Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Income Taxes

v3.24.0.1
Income Taxes
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Income Taxes  
Income Taxes

12.  INCOME TAXES

(In thousands)

2023

2022

2021

Income before income taxes:

U.S.

$

808,217

$

724,231

$

429,731

Foreign

17,266

17,904

3,712

Total

$

825,483

$

742,135

$

433,443

Income tax expense (benefit):

Current:

U.S. Federal

$

166,175

$

136,013

$

88,930

State and local

46,631

39,978

22,006

Foreign

7,193

3,406

1,039

Deferred:

U.S. Federal

(5,307)

7,016

(4,123)

State and local

(1,253)

(510)

1,769

Foreign

(2,210)

243

(194)

$

211,229

$

186,146

$

109,427

Deferred tax assets at December 31:

Receivables, net

$

6,089

$

5,114

Inventories

6,558

6,989

Other assets, principally share-based compensation

2,362

3,409

Accrued liabilities

21,073

18,980

Lease liability

16,887

13,212

Long-term liabilities

11,925

10,934

Long-term lease liability

37,515

35,451

Net operating loss carryforward

1,254

6,655

103,663

100,744

Deferred tax liabilities at December 31:

Right of use assets

52,441

49,120

Property and equipment, net

46,350

46,031

Intangibles, net

246,343

254,101

Other

2,459

2,973

347,593

352,225

Net deferred tax liability at December 31

$

243,930

$

251,481

A valuation allowance must be established for deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not that they will not be realized.  After review of all available positive and negative evidence, the Company has determined that no valuation allowance was required for the deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.

At December 31, 2023, the net deferred tax liability is $243.9 million, all of which is reported as long-term deferred tax liabilities.  At December 31, 2022, the net deferred tax liability is $251.5 million, all of which is reported as long-term deferred tax liabilities.  The deferred assets and deferred liabilities also include the state deferreds net of the federal benefit.

Of the deferred tax asset related to the net operating loss carryforward at December 31, 2023, with few exceptions, $1.3 million will expire between 2024 and 2035.  Of the deferred tax asset related to the net operating loss carryforward at December 31, 2022, $2.1 million will expire between 2023 and 2040.

A reconciliation of the U.S. Federal statutory tax rate to the income tax expense (benefit) on income was as follows:

2023

2022

2021

U.S. Federal statutory tax rate

21.0

%

21.0

%

21.0

%

State and local taxes, net of U.S. Federal tax benefit

4.3

4.2

4.3

Share based compensation

(0.1)

(0.2)

(0.5)

Effect of rates different than statutory

0.1

0.1

Non-deductible/non-taxable items (a)

0.2

0.1

0.1

Other, net (a)

0.1

(0.1)

0.3

Effective tax rate

25.6

%

25.1

%

25.2

%

(a) Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

A tax benefit of $1.4 million, $1.7 million and $2.4 million related to share-based compensation was recognized in income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

We file income tax returns in the U.S. Federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state and local jurisdictions, and foreign jurisdictions. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to income tax examinations on filed returns for years before 2019.