20. Income Taxes

We are not a taxable entity for federal income tax purposes. As such, we do not directly pay federal income taxes. Other than with respect to our corporate subsidiaries and the Texas Margin Tax, our taxable income or loss is includible in the federal income tax returns of each of our partners.

A few of our operations are owned by wholly-owned corporate subsidiaries that are taxable as corporations. We pay federal and state income taxes on these operations.

Our income tax (benefit) expense is as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013			2012			2011
Current:
Federal	$	345		$	(8,463	)	$	2,147
State	650			275			676
Total current income tax expense (benefit)	$	995		$	(8,188	)	$	2,823
Deferred:
Federal	$	(248	)	$	(1,035	)	$	(3,714	)
State	98			18			(326		)
Total deferred income tax benefit	$	(150	)	$	(1,017	)	$	(4,040	)
Total income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations ⁽¹⁾	$	845		$	(9,205	)	$	(1,217	)


(1)	Our discontinued operations had no income tax benefit or expense in any period presented.

Deferred income taxes relate to temporary differences based on tax laws and statutory rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Deferred tax assets and liabilities consist of the following:



	December 31,
	2013			2012
Deferred tax assets:
Current:
Other current assets	$	297		$	348
Other	8			8
Total current deferred tax asset	305			356
Net operating loss carryforwards	7,784			5,206
Total long-term deferred tax asset	7,784			5,206
Valuation allowances	(660		)	(543		)
Total deferred tax assets	$	7,429		$	5,019
Deferred tax liabilities:
Current:
Other	$	(785	)	$	(658	)
Long-term:
Fixed assets	(4,441		)	(4,914		)
Intangible assets	(11,503		)	(8,896		)
Total long-term liability	(15,944		)	(13,810		)
Total deferred tax liabilities	$	(16,729	)	$	(14,468	)
Total net deferred tax liability	$	(9,300	)	$	(9,449	)

We record a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets depends on the ability to generate sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character in the future and in the appropriate taxing jurisdictions.

Our income tax expense (benefit) varies from the amount that would result from applying the federal statutory income tax rate to income from continuing operations before income taxes as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013			2012			2011
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	84,849		$	88,132		$	50,154
Partnership income not subject to tax	(85,567		)	(90,815		)	(60,426		)
Loss subject to income taxes	$	(718	)	$	(2,683	)	$	(10,272	)
Tax benefit at federal statutory rate	$	(251	)	$	(939	)	$	(3,595	)
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	660			460			123
Effects of unrecognized tax positions, federal and state	—			(8,205		)	1,964
Return to provision, federal and state	88			(166		)	72
Other	348			(355		)	219
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	845		$	(9,205	)	$	(1,217	)
Effective tax rate on income from continuing operations before income taxes ⁽¹⁾	1		%	N/A			N/A


(1)	Income tax expense is related to taxable income generated by our corporate subsidiaries and Texas Margin Tax. Due to the income tax benefit in 2012 and 2011, the effective tax rate as a percentage of our total income from continuing operations before income taxes is not meaningful for those periods.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of our unrecognized tax positions was as follows:



Balance at January 1, 2011	$	6,241
Additions based on tax positions related to 2011	1,964
Balance as of December 31, 2011	8,205
Reversal of uncertain tax positions due to tax audit settlements	(8,205		)
Balance as of December 31, 2012	—

In 2012, we reversed $8.2 million of uncertain tax positions and recognized an income tax benefit in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as a result of tax audit settlements and the expiration of statutes of limitations. These uncertain tax positions were included in Other Long-Term Liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2011.