Learning Module 9 Analysis of Income Taxes
50 questions available
Key Points
- Temporary differences create deferred tax assets or liabilities depending on direction.
- Permanent differences do not create deferred taxes and affect ETR versus statutory rate.
- Deferred tax asset recognition requires management judgment about realizability; valuation allowances are used under US GAAP.
- Income tax expense = current taxes payable + change in deferred tax balances.
- Three useful rates: statutory, effective, and cash tax rates; each serves different analytical purposes.
- Footnote disclosures (reconciliations and deferred tax roll-forwards) are essential for tax analysis.
Key Points
- Deferred tax = temporary difference * enacted tax rate expected at reversal.
- Reversal timing matters for cash flow and solvency analysis.
- Valuation allowances reduce deferred tax assets when recovery is uncertain.
- Statutory tax rate changes require remeasurement of deferred tax balances.
- Examine detailed deferred tax rollforwards and carryforward expiries in the notes.
Key Points
- ETR = reported tax expense / pretax accounting income; cash tax rate = cash taxes paid / pretax income.
- ETR and cash tax rate serve different forecasting purposes: ETR for accounting expense; cash tax rate for cash flow.
- Profit mix across jurisdictions with different statutory rates is a key driver of consolidated ETR.
- Normalize ETR for one-time items when forecasting future tax expense.
Key Points
- Key disclosures: statutory-to-effective tax reconciliation, current vs deferred tax provision, deferred tax rollforwards, valuation allowance details, carryforward expiries, unrecognized tax benefits, and repatriation/reinvestment of foreign earnings.
- Analysts adjust reported tax metrics for valuation, comparability, and forecasting.
- Treatment of deferred tax liabilities in leverage measures depends on expectation of reversal and certainty of cash outflow.
Questions
Which of the following best describes a temporary difference for income taxes?
View answer and explanationA company uses straight-line depreciation for accounting (10-year life) and accelerated tax depreciation over 5 years. On the balance sheet at the end of Year 2, which of the following is most likely?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following items would most likely be a permanent difference for tax purposes?
View answer and explanationHow is the income tax expense reported on the income statement generally calculated?
View answer and explanationA company has a tax loss carryforward that is expected to be used within 5 years. Under US GAAP, what must the company consider before recognizing a deferred tax asset for the carryforward?
View answer and explanationIf a country's statutory tax rate falls from 35 percent to 21 percent at year-end, what immediate accounting effect should be expected on a company’s deferred tax balances?
View answer and explanationWhich tax rate is most appropriate for forecasting a company's future income tax expense on the income statement?
View answer and explanationA company shows a large net deferred tax asset but a valuation allowance nearly equal to the gross amount. What does this most likely indicate?
View answer and explanationCalculate the deferred tax liability for an asset with carrying amount of 14,000 and tax base of 11,429 given a tax rate of 30 percent.
View answer and explanationWhich of the following items is typically disclosed in the income tax footnote?
View answer and explanationA multinational reports pretax accounting income of 200 and an income tax provision of 50. Its cash taxes paid were 30. What are the company's effective tax rate and cash tax rate?
View answer and explanationIf a company receives an immediately refundable tax credit from a government for purchasing approved equipment that reduces taxes dollar-for-dollar, how should that credit be classified for accounting vs tax analysis?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best describes the tax base of an asset?
View answer and explanationA company reports a pretax accounting profit of 10, taxable income of 8, and current tax payments of 2. Deferred tax liability at the beginning of the period was 1 and at the end of the period is 3. What is the income tax expense on the income statement for the period?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is the best definition of the cash tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhen should an analyst be most concerned about a deferred tax liability being classified as equity-like rather than debt-like for ratio analysis?
View answer and explanationA company reports income before taxes of 100 and reports taxes payable of 30. The change in deferred tax liabilities during the period is an increase of 10. What is the effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following statements about deferred tax assets is correct?
View answer and explanationWhich item in the tax footnote would most help an analyst estimate when a company’s deferred tax assets will be realized?
View answer and explanationA company reports income before tax of 50, provisions for current tax of (15), and records a deferred tax benefit of 5. What is the effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following scenarios would produce a deferred tax asset?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best explains why an analyst might prefer using the cash tax rate rather than the effective tax rate when forecasting future free cash flow?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following would most likely cause a company's effective tax rate to be lower than its domestic statutory rate?
View answer and explanationA company reports a deferred tax liability related to taxable temporary differences of 300 at year-end. If management expects that none of these temporary differences will reverse for at least 10 years, how should an analyst most appropriately treat this balance for leverage analysis?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best describes an unrecognized tax benefit (a tax contingency)?
View answer and explanationDuring Year 1 a firm records a deferred tax asset of 100 related to a deductible temporary difference. At year-end Year 2 the firm records a valuation allowance increase of 40 against that deferred tax asset. What is the most direct effect of that valuation allowance increase on the Year 2 income statement?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following will reduce a company's deferred tax liability?
View answer and explanationA company's consolidated effective tax rate was 40 percent this year while the domestic statutory rate is 35 percent. Which of the following explanations is least likely?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is the most appropriate action for an analyst who wants to assess the sustainable, ongoing effective tax rate for use in forecasting?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following items is most likely disclosed separately as part of deferred tax liabilities in notes to the financial statements?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following would increase a company’s reported income tax expense this year, all else equal?
View answer and explanationCompany X has taxable income of 1,000 in Jurisdiction A at 25 percent and 500 in Jurisdiction B at 10 percent. What is Company X's combined statutory-based effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following statements regarding deferred tax assets and liabilities is correct under IFRS and US GAAP?
View answer and explanationWhen a company reports undistributed earnings of a foreign subsidiary that management intends to reinvest indefinitely, how should deferred taxes on those earnings generally be treated in the consolidated financial statements?
View answer and explanationIf a company has deferred tax assets arising from net operating loss carryforwards of 1,000 and expects to utilize 400 within the carryforward period based on projected taxable income, what deferred tax asset should it recognize at a 25 percent enacted tax rate (ignoring valuation allowance nuances)?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following most accurately describes the relationship between the income tax provision on the income statement and cash taxes paid in the period?
View answer and explanationA company has gross deferred tax assets of 2,000 and a valuation allowance of 1,200. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is least likely to appear in a company's tax footnote reconciliation from statutory to effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationIn forecasting a company's cash taxes, which item should an analyst explicitly model to capture the near-term effect of tax timing differences?
View answer and explanationA firm's effective tax rate in Year 1 was 10 percent, well below its domestic statutory rate due to large foreign earnings in low-tax jurisdictions. In Year 2 the firm expects most profits to shift back to the domestic market. Which of the following is the best expected outcome for Year 2's effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best describes why an analyst reviews a company's deferred tax rollforward disclosure?
View answer and explanationWhen management states that certain foreign earnings are 'indefinitely reinvested,' the firm is most likely asserting what about those earnings?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best describes the impact on the statement of cash flows when a company pays cash taxes that relate to prior years (a settlement of prior-year liabilities)?
View answer and explanationIf an analyst wants to evaluate whether a company’s deferred tax assets are reasonable relative to its balance sheet size, which ratio would be most relevant?
View answer and explanationWhich disclosure would best allow an analyst to determine whether a company’s low effective tax rate is temporary or structural?
View answer and explanationA multinational recognizes interest income in certain low-tax jurisdictions which is tax-exempt locally. For consolidated reporting, how does this most likely affect its effective tax rate?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following best explains why an analyst would be concerned if a company continually reports an effective tax rate much lower than its peers without clear disclosures?
View answer and explanationWhen a company records an impairment loss on goodwill for accounting purposes, what is the immediate tax accounting effect in most jurisdictions?
View answer and explanationWhich disclosure would help an analyst evaluate the potential future tax cash outflows associated with deferred tax liabilities?
View answer and explanationA company has taxable income higher than accounting profit this year because certain revenues are taxable now but recognized in accounting later. What is the immediate accounting consequence?
View answer and explanation