(15)
Income Taxes

Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows:

 

Current:

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

 

State

 

 

 

Foreign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred:

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(34,589,736

)

State

 

 

(8,428,170

)

Foreign

 

 

 

Benefits of operating loss carryforwards

 

 

(1,637,851

)

 

 

(44,655,757

)

 

$

(44,655,757

)

 

Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2025 differs from the amounts that would result from applying the federal statutory rate of 21% to the Company’s pre-tax loss as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage of

 

 

Amount

 

 

Pre-Tax Loss

 

Expected tax benefit

 

$

(50,656,689

)

 

 

21

%

State income taxes, net of federal benefit

 

 

(7,258,604

)

 

 

3

%

Change in valuation allowance

 

 

12,576,428

 

 

 

-5

%

Non-deductible items

 

 

323,188

 

 

 

0

%

Other

 

 

359,920

 

 

 

0

%

 

$

(44,655,757

)

 

 

19

%

 

Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2024 is as follows:

 

Current:

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

6,205,464

 

State

 

 

914,465

 

 

 

7,119,929

 

Deferred:

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(6,646,568

)

State

 

 

(1,818,322

)

 

 

(8,464,890

)

 

$

(1,344,961

)

 

Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2024 differs from the amounts that would result from applying the federal statutory rate of 21% to the Company’s loss before taxes as follows:

 

Expected tax benefit

 

$

(1,532,372

)

State income taxes, net of federal benefit

 

 

(310,137

)

Tax rate adjustments

 

 

(258,484

)

Change in valuation allowance

 

 

(296,180

)

Non-deductible items

 

 

560,477

 

Other

 

 

491,735

 

 

$

(1,344,961

)

 

Temporary differences that give rise to the components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2024

 

 

2025

 

Deferred tax assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for credit losses

 

$

428,820

 

 

$

612,719

 

Other assets

 

 

2,316,033

 

 

 

1,898,118

 

Deferred interest

 

 

5,979,713

 

 

 

4,268,102

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

10,123,133

 

 

 

8,695,410

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

1,846,108

 

 

 

1,863,231

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

100,499

 

 

 

34,168

 

Interest expense limitation

 

 

16,373,283

 

 

 

20,211,886

 

Net operating losses

 

 

253,754

 

 

 

1,880,780

 

Subtotal

 

 

37,421,343

 

 

 

39,464,414

 

Valuation allowance

 

 

 

 

 

(15,798,830

)

Total

 

 

37,421,343

 

 

 

23,665,584

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

(183,912

)

 

 

(195,288

)

Property and equipment

 

 

(4,320,397

)

 

 

(4,046,450

)

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

(9,264,058

)

 

 

(7,905,364

)

Intangibles

 

 

(87,400,913

)

 

 

(30,559,893

)

Total

 

 

(101,169,280

)

 

 

(42,706,995

)

Net deferred tax liabilities

 

$

(63,747,937

)

 

$

(19,041,411

)

Income taxes paid for the year ended December 31, 2025 are as follows:

 

Federal taxes

 

$

2,539,925

 

State and local taxes:

 

 

 

Florida

 

 

235,000

 

Georgia

 

 

6,826

 

Massachusetts

 

 

680,200

 

Michigan

 

 

160,000

 

New Jersey

 

 

65,254

 

North Carolina

 

 

49,500

 

Pennsylvania

 

 

120,333

 

Other

 

 

13,048

 

 

$

3,870,086

 

 

As of December 31, 2025, the Company has federal net operating losses of $6.2 million. The federal net operating losses have an indefinite life. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has state net operating losses of $10.0 million. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania contributed approximately 66% of the state net operating losses. State net operating losses of approximately $8.2 million begin expiring in 2035. The majority of the remaining state net operating losses have an indefinite life.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s state and local income taxes, net of federal taxes, totaled a $6.4 million tax benefit. The Company identified the individual state and local jurisdictions that together comprise more than 50% of the total state and local income taxes, net of federal taxes. For 2025, state and local income taxes in Florida and Massachusetts comprised the majority of this category.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company evaluated the realizability of its deferred tax assets. As part of this evaluation, the Company considered all available positive and negative evidence, including recent operating results, projections of future taxable income, the scheduled reversal of existing temporary differences, and tax planning strategies. As a result of this assessment, the Company determined that it is more likely than not that a portion of its deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the Company recorded a valuation allowance of $15.8 million against its deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2025.

 

The primary factors contributing to the need for a valuation allowance were cumulative losses in recent years and the absence of sufficient projected future taxable income to utilize interest expense that was previously limited and not deducted. The Company will continue to assess the realizability of its deferred tax assets in future periods and will adjust the valuation allowance as appropriate based on changes in facts and circumstances. The effect of the valuation allowance is reflected in the Company’s effective tax rate reconciliation as a reconciling item, increasing the effective tax rate for the period.

 

The Company only has operations in the United States, and therefore, no foreign income or foreign income taxes.

 

On October 8, 2024, the Company completed a debt modification (see Note 9) that resulted in a cancelation of indebtedness income for tax purposes in 2024, which is amortized over the life of the debt for book purposes, resulting in a new deferred tax asset.

As of December 31, 2024 and 2025, the Company does not have any material unrecognized tax benefits and accordingly, has not recorded any interest or penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits. The Company and its subsidiaries file a consolidated federal income tax return and various state returns. These returns remain subject to examination by taxing authorities for all years after 2021.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Apr 8, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 26, 2025
2016Mar 23, 2017

About Income Taxes Disclosures

The income tax disclosure reveals how much a company actually pays in taxes versus what the statutory rate would predict. Analysts focus on the effective tax rate (ETR) reconciliation, which breaks down every item driving the gap between the 21% federal rate and the company's reported ETR — including R&D credits, foreign rate differentials, and state taxes. Deferred tax assets (DTAs) and their valuation allowances signal management's confidence in future profitability: a rising allowance suggests the company doubts it can use accumulated tax benefits. Uncertain tax benefit (UTB) reserves quantify exposure to IRS challenges on aggressive positions.

Key signals to watch: sudden ETR drops without clear operational reasons, large increases in valuation allowances, growing UTB balances, and significant unremitted foreign earnings. Post-TCJA, pay attention to GILTI and BEAT provisions that affect multinational tax structures. Compare the cash taxes paid (from the cash flow statement) against the income tax provision to gauge earnings quality.