Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Income Taxes
Income Taxes	Note 16. Income Taxes Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly-traded partnerships are, as a general rule, taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists under Section 7704(c) with respect to publicly-traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, storage and marketing of refined petroleum products, gasoline blendstocks, crude oil and ethanol to resellers and refiners. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income. Substantially all of the Partnership’s income is “qualifying income” for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, is not subject to federal income taxes at the partnership level. Accordingly, no provision has been made for income taxes on the qualifying income in the Partnership’s financial statements. Net income for financial statement purposes may differ significantly from taxable income reportable to unitholders as a result of differences between the tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities and the taxable income allocation requirements under the Partnership’s agreement of limited partnership. Individual unitholders have different investment basis depending upon the timing and price at which they acquired their common units. Further, each unitholder’s tax accounting, which is partially dependent upon the unitholder’s tax position, differs from the accounting followed in the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, the aggregate difference in the basis of the Partnership’s net assets for financial and tax reporting purposes cannot be readily determined because information regarding each unitholder’s tax attributes in the Partnership is not available to the Partnership. One of the Partnership’s wholly owned subsidiaries, GMG, is a taxable entity for federal and state income tax purposes. Current and deferred income taxes are recognized on the separate earnings of GMG. The after-tax earnings of GMG are included in the earnings of the Partnership. Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes for GMG. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Partnership calculates its current and deferred tax provision based on estimates and assumptions that could differ from actual results reflected in income tax returns filed in subsequent years. Adjustments based on filed returns are recorded when identified. The Partnership recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that the recoverability of these assets satisfies the “more likely than not” criteria in accordance with the FASB’s guidance regarding income taxes. A valuation allowance must be established when it is “more likely than not” that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. A review of all available positive and negative evidence needs to be considered, including a company’s performance, the market environment in which the company operates, length of carryback and carryforward periods and projections of future operating results. The Partnership concluded, based on an evaluation of future operating results and reversal of existing taxable temporary differences, that a portion of these assets will not be realized in a future period. The valuation allowance decreased by an immaterial amount for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The Partnership computed its tax provision for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 based upon the year-to-date effective tax rate as opposed to an estimated annual effective tax rate. Given a reliable estimate of the annual effective tax rate cannot be made, the Partnership concluded that the year-to-date effective tax rate is the most appropriate method to use for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. Unrecognized tax benefits represent uncertain tax positions for which reserves have been established. The Partnership had gross-tax effected unrecognized tax benefits of $0 and $1.0 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The liability for unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions changed by $1.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as a result of closure of various statutes of limitations. GMG files income tax returns in the United States and various state jurisdictions. As of June 30, 2020, with few exceptions, the Partnership was subject to income tax examination by tax authorities for all years dated back to 2016. On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted and signed into law. The CARES Act is an emergency economic stimulus package that includes spending and tax breaks to strengthen the United States economy and fund a nationwide effort to curtail the effect of COVID-19. The CARES Act provides certain tax changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the temporary removal of certain limitations on the utilization of net operating losses, permitting the carryback of net operating losses generated in 2018, 2019 or 2020 to the five preceding taxable years, increasing the ability to deduct interest expense, deferring the employer share of social security tax payments, as well as amending certain provisions of the previously enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result, the Partnership recognized a benefit of $6.3 million related to the CARES Act net operating loss carryback provisions which is included in income tax benefit in the accompanying statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The Partnership expects to receive cash refunds totaling $15.8 million associated with the carryback of losses generated in 2018 to the 2016 and 2017 tax years, and this income tax receivable is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2020.

Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Note 16. Income Taxes

Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly-traded partnerships are, as a general rule, taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists under Section 7704(c) with respect to publicly-traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, storage and marketing of refined petroleum products, gasoline blendstocks, crude oil and ethanol to resellers and refiners. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income.

Substantially all of the Partnership’s income is “qualifying income” for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, is not subject to federal income taxes at the partnership level. Accordingly, no provision has been made for income taxes on the qualifying income in the Partnership’s financial statements. Net income for financial statement purposes may differ significantly from taxable income reportable to unitholders as a result of differences between the tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities and the taxable income allocation requirements under the Partnership’s agreement of limited partnership. Individual unitholders have different investment basis depending upon the timing and price at which they acquired their common units. Further, each unitholder’s tax accounting, which is partially dependent upon the unitholder’s tax position, differs from the accounting followed in the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, the aggregate difference in the basis of the Partnership’s net assets for financial and tax reporting purposes cannot be readily determined because information regarding each unitholder’s tax attributes in the Partnership is not available to the Partnership.

One of the Partnership’s wholly owned subsidiaries, GMG, is a taxable entity for federal and state income tax purposes. Current and deferred income taxes are recognized on the separate earnings of GMG. The after-tax earnings of GMG are included in the earnings of the Partnership. Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes for GMG. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Partnership calculates its current and deferred tax provision based on estimates and assumptions that could differ from actual results reflected in income tax returns filed in subsequent years. Adjustments based on filed returns are recorded when identified.

The Partnership recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that the recoverability of these assets satisfies the “more likely than not” criteria in accordance with the FASB’s guidance regarding income taxes. A valuation allowance must be established when it is “more likely than not” that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. A review of all available positive and negative evidence needs to be considered, including a company’s performance, the market environment in which the company operates, length of carryback and carryforward periods and projections of future operating results. The Partnership concluded, based on an evaluation of future operating results and reversal of existing taxable temporary differences, that a portion of these assets will not be realized in a future period. The valuation allowance decreased by an immaterial amount for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

The Partnership computed its tax provision for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 based upon the year-to-date effective tax rate as opposed to an estimated annual effective tax rate. Given a reliable estimate of the annual effective tax rate cannot be made, the Partnership concluded that the year-to-date effective tax rate is the most appropriate method to use for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.

Unrecognized tax benefits represent uncertain tax positions for which reserves have been established. The Partnership had gross-tax effected unrecognized tax benefits of $0 and $1.0 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The liability for unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions changed by $1.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as a result of closure of various statutes of limitations.

GMG files income tax returns in the United States and various state jurisdictions. As of June 30, 2020, with few exceptions, the Partnership was subject to income tax examination by tax authorities for all years dated back to 2016.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted and signed into law. The CARES Act is an emergency economic stimulus package that includes spending and tax breaks to strengthen the United States economy and fund a nationwide effort to curtail the effect of COVID-19. The CARES Act provides certain tax changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the temporary removal of certain limitations on the utilization of net operating losses, permitting the carryback of net operating losses generated in 2018, 2019 or 2020 to the five preceding taxable years, increasing the ability to deduct interest expense, deferring the employer share of social security tax payments, as well as amending certain provisions of the previously enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result, the Partnership recognized a benefit of $6.3 million related to the CARES Act net operating loss carryback provisions which is included in income tax benefit in the accompanying statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The Partnership expects to receive cash refunds totaling $15.8 million associated with the carryback of losses generated in 2018 to the 2016 and 2017 tax years, and this income tax receivable is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2020.