We are incorporated in Bermuda. Under current Bermuda law, we are not subject to tax on income and 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 net income before income taxes consist of the following (in thousands):

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

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

Deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

We have U.S. net operating loss carryforwards of $254.8 million and $256.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which begin to expire in 2023. We have state net operating loss carryforwards of $8.9 million and $12.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which expire in the years 2025 through 2035. In 2016, based on the weight of available evidence, we reversed a valuation allowance in the amount of $3.6 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 $13.9 million and $22.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which can be carried forward indefinitely.

Included above are deferred tax assets associated with our branch operations in the U.K. for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have U.K. net operating loss carryforwards of $8.3 million and $9.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which can be carried forward indefinitely.

Included above are deferred tax assets associated with Prestige for which we have provided a full valuation allowance. We have U.S. net operating loss carryforwards of $177.8 million and $151.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which begin to expire in 2023. Section 382 of the code may limit the amount of taxable income that can be offset by the Prestige NOL carryforwards.

The Act was enacted on December 22, 2017. Among other provisions, the Act reduces the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. The SEC staff issued SAB No. 118, which addresses how a company recognizes provisional amounts when a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete its accounting for the effect of the changes in the Act. The measurement period ends when a company has obtained, prepared and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting, but cannot extend beyond one year. As of December 31, 2017, we have not completed the accounting for the tax effects of enactment of the Act; however, as described below, we have made a reasonable estimate of the effects on existing deferred tax balances. These amounts are provisional and subject to change. The most significant impact of the Act for the Company was a $7.4 million reduction of the value of net deferred tax liabilities (which represent future tax expenses) that was recorded as a discrete tax benefit as a result of lowering the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. The tax benefit represents a provisional amount and the Company’s current best estimate. Any adjustments recorded to the provisional amount through the end of 2018 will be included in income from operations as an adjustment to tax expense. The provisional amounts incorporate assumptions made based upon the Company’s current interpretation of the Act and may change as the Company receives additional clarification and implementation guidance. Other aspects of the Act are either not applicable or not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. 

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

During the year, $10.7 million of unrecognized tax benefits were reversed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. If the $0.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2017 were recognized, our effective tax rate would be minimally 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 2014, except for years in which NOLs generated prior to 2014 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. We are engaged in a trade or business in the U.S. and receive income from sources within the U.S. Under Section 883, certain foreign corporations are exempt from U. S. federal income or branch profits tax on U.S.-source 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 has one or more classes of stock that are “primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market” in the U.S. or another qualifying country. We believe that we qualify for the benefits of Section 883 because we are incorporated in qualifying countries and our ordinary shares are primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market in the U.S.