Income and Partnership Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 26, 2023

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income and Partnership Taxes

Income and Partnership Taxes:

We are subject to publicly traded partnership tax ("PTP tax") on certain partnership level gross income (net revenues less cost of food, merchandise, and games revenues), state and local income taxes on partnership income, U.S. federal, state and local income taxes on income from our corporate subsidiaries and foreign income taxes on our foreign subsidiary. As such, the total provision (benefit) for taxes includes amounts for the PTP gross income tax and federal, state, local and foreign income taxes. Under applicable accounting rules, the total provision (benefit) for income taxes includes the amount of taxes payable for the current year and the impact of deferred tax assets and liabilities, which represents future tax consequences of events that are recognized in different periods in the financial statements than for tax purposes.

The total tax provision (benefit) for interim periods is determined by applying an estimated annual effective tax rate to the applicable quarterly income (loss). Our consolidated estimated annual effective tax rate differs from the statutory federal income tax rate primarily due to state, local and foreign income taxes, and certain partnership level income not being subject to federal tax.

During the second quarter of 2022, we received $77.1 million in tax refunds attributable to the net operating loss in tax year 2020 being carried back to prior years in the United States. We received $11.1 million in tax refunds attributable to the net operating loss of our Canadian corporate subsidiary being carried back to prior years in Canada during the first quarter of 2022. The U.S. refunds were recorded as a receivable as of March 27, 2022.

Additional benefits from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act included an $8.2 million deferral of the employer's share of Social Security taxes due in 50% increments in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022. As of March 27, 2022, the current portion of the deferral was recorded in "Accrued salaries, wages and benefits" within the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Unrecognized tax benefits, including accrued interest and penalties, were not material in any period presented. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.

The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law on August 16, 2022 and created a new 15% corporate alternative minimum tax ("CAMT") based on adjusted financial statement income. The effective date of the provision was January 1, 2023. We will not be subject to CAMT as our reported earnings for each of the past three years did not exceed $1 billion.