INCOME TAXES	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES	NOTE 5 — INCOME TAXES For the three months ended March 31, 2020, income tax expense was calculated on a discrete basis, as the Company does not believe it can reliably estimate the annual effective tax rate for 2020. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, income tax expense during interim periods was based on applying an estimated annual effective income tax rate to year-to-date income, plus any significant unusual or infrequently occurring items which are recorded in the interim period. The provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 differs from the amount that would be provided by applying the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% to pre-tax income primarily due to changes in the valuation allowance of $3.9 million. On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into U.S. federal law the CARES Act, which is aimed at providing emergency assistance and health care for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and generally supporting the U.S. economy. The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit (“AMT”) refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. In particular, the CARES Act, (i) eliminates the 80% of taxable income limitation by allowing corporate entities to fully utilize NOLs to offset taxable income in 2018, 2019 or 2020, (ii) allows for NOLs generated in 2018, 2019, or 2020 to be carried back 5 years, (iii) increases the net interest expense deduction limit to 50% of adjusted taxable income from 30% for tax years beginning January 1, 2019 and 2020, and (iv) allows taxpayers with AMT credits to claim a refund in 2019 for the entire amount of the credit instead of recovering the credit through refunds over a period of years, as originally enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. As a result of the CARES Act, we reclassified $1.2 million of expect AMT refunds from long-term to current during the three months ended March 31, 2020. The computation of the annual estimated effective tax rate at each interim period requires certain estimates and significant judgment including, but not limited to, the expected operating income for the year, projections of the proportion of income earned and taxed in various jurisdictions, permanent and temporary differences, and the likelihood of recovering deferred tax assets generated in the current year. The accounting estimates used to compute the provision for income taxes may change as new events occur, more experience is obtained, additional information becomes known or as the tax environment changes. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company has concluded that a discrete calculation of income taxes is appropriate due to sensitivity of the annual effective tax rate to estimates of future income and uncertainty in future estimates due to the impacts of COVID-19. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management considers all available evidence (both positive and negative) in determining whether a valuation allowance is required. Such evidence includes the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, available taxes in carryback periods, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Judgment is required in considering the relative weight of negative and positive evidence. The Company continues to monitor facts and circumstances in the reassessment of the likelihood that operating loss carryforwards, credits, and other deferred tax assets will be utilized prior to their expiration. As a result, it may be determined that a deferred tax asset valuation allowance should be established or released. The Company released a portion of its valuation allowance during the three months ended March 31, 2020 as a result of current period taxable income. Future increases or decreases in a deferred tax asset valuation allowance will impact net income through offsetting changes in income tax expense.

NOTE 5 — INCOME TAXES

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, income tax expense was calculated on a discrete basis, as the Company does not believe it can reliably estimate the annual effective tax rate for 2020. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, income tax expense during interim periods was based on applying an estimated annual effective income tax rate to year-to-date income, plus any significant unusual or infrequently occurring items which are recorded in the interim period. The provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 differs from the amount that would be provided by applying the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% to pre-tax income primarily due to changes in the valuation allowance of $3.9 million.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into U.S. federal law the CARES Act, which is aimed at providing emergency assistance and health care for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and generally supporting the U.S. economy. The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit (“AMT”) refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. In particular, the CARES Act, (i) eliminates the 80% of taxable income limitation by allowing corporate entities to fully utilize NOLs to offset taxable income in 2018, 2019 or 2020, (ii) allows for NOLs generated in 2018, 2019, or 2020 to be carried back 5 years, (iii) increases the net interest expense deduction limit to 50% of adjusted taxable income from 30% for tax years beginning January 1, 2019 and 2020, and (iv) allows taxpayers with AMT credits to claim a refund in 2019 for the entire amount of the credit instead of recovering the credit through refunds over a period of years, as originally enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. As a result of the CARES Act, we reclassified $1.2 million of expect AMT refunds from long-term to current during the three months ended March 31, 2020.

The computation of the annual estimated effective tax rate at each interim period requires certain estimates and significant judgment including, but not limited to, the expected operating income for the year, projections of the proportion of income earned and taxed in various jurisdictions, permanent and temporary differences, and the likelihood of recovering deferred tax assets generated in the current year. The accounting estimates used to compute the provision for income taxes may change as new events occur, more experience is obtained, additional information becomes known or as the tax environment changes. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company has concluded that a discrete calculation of income taxes is appropriate due to sensitivity of the annual effective tax rate to estimates of future income and uncertainty in future estimates due to the impacts of COVID-19.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management considers all available evidence (both positive and negative) in determining whether a valuation allowance is required. Such evidence includes the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, available taxes in carryback periods, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Judgment is required in considering the relative weight of negative and positive evidence. The Company continues to monitor facts and circumstances in the reassessment of the likelihood that operating loss carryforwards, credits, and other deferred tax assets will be utilized prior to their expiration. As a result, it may be determined that a deferred tax asset valuation allowance should be established or released. The Company released a portion of its valuation allowance during the three months ended March 31, 2020 as a result of current period taxable income. Future increases or decreases in a deferred tax asset valuation allowance will impact net income through offsetting changes in income tax expense.