(15) Income Taxes


The components of income before income taxes consist of the following:


Year ended December 31,
2025 2024 2023
U.S. operations $ 90,437 $ 83,169 $ 103,517
Foreign operations 180,895 185,222 146,076
$ 271,332 $ 268,391 $ 249,593


The provision for current and deferred income tax expense (benefit) consists of the following:


Year ended December 31,
2025 2024 2023
Current:
Federal $ 14,107 $ 15,123 $ 18,356
State and local 3,017 2,627 2,297
Foreign 44,856 49,814 42,691
61,980 67,564 63,344
Deferred:
Federal (523 ) (1,246 ) 484
State and local (154 ) (162 ) 81
Foreign 1,884 (1,198 ) (2,092 )
1,207 (2,606 ) (1,527 )
Total income tax expense $ 63,187 $ 64,958 $ 61,817


The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are as follows:

December 31,
2025 2024
Net deferred tax assets:
Inventory and accounts receivable $
4,852 $ 4,505
Profit sharing 2,612 2,274
Stock option compensation 86 314
Effect of inventory profit elimination(1)
Other 2,490 2,290
Total gross deferred tax assets, net 10,040 9,383
Valuation allowance
Net deferred tax assets 10,040 9,383
Deferred tax liabilities (long-term):
Building expenses (332 ) (1,196 )
Trademarks and licenses (4,075 ) (2,104 )
Unrealized gain on marketable equity securities (837 ) (560 )
Other (562 ) (58 )
Total deferred tax liabilities (5,806 ) (3,918 )
Net deferred tax assets $ 4,234 $ 5,465


(1) As described in Note 1, Correction of Immaterial Misstatements in Prior Period Financial Statements, the Company revised certain prior-period income tax disclosures to correct the classification of prepaid expenses that were previously presented as a deferred tax asset.


No valuation allowances have been provided for deferred tax assets in 2025 as management believes that it is more likely than not that the asset will be realized in the reduction of future taxable income.


A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes to the amount computed by applying the 21% statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to income before income taxes after the adoption of ASU 2023-09 is as follows:


Year ended December 31, 2025
(in thousands) Percent
Tax at U.S. Statutory Rate $
56,980

21.00 %
State and Local Income Taxes(1) 1,812 0.67 %
Foreign Tax Effects

France

Foreign Rate Differential 7,540 2.78 %
Other 1,419 0.52 %
Other Foreign Jurisdictions (230 ) (0.09)
Effects of Cross-Border Tax Laws (1,657 ) (0.61) %
Tax Credits (349 ) (0.13) %
Nontaxable or Nondeductible Items 366 0.13
Changes in Unrecognized Tax Benefits 450 0.17
Other Adjustments


Amended Return Impacts (3,000 ) (1.11) %
Other (144 ) (0.04) %

$ 63,187
23.29 %


(1) The states and local jurisdictions that contribute to the majority (greater than 50%) of the tax effect in this category include New York State, New Jersey, and California. 


A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes to the amount computed by applying the 21% statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to income before taxes for years prior to the adoption of ASU 2023-09 is as follows:



Year ended December 31,
2024 2023
Statutory rates 21.0 % 21.0 %
State and local taxes, net of Federal benefit 0.7 0.8
Windfall benefit from exercise of stock options (0.3 ) (0.4 )
Benefit of Foreign Derived Intangible Income (0.9 ) (0.9 )
Effect of foreign taxes greater than U.S. statutory rates 3.5 4.1
Other 0.2 0.2
Effective rates 24.2 % 24.8 %


Below is a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits ("UTBs").


Year ended December 31,
2025 2024 2023
Gross increases - tax positions in prior period $ $ $
Gross increases - tax positions in prior period








Gross decreases - tax positions in prior period
Gross increases - tax positions in current period 571
Settlement
Lapse of statute of Limitations
UTBs - December 31 $ 571 $ $


Included in the balance of UTBs are tax benefits that, if recognized, would effect the effective tax rate are $0.45 million, $0 million and $0 million as of December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.


The Company accrued interest and penalties of $0 during 2025 and in total, as of December 31, 2025, recognized a liability related to the UTBs noted above for interest and penalties of $0.


The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal, and various states and foreign jurisdictions.


A mutual agreement procedure between the French and United States tax authorities in 2025 resulted in a $3 million favorable outcome in which we were able to reclaim the tax assessment of 2.8 million ($3.1 million) paid in France in 2023. The Company’s French subsidiary is no longer subject to foreign tax examination for years before 2022. Beginning in 2025, the Company's French subsidiary is undergoing an audit for tax years 2022 and 2023. They have not been notified of any additional upcoming audits.


The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state, and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2022.


The amount of cash income taxes paid by the Company were as follows:

Year ended December 31, 2025

(in thousands)
Federal $
15,629
State and Local 938
Foreign
France 53,520
Italy 4,985
All other foreign 2,639
Income taxes, net of amounts refunded $ 77,711

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 10, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 11, 2025
2023Feb 27, 2024
2022Feb 28, 2023
2021Mar 1, 2022
2020Mar 1, 2021
2019Mar 2, 2020
2018Mar 1, 2019
2017Mar 13, 2018
2016Mar 13, 2017
2015Mar 14, 2016

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.