Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Income Taxes

v2.4.1.9
Income Taxes
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
11. Income Taxes

 

We are incorporated in Bermuda. Under current Bermuda law, we are not subject to tax on income or capital gains. We have received from the Minister of Finance under The Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966, as amended, an assurance that, in the event that Bermuda enacts legislation imposing tax computed on profits, income, any capital asset, gain or appreciation, or any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance, then the imposition of any such tax shall not be applicable to us or to any of our operations or shares, debentures or other obligations, until March 31, 2035.

 

The components of the provision for income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):

Year Ended
December 31,
2014 2013 2012
Current:
Bermuda $ $ $
United States (9,162 ) 8,098
Foreign -Other 3,278 860 706
Total current (5,884 ) 8,958 706
Deferred:
Bermuda
United States 3,617 2,844
Foreign -Other
Total deferred: 3,617 2,844

 

Year Ended
December 31,
2014 2013 2012
Income tax expense (benefit) $ (2,267 ) $ 11,802 $ 706


Our reconciliation of income tax expense computed by applying our Bermuda statutory rate and reported income tax expense was as follows (in thousands):

Year Ended
December 31,
2014 2013 2012
Tax at Bermuda statutory rate $ $ $
Foreign income taxes at different rates 2,813 14,020 706
Benefit from global tax platform(1) (6,074 )
Tax contingencies 275 1,394
Return to provision adjustments (14,444 )
(Benefit) expense from change in tax status (1,462 ) 2,462
Valuation allowance 10,551
Income tax expense (benefit) $ (2,267 ) $ 11,802 $ 706

 

(1) During 2013, we implemented a restructuring plan to provide a global tax platform for international expansion. As part of the plan, the Company became a tax resident of the U.K. As such, it qualifies for relief from U.S. Branch Profits taxes under the U.S.-U.K. Tax Treaty. In addition, the restructuring resulted in additional interest and depreciation which reduced the Company’s overall income tax expense.

 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:

As of December 31,

2014

2013

Deferred tax assets:
Loss carryforwards $ 77,031 $ 28,351
Shares in foreign subsidiary 17,808 59,587
Other 1,121 2,920
Valuation allowance (81,704 ) (84,695 )
Total net deferred assets 14,256 6,163
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment (20,888 ) (6,367 )
Total deferred tax liabilities (20,888 ) (6,367 )
Net deferred tax liability $ (6,632 ) $ (204 )

 

We have U.S. net operating loss carryforwards of $158.6 million and $3.6 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 which begin to expire in 2023. We have state net operating loss carryforwards of $24.5 million and $42.3 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, which expire between 2025- 2034. Based on the weight of available evidence, we have recorded a valuation allowance in the amount of $10.6 million with respect to the U.S. deferred tax assets of one of our U.S. subsidiaries.

 

Included above are deferred tax assets associated with our operations in Norway for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have Norway net operating loss carryforwards of $58.8 million and $88.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, which can be carried forward indefinitely.

 

On November 19, 2014, we acquired the stock of Prestige. Included above are deferred tax assets associated with Prestige, including net operating loss carryforwards of $104.3 million, which begin to expire in 2023, and state net operating loss carryforwards of $0.1 million. We have recorded a valuation allowance of $36.5 million with respect to the Prestige deferred tax assets based on the weight of available evidence. Section 382 of the Code may limit the amount of taxable income that can be offset by the Prestige’s NOL carryforwards.

 

As a result of the Corporate Reorganization in 2013, we obtained certain U.S. net operating losses of our shareholders. These loss carryforwards were subject to Section 382 of the Code which may limit the amount of taxable income that can be offset by NOL carryforwards after a change in control (generally greater than 50% change in ownership). We do not expect the 382 limitation to materially impact the deferred tax asset as it relates to the NOL.

The following is a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands):

Year Ended
December 31,
2014
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of year $ 10,894
Gross increases in tax positions in current period 280
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year $ 11,174

 

If the $11.2 million unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2014 were recognized, our effective tax rate would be affected. We believe that there will not be a significant increase or decrease to the tax positions within 12 months of the reporting date. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

 

We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state jurisdictions and foreign jurisdictions. We are generally no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by authorities for years prior to 2011, except for years in which NOLs generated prior to 2011 are utilized.

 

Due to our international structure as well as the existence of international tax treaties that exempt taxation on certain activities, the repatriation of earnings from our subsidiaries would have no tax impact.

 

We derive our income from the international operation of ships. Under Section 883 certain foreign corporations, though engaged in the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S., are exempt from U.S. federal income and branch profit taxes on gross income derived from or incidental to the international operation of ships. Applicable U.S. Treasury regulations provide that a foreign corporation will qualify for the benefits of Section 883 if, in relevant part, (i) the foreign country in which the corporation is organized grants an equivalent exemption for income from the operation of ships of sufficiently broad scope to corporations organized in the U.S. and (ii) the foreign corporation is a CFC for more than half of the taxable year, and more than 50% of its stock is owned by qualified U.S. persons for more than half of the taxable year, the CFC test. Our 2013 tax returns were filed with tax authorities under Section 883 and our 2014 tax returns will also be filed under Section 883.

 

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, Regent and its non-U.S. subsidiaries are disregarded as entities separate from their immediate foreign parent (PCH) and Oceania is treated as a corporation. Both Regent and Oceania rely on PCH’s ability to meet the requirements necessary to qualify for the benefits of Section 883. PCH is organized as a company in Panama, which grants an equivalent tax emption to U.S. corporations, and is thus classified as a qualified foreign country for purposes of Section 883. PCH was classified as a CFC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2014 and we believe we meet the ownership and substantiation requirements of the CFC test under the regulations.