XML 34 R23.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.20.2
INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS INCOME TAXES AND RELATED PAYMENTS
The Company is a publicly traded partnership and currently holds interests in Oaktree Capital I, L.P. (a non-corporate entity that is not subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income tax) and Oaktree Capital Management (Cayman), L.P. (which holds subsidiaries that are taxable in non-U.S. jurisdictions).
Prior to the Restructuring on October 1, 2019, Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc., two of its Intermediate Holding Companies, were wholly-owned corporate subsidiaries. Income earned by these corporate subsidiaries were subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes during 2019. Income earned by non-corporate subsidiaries was not subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax and was allocated to the Oaktree Operating Group’s unitholders.
Upon the Restructuring, Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. merged with and into newly formed, indirect subsidiaries of Brookfield, with those subsidiaries surviving the mergers. As a result, as of October 1, 2019, Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. ceased to exist and the Company no longer includes on its financial statements economic interests in Oaktree Capital II, L.P., Oaktree Investment Holdings, L.P., Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., and Oaktree AIF Investments, L.P. All deferred tax balances related to these entities were deconsolidated as part of the Restructuring effective October 1, 2019.
The Company files its tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by federal, state, local and foreign tax regulators. With limited exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to income tax audits by taxing authorities for periods before 2016. The Company believes that it has adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcomes related to its tax examinations and that any settlements related thereto will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements; however, there can be no assurances as to the ultimate outcomes.
Exchange Agreement and Tax Receivable Agreement
Under the terms of an exchange agreement in effect prior to the Merger, each OCGH unitholder, subject to certain restrictions, including the approval of our board of directors, had the right to (or could have been required to) exchange his or her OCGH units for, at the option of the Company’s board of directors, Class A units, an equivalent amount of cash based on then-prevailing market prices, other consideration of equal value or any combination of the foregoing. These exchanges resulted in, increases in the tax basis of the tangible and intangible assets of the Oaktree Operating Group. These increases in tax basis have increased and will increase (for tax purposes) depreciation and amortization deductions and reduce gain on sales of assets, and therefore reduced the taxes of two Intermediate Holding Companies, Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc., that were our subsidiaries prior to the Merger.
Prior to the Merger, Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. entered into a tax receivable agreement with the OCGH (the “Original TRA”) unitholders that provided for the payment by Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. to the OCGH unitholders of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax that Oaktree Holdings, Inc. or Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in the case of an early termination payment by Oaktree Holdings, Inc. or Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. or a change of control, as discussed below) as a result of these increases in tax basis and of certain other tax benefits related to our entering into the tax receivable agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the tax receivable agreement. These payment obligations were obligations of Oaktree Holdings, Inc. and Oaktree AIF Holdings, Inc. and not of the Oaktree Operating Group.
At the closing of the Merger, Oaktree entered into a Third Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement (the "TRA Amendment"), which amended and restated the Original TRA. Pursuant to the TRA Amendment, the Original TRA no longer applies and no Tax Benefit Payments (as defined in the Original TRA) will be made with respect to any exchanges of OCGH units that occur on or after March 13, 2019. With respect to any exchanges of OCGH units that occurred prior to March 13, 2019, the TRA Amendment provides that Tax Benefit Payments (as defined in the Original TRA) will continue to be made with respect to such exchanges in accordance with the Original TRA (as amended in certain respects, including that such payments will be calculated without taking into account any tax attributes of Brookfield). Note that upon closing of the Merger, all of the obligation for future Tax Benefit Payments were transferred to the entities that were deconsolidated as part of the Restructuring effective October 1, 2019.