Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Note D - Income Taxes

v3.8.0.1
Note D - Income Taxes
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Notes to Financial Statements  
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]
NOTE D – INCOME TAXES
 
In
March 2016,
the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU
No.
2016
-
09,
Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
. The standard is required to be adopted by all companies in their
first
fiscal year beginning after
December 15, 2016
but allows companies to early adopt prior to this date. The standard is intended to simplify various aspects of the accounting and presentation of share-based payments. During the quarter ended
September 30, 2016,
the Company elected to early adopt this standard as of
October 1, 2015.
Adoption of this standard had the following impact on the Company’s financial statements:
 
Statements of earnings
– The new accounting standard requires that the tax effects of stock-based compensation be recognized in the income tax provision of the Company’s Statements of Earnings. Previously, these amounts were recognized in additional paid-in capital on the Company’s Balance Sheets. The new standard requires these amounts to be recasted within these quarters due to the prospective adoption of this standard in the
fourth
quarter of fiscal
2016.
Accordingly, tax benefits related to stock-based compensation awards of
$104,134,
$54,313,
and
$79,640
for the quarters ended
December 31, 2015,
March 31, 2016,
and
June 30, 2016,
respectively, were recognized as reductions of income tax expense in the statements of earnings. These tax benefits reduced our effective income tax rate
5.2%,
2.5%,
and
2.3%
for the quarters ended
December 31, 2015,
March 31, 2016,
and
June 30, 2016,
respectively. The changes were applied on a prospective basis and resulted in an increase in basic and diluted earnings per share of
$0.01
and
$0.01
for the quarters ended
December 31, 2015
and
June 30, 2016,
respectively. The change had
no
effect on basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended
March 31, 2016.
The net tax benefit recognized during the quarter ended
September 30, 2016
was
$437,096,
which reduced our effective tax rate
13.7%
to
16.3%
for the quarter and resulted in an increase in basic and diluted earnings per share of
$0.03
and
$0.04,
respectively. The net tax benefit recognized during the year ended
September 30, 2016
was
$675,183,
which reduced our effective tax rate
6.2%
to
26.4%
for the year and resulted in an increase in basic and diluted earnings per share of
$0.05.
 
Statements of cash flows
– The standard requires that excess tax benefits from stock-based employee awards be reported as operating activities in the Company’s Statements of Cash Flows. Previously, these cash flows were included as hypothetical inflows/outflows in both operating and financing activities. The Company elected to apply this change on a prospective basis, resulting in an increase in net cash provided by operating activities and a decrease in net cash used by financing activities of
$348,000,
$741,000,
and
$1,786,000
for the
three
months ended
December 31, 2015,
the
six
months ended
March 31, 2016,
and the
nine
months ended
June 30, 2016,
respectively, compared to the previously filed Form
10
-Qs.
 
Statements of shareholders’ equity
– The standard requires that as of the beginning of the annual period of adoption, previously unrecognized excess tax benefits be recognized on a modified retrospective basis and record a deferred tax asset for the balance with an offsetting adjustment to retained earnings. The Company recognized additional deferred tax assets and adjusted retained earnings in the amount of
$1,864,980
on
October 1, 2015.
 
In recording stock-based compensation expense, the new standard allows companies to make a policy election as to whether they will include an estimate of awards expected to be forfeited or whether they will account for forfeitures as they occur. We have elected to include an estimate of forfeitures in the computation of our stock-based compensation expense. As this treatment is consistent with the Company’s previous practice, this election had
no
impact on our financial statements.
 
The new standard requires that employee taxes paid when an employer withholds shares for tax-withholding purposes be reported as financing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. As this treatment is consistent with the Company’s previous practice, this election had
no
impact on our financial statements.
 
Realization of net operating loss carry-forward and other deferred tax temporary differences are contingent upon future taxable earnings. The Company’s deferred tax assets were reviewed for expected utilization by assessing the available positive and negative factors surrounding its recoverability.
 
As of
September 30, 2016,
the Company’s remaining valuation allowance of approximately
$322,000
related to state net operating loss carry forwards. During the
fourth
quarter of
2017,
the Company reversed approximately
$163,000
of its remaining valuation allowance. Approximately
$131,000
of the reversal related to the expiration and utilization of state net operating losses in
2017.
The remaining decrease of
$32,000
is related to higher future year expected NOL utilization based on updated profitability estimates. The remaining valuation allowance balance as of
September 30, 2017
of
$159,000
relates entirely to state net operating loss carry forwards we do
not
expect to utilize. The Company will continue to assess the assumptions used to determine the amount of our valuation allowance and
may
adjust the valuation allowance in future periods based on changes in assumptions of estimated future income and other factors. If the valuation allowance is reduced, we would record an income tax benefit in the period the valuation allowance is reduced. If the valuation allowance is increased, we would record additional income tax expense.
 
The valuation allowance activity for the years ended
September 30, 2017,
2016,
and
2015
is as follows:
 
Year Ended   Balance at Beginning of Year   Income Tax Benefit   Reversal for State NOL Expiration and Utilization   Balance at End of Year
September 30, 2017   $
322,404
    $
(32,154
)   $
(131,096
)   $
159,154
 
September 30, 2016    
658,808
     
(78,044
)    
(258,360
)    
322,404
 
September 30, 2015    
847,826
     
(53,836
)    
(135,182
)    
658,808
 
 
Significant components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows at:
 
    September 30,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Long-term deferred income tax assets (liabilities):                
Intangibles   $
(90,085
)   $
(67,450
)
Property and equipment depreciation    
(948,653
)    
(815,374
)
Net operating loss carry forwards and credits    
551,125
     
702,113
 
Stock-based compensation    
209,645
     
221,905
 
Inventories    
503,632
     
388,292
 
Prepaid expenses    
(48,847
)    
(44,511
)
Accrued expenses and reserves    
404,649
     
312,227
 
Goodwill    
(866,388
)    
(786,577
)
Gross long-term deferred tax liability    
(284,922
)    
(89,375
)
Valuation allowance    
(159,154
)    
(322,404
)
Net long-term deferred tax liability   $
(444,076
)   $
(411,779
)
 
As of
September 30, 2017
and
2016,
the current income tax receivable was approximately
$409,000
and
$643,000,
respectively. Current income tax receivable amounts are included in Other Current Assets in the Company’s balance sheets.
 
During the quarter ended
December 31, 2015,
the Company early adopted ASU
2015
-
17
to present balance sheet classification of deferred income taxes as noncurrent. This adoption was applied prospectively and therefore, prior periods were
not
retrospectively adjusted.
 
As of
September 30, 2017,
the Company had
no
U.S. federal net operating loss (“NOL”) carry-forwards and approximately
$6,437,000
state NOLs. The U.S. federal NOL carry forward amounts were fully utilized in fiscal year
2016.
The state NOL carry forward amounts expire in fiscal years
2018
through
2022
if
not
utilized. In addition, as of
September 30, 2017,
the Company has Minnesota research and development and alternative minimum tax credits of
$159,000
and
$46,000,
respectively. The Company has
not
recorded a valuation allowance on these deferred tax assets as the Company believes it is more likely than
not
they will be utilized before they begin to expire in fiscal year
2030.
 
The Company completed an Internal Revenue Code Section
382
analysis of the loss carry forwards in
2009
and determined then that all of the Company’s loss carry forwards are utilizable and
not
restricted under Section
382.
The Company has
not
updated its Section
382
analysis subsequent to
2009
and does
not
believe there have been any events subsequent to
2009
that would impact the analysis.
 
Under ASU
No.
2016
-
09,
an entity recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies relating to stock-based compensation as income tax expense or benefit in the statement of earnings. This change eliminates the notion of the “APIC” pool and related prior year disclosures for excess tax deductions
not
reflected in the Company’s deferred tax asset presentation.
 
The following is a reconciliation of the federal statutory income tax rate to the effective tax rate as a percent of pre-tax income for the following years ended:
 
    September 30,
2017
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Federal statutory rate    
34
%    
34
%    
34
%
State income taxes    
1
%    
1
%    
1
%
Permanent differences    
(1
%)    
-
     
1
%
Change in valuation allowance    
(4
%)    
(3
%)    
(3
%)
Expiration and utilization of state NOL’s    
3
%    
2
%    
2
%
Research and development credits    
(1
%)    
(1
%)    
-
 
Excess tax benefits from stock-based     compensation    
(1
%)    
(7
%)    
-
 
Tax rate    
31
%    
26
%    
35
%
 
Components of the income tax expense are as follows for the years ended:
 
    September 30,
2017
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Current:                        
Federal   $
1,627,125
    $
428,638
    $
67,373
 
State    
78,552
     
106,623
     
65,820
 
Current income tax expense    
1,705,677
     
535,261
     
133,193
 
Deferred:                        
Federal    
8,680
     
2,434,294
     
2,377,590
 
State    
23,617
     
(93,523
)    
(35,545
)
Deferred income tax expense    
32,297
     
2,340,771
     
2,342,045
 
Income tax expense   $
1,737,974
    $
2,876,032
    $
2,475,238
 
 
The Company is required to recognize the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than
not
sustain the position following an audit. For tax positions meeting the more likely than
not
threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than
50
percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority. The Company applies the interpretation to all tax positions for which the statute of limitations remained open. The Company had
no
liability for unrecognized tax benefits and did
not
recognize any interest or penalties during the years ended
September 30, 2017,
2016,
or
2015.
 
The Company is subject to income taxes in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and various state jurisdictions. Tax regulations within each jurisdiction are subject to the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and require significant judgment to apply. With few exceptions, the Company is
no
longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, income tax examinations by tax authorities for fiscal years ending prior to
2002.
We are generally subject to U.S. federal and state tax examinations for all tax years since
2001
due to our net operating loss carryforwards and the utilization of the carryforwards in years still open under statute. The Company changed its fiscal year end in
2007
from
March 31
to
September 30.