Note 14 - Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

14. INCOME TAXES

The income tax provision or benefit for interim periods is generally determined using an estimate of the Company’s annual effective tax rate and adjusted for discrete items, if any, in the relevant period. Each quarter the estimate of the annual effective tax rate is updated, and if the Company’s estimated tax rate changes, a cumulative adjustment is made.

The income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 was $29.9 million, or 17.1% of pre-tax income. The income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was $66.0 million, or 16.4% of pre-tax income. The effective tax rates were lower than the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to foreign income from the Company’s subsidiaries in Bermuda and China being taxed at lower statutory tax rates, and excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation. The decrease in the effective tax rates relative to the federal statutory rate was partially offset by the inclusion of the global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) tax. 

The income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $16.7 million, or 12.1% of pre-tax income. The income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $55.8 million, or 14.5% of pre-tax income. The effective tax rates were lower than the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to foreign income from the Company’s subsidiaries in Bermuda and China being taxed at lower statutory tax rates, and excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation. The decrease in the effective tax rates relative to the federal statutory rate was partially offset by the inclusion of the GILTI tax.

On December 27, 2023, the Bermuda Corporate Income Tax Act of 2023 (the “Bermuda CIT Act”) was enacted and signed into law. It includes a 15% CIT applicable to Bermuda businesses that are multinational enterprises (“MNE”) with annual revenue of €750M or more beginning in 2025. The Bermuda CIT Act also includes an Economic Transition Adjustment (“ETA”) that requires MNEs to revalue their assets and liabilities, excluding goodwill, at their fair value as of September 30, 2023. There is an election to opt out of the ETA. As the Bermuda CIT Act is not effective until January 1, 2025, the Company is evaluating whether or not to adopt this ETA. Based on the information available, the Company has not recorded any changes to income tax expense related to the Bermuda CIT Act as of September 30, 2024.

In September 2024, a subsidiary of the Company was granted a tax credit with a ten-year life by a foreign jurisdiction. The tax credit may be utilized beginning in tax year 2025 to offset income tax liabilities in that jurisdiction, subject to various criteria as outlined by the granting authorities. As of September 30, 2024, the Company has evaluated the sources of income necessary to benefit from the tax credit and has determined that it currently does not meet the more likely than not criteria for realization of this deferred tax asset. As a result, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance on this deferred tax asset. The Company is evaluating the steps necessary, some of which are not within its immediate control, to generate sufficient future taxable income in the required jurisdiction and will reassess the realizability of this deferred tax asset each reporting period.