Note 11 - Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

11. Income Taxes

For the three-months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, our income tax expense and effective income tax rates were as follows (dollars in millions):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2024			2023
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	31		$	(11	)
Effective income tax rate		26	%		26	%

We estimate our differences between taxable income or loss and recorded income or loss on an annual basis. Our tax provision for each quarter is based upon these full year projections, which are revised each reporting period. These projections incorporate estimates of permanent differences between GAAP income or loss and taxable income or loss, state income taxes and adjustments to our liability for unrecognized tax benefits to adjust our statutory Federal income tax rate of 21% to our effective income tax rate. For the three-months ended March 31, 2024, these estimates increased our statutory Federal income tax rate to our effective income tax rate of 26% as follows: state income taxes that added 4%; permanent differences added 1%; restricted stock differences resulted in an increase of 2% and changes in our reserves for uncertain tax positions resulted in a decrease of 2%. For the three-months ended March 31, 2023, these estimates increased or increased our statutory Federal income tax rate to our effective income tax rate of 26% as a result of state income taxes that added 5%.

During the first quarter of 2024, we made no material federal or state income tax payments. During the remainder of 2024, we anticipate making income tax payments within a range of $195 million to $215 million. As of March 31, 2024, we have an aggregate of approximately $282 million of various state operating loss carryforwards, of which we expect that approximately $201 million will not be utilized due to section 382 limitations and those that will expire prior to utilization. After applying our state effective tax rate, this amount is included in our valuation allowance for deferred tax assets.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act, among other things, contains modifications on the limitation of business interest for tax years beginning in 2019 and 2020, and permits net operating loss (“NOL”) carryovers and carrybacks to offset 100% of taxable income for taxable years beginning before 2021. In addition, the CARES Act allows NOLs incurred in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to be carried back to each of the five preceding taxable years to generate a refund of previously paid income taxes. During 2020, we carried back certain net operating losses resulting in a refund of $23 million, including interest, that was collected in the second quarter of 2024.