Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company and its Bermuda domiciled subsidiaries are not subject to Bermuda income tax under current Bermuda law. In the event there is a change in the current law such that taxes are imposed, the Bermuda Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act of 1966 states that the Company and its Bermuda domiciled subsidiaries would be exempt from such tax until March 31, 2035. The Company has subsidiaries and branches that operate in various other jurisdictions around the world and are subject to tax in the jurisdictions in which they operate.  As of June 30, 2022, the primary jurisdictions in which the Company’s subsidiaries and branches were subject to tax were Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and the United States.

White Mountains’s income tax benefit related to pre-tax loss from continuing operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 represented an effective tax rate of 6.9% and 7.6%. The effective tax rate was different from the U.S. statutory rate of 21.0%, driven primarily by full year forecasted income in jurisdictions with lower tax rates than the United States, partially offset by a full valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets in certain U.S. operations, consisting of the WM Adams, Inc. consolidated tax group within the Other Operations segment, and BAM and state income taxes.

White Mountains’s income tax expense related to pre-tax income from continuing operations for the three months ended June 30, 2021 represented an effective tax rate of 18.6%. The effective tax rate was different from the U.S. statutory rate of 21.0%, driven primarily by full year forecasted income in jurisdictions with lower tax rates than the United States, partially offset by additional tax expense related to the revaluation of U.K. deferred tax assets and liabilities. On June 10, 2021, the U.K. enacted an increase in its corporate tax rate from 19.0% to 25.0% for periods after April 1, 2023. On June 30, 2021, White Mountains increased its net U.K. deferred tax liability to reflect the higher tax rate on temporary differences projected to reverse after the new rate becomes effective.

White Mountains’s income tax expense related to pre-tax income from continuing operations for the six months ended June 30, 2021 represented an effective tax rate of 42.1%. The effective tax rate was different from the U.S. statutory rate of 21.0%, driven primarily by the additional tax expense related to the revaluation of U.K. deferred tax assets and liabilities in relation to White Mountains’s pre-tax income in the first six months of 2021.

In arriving at the effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, White Mountains forecasted all income and expense items including the change in unrealized investment gains (losses) and realized investment gains (losses) for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021.

White Mountains records a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets if it becomes more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in valuation allowances from period to period are included in income tax expense in the period of change. In determining whether or not a valuation allowance, or change therein, is warranted, White Mountains considers factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carryback and carryforward periods and strategies that if executed would result in the realization of a deferred tax asset.

With few exceptions, White Mountains is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2016.