Note 8 - Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 8 - Income Taxes

For the nine months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded a provision for income taxes of $40,115,000 on pretax income of $154,434,000.   This was the net result of applying the effective tax rate anticipated for fiscal 2021 to pretax income before the unrealized and realized gains on marketable securities for the nine months ended June 30, 2021. The effective rate of 21.32%, which was higher than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to state taxes which were offset by the dividends received deduction, resulted in a tax provision of $896,000 on pretax income before the unrealized and realized gains on marketable securities. In addition, the Company recorded a tax provision of $34,405,000 on the unrealized gains on marketable securities, and a tax provision of $4,821,000 on the realized gains on marketable securities, both of which were offset by a tax benefit of $7,000 for the effect of a change in state apportionment on the beginning of the year’s deferred tax liability. Consequently, the overall effective tax rate for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 was 26%, after including the taxes on the realized and unrealized gains on marketable securities.

For the nine months ended June 30, 2020, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $11,260,000 on a pretax loss of $39,102,000.   This was the net result of applying the effective tax rate anticipated for fiscal 2020 to the pretax loss, before the unrealized losses on marketable securities, for the nine months ended June 30, 2020.  The effective tax rate was more than the statutory rate primarily due to the dividends received deduction, which increased the taxable loss, and state tax benefits.   In addition, the Company recorded tax benefits of (i) $187,000 resulting from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and (ii) $11,166,000 for the unrealized losses on investments during the nine months ended June 30, 2020.  The effective tax rate for the nine months ended June 30, 2020 was 29%, after including the tax benefits from the CARES Act and the unrealized losses on investments.

The Company files consolidated federal income tax returns in the United States and with various state jurisdictions and is no longer subject to examinations for fiscal years before fiscal 2017 with regard to federal income taxes and fiscal 2016 for state income taxes.