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Income Taxes
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
On a quarterly basis, the Company estimates the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the full year and makes changes, if necessary, based on new information or events. The estimated annual effective tax rate is forecasted based on actual historical information and forward-looking estimates and is used to provide for income taxes in interim reporting periods. The Company also recognizes the tax impact of certain unusual or infrequently occurring items, such as the effects of changes in tax laws or rates and impacts from settlements with tax authorities, discretely in the quarter in which they occur.

For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company estimated its annual effective tax rate utilizing the annualized effective tax rate method under ASC 740, Income Taxes, to calculate its interim income tax provision. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company utilized the discrete effective tax rate method, as allowed under ASC 740, to calculate its interim income tax provision. The discrete method is applied when the application of the estimated annual effective tax rate is impractical because it is not possible to reliably estimate the annual effective tax rate. The discrete method treats the year-to-date period as if it was the annual period and determines the income tax expense or benefit on that basis. At the time, it was not possible to reliably estimate the annual effective tax rate for the year due to uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, relatively small changes in the provision for income taxes in 2020 caused disproportionate changes in the effective tax rate, as compared to 2021.

For the three months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded income tax expense of $10.6 million at an effective income tax rate of 18.7%. The annual effective tax rate differs from the statutory U.S. Federal tax rate due to the impacts of state and local taxes and non-deductible compensation, offset by benefits related to the treatment of mark-to-market activity on certain contracts in the Ethanol segment. The change in effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to the same period last year was primarily attributed to the favorable impact of the mark-to-market activity on certain contracts in the Ethanol segment, coupled with additional benefits from the CARES Act in the prior year. For the three months ended June 30, 2020, using the discrete effective tax rate method to calculate the interim tax provision, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $12.2 million at an effective income tax rate of 155.8%.
For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded an income tax expense of $16.4 million at an effective income tax rate of 21.6%. The annual effective tax rate differs from the statutory U.S. Federal tax rate due to the impacts of state and local taxes and non-deductible compensation, offset by benefits related to the treatment of mark-to-market activity on certain contracts in the Ethanol segment. The change in effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to the same period last year was primarily attributed to additional tax benefits from net operating loss carry backs as a result of the CARES Act in the prior year, offset by the favorable impact of the mark-to-market activity on the contracts within the ethanol segment. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, using the discrete effective tax rate method to calculate the interim tax provision, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $13.7 million at an effective income tax rate of 30.5%.The 2021 effective tax rate can be affected by variances in the estimates and amounts of taxable income among the various states, entities and activity types, realization of tax credits, adjustments from resolution of tax matters under review, valuation allowances and the Company’s assessment of its liability for uncertain tax positions. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $44.4 million and $24.7 million as of June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020, respectively. The unrecognized tax benefits of $44.4 million include $40.6 million recorded as a reduction of the deferred tax asset and refundable credits associated with the Federal Research and Development Credits.