 2020. Beginning in tax year 2021, any remaining AMT credit carryforwards would be 100% refundable. As a result of these new regulations, as of December 31, 2017, we had released our valuation allowance of $3.1 million formerly reserved against our AMT credit carryforwards and we had recorded a tax benefit and refund receivable of $3.1 million in connection with this valuation allowance release.

Our accounting for the above elements of the Act is complete.

Other significant provisions that are not yet effective but may impact income taxes in future years include, but are not limited too: an exemption from U.S. tax on dividends of future foreign earnings, limitation on the current deductibility of net interest expense in excess of 30% of adjusted taxable income and a limitation of net operating losses generated after fiscal 2018 to 80% of taxable income.

Other

At March 31, 2018, we had federal NOLs of approximately $232.6 million. These NOLs will expire in years through fiscal 2034. At March 31, 2018, we also had state NOLs of approximately $103.9 million. These NOLs expire between 2029 and 2034. We also had the New York State and New York City prior NOL conversion (“PNOLC”) subtraction pools of approximately $31.1 million and $25.5 million, respectively. The conversion to the PNOLC under the New York State and New York City corporate tax reforms does not have any material tax impact.

Based on management’s assessment, we believe it is more likely than not that the entire deferred tax assets will not be realized by future taxable income or tax planning strategy. In recognition of this risk, we have provided a valuation allowance of $59.9 million and $59.5 million as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. If our assumptions change and we determine we will be able to realize these NOLs, the tax benefits relating to any reversal of the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets would be recognized as a reduction of income tax expense and an increase in equity.