Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019, the Company recorded a benefit for income taxes of $1.6 million and income tax expense of $31.4 million, reflecting an effective tax rate of 4.1% and 37.4%, respectively.

In February 2019, to align compensation and benefit plans after completion of the merger with CEC, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors took action to terminate all deferred compensation arrangements, including for employees already participating in such arrangements. These changes affect the tax deductibility of certain arrangements, which resulted in a discrete item recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2019, reducing the Company’s deferred tax assets by $11.5 million, and increasing the Company’s 2019 effective tax rate and future cash tax payments.

The Company had $0.7 million and $1.4 million of unrecognized tax benefits as of September 30, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Interest and penalties, including those related to uncertain tax positions, are included in the provision for income taxes in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. The Company incurred no expense related to interest and penalties during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and $0.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

The Company paid $10.9 million and $36.6 million in income taxes during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The tax years since 2015 remain open for Federal tax examination and the tax years since 2014 remain open to examination by state and local taxing jurisdictions in which the Company is subject.