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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Income Taxes  
Income Taxes

6. Income Taxes

 

The Company has no income tax expense due to operating losses incurred for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. The Company has provided a valuation allowance for the full amount of the net deferred tax assets as, based on all available evidence, it is considered more likely than not that all the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in a future period.

Realization of the future tax benefits is dependent on may factors, including the Company’s ability to generate taxable income within the net operating loss carryforward period.  Under the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and Sweden tax law, certain substantial changes in the Company’s ownership, including a sale of the Company or significant changes in ownership due to sales of equity, may have limited, or may limit in the future, the amount of net operating loss carryforwards that could be used annually to offset future taxable income.  For U.S. and Swedish income tax purposes, the Company has not completed a study to assess whether a change of control has occurred or whether there have been changes of control since the Company’s formation due to the complexity and cost associated with such study and because there could be additional changes of control in the future.  As a result, the Company is not able to estimate the effect of the change in control, if any, on the Company’s ability to utilize U.S. or Swedish net operating losses or other tax attribute carryforwards in the future.  For Swedish income tax purposes, the Company’s net operating losses may be subject to limitations in accordance with the country’s group contribution restriction laws.

 

The Company files tax returns in Sweden, the United States and Massachusetts, and all tax years since inception remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject, as carryforward attributes generated in years past may still be adjusted upon examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or other authorities if they have or will be used in a future period.  The Company is not currently under examination by the IRS or any other jurisdictions for any tax years.

As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had no uncertain tax positions or related interest and penalties accrued.

On March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) under which several restrictions for income tax purposes were relaxed, including with respect to, the limitation on business interest expense deductions, the ability to use net operating losses, and the acceleration of alternative minimum tax credits.  Given the Company’s history of losses, the CARES Act is not expected to have a material impact on income taxes.