Note 17: Income Taxes

As a result of the Business Combinations, substantially all the Company’s assets and operations are held and conducted by P3 LLC and its subsidiaries, and the Company’s only assets are equity interests in P3 LLC. P3 LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and most applicable state and local income tax jurisdictions. As a partnership, P3 LLC is generally not subject to U.S. federal, state, and local income taxes. Any taxable income or loss generated by P3 LLC is passed through to and included within the taxable income or loss of its members in accordance with the terms of the P3 LLC A&R LLC Agreement. Prior to the Business Combinations, the income and losses of P3 LLC were passed through to its members and nontaxable to P3 LLC.

The Company is taxed as a corporation and pays corporate federal, state, and local taxes on income allocated to it from P3 LLC based on the Company’s economic interest held in P3 LLC. While the Company consolidates P3 LLC for financial purposes as a VIE, the Company will not be taxed on the earnings attributed to the non-controlling interests. As a result, the income tax burden on the earnings taxed on the non-controlling interests is not reported by the Company in its financial statements.

Components of Loss Before Taxes

The components of net loss before the provision for income taxes were as follows:

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Components of Income Tax Expense

For the reasons described above, there was no provision for income taxes for the periods December 3, 2021, through December 31, 2021, January 1, 2021, through December 2, 2021, and the years ended December 31, 2020, and 2019. A reconciliation between the income tax provision computed by applying the statutory federal rate and the actual provision is as follows:

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Our tax rate is affected primarily by the recognition of a valuation allowance and the portion of income and expense allocated to the non-controlling interest. It is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year such as benefits from fair value changes in SPAC warrants.

Deferred Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes result from differences in the recognition of amounts for tax and financial reporting purposes, as well as operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Significant components of our deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

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We recognize deferred tax assets to the extent that we believe that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. The realization of tax benefits of net deferred tax assets is dependent upon future levels of taxable income, of an appropriate character, in the periods the items are expected to be deductible or taxable. Based on the available evidence during the year ended December 31, 2021, we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits of the U.S. losses incurred will not be realized. Accordingly, we have recorded a valuation allowance against the tax benefits of the U.S. losses incurred. We intend to maintain the valuation allowance on the U.S. net deferred tax assets until sufficient positive evidence exists to support a reversal of, or decrease in, the valuation allowance. The valuation allowance recorded in 2021 was $9.6 million.

We have recognized no deferred taxes in connection with the Medcore Acquisition. Because Medcore does not file a consolidated corporate income tax return with the Company, the deferred tax assets of Medcore are separately assessed for realizability. Based on the weight of all available evidence, including cumulative losses in recent years, we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, we have recorded a valuation allowance against the tax benefits of the acquired deferred tax assets.

We have recognized no deferred taxes in connection with the Network VIEs. Because the Network VIEs do not file a consolidated corporate income tax return with the Company, the deferred tax assets are separately assessed for realizability. Based on the weight of all available evidence, including cumulative losses in recent years, we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, we have recorded a valuation allowance against the tax benefits of the related deferred tax assets.

The Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability in connection with its investment in P3 LLC due to the deferred tax liability recognition exception contained within ASC 740, in circumstances where book goodwill exceeds tax-deductible of goodwill.

As of December 31, 2021, we had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $31.4 million for federal income tax purposes. Federal net operating losses have an unlimited carryforward period but utilization for a given tax year is limited to 80% of taxable income.

The federal and state net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to limitations under Section 382 and Section 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and similar provisions under state law. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 contains provisions that limit the federal net operating loss carryforwards that may be used in any given year in the event of special occurrences, including significant ownership changes. We have yet to complete a Section 382 review to determine if our tax attributes will be limited in the future. However, our federal operating loss carryforwards have an unlimited carryforward life and therefore do not expire.

We will file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. Generally, federal and state tax authorities provide that the statutes of limitations remain open for three or four years from the tax year in which net operating losses or tax credits are utilized.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“American Rescue Plan Act”) was passed into law and amended portions of relevant tax laws. The American Rescue Plan Act did not have a significant impact on the provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Tax Receivable Agreement

Pursuant to our election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), we expect to obtain an increase in our share of the tax basis in the net assets of P3 LLC when its units are redeemed or exchanged. We intend to treat any redemptions and exchanges of P3 LLC units as direct purchases of the units for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These increases in tax basis may reduce the amounts that we would otherwise pay in the future to various tax authorities. They may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain capital assets to the extent the tax basis is allocated to those capital assets.

In connection with the Business Combinations, we entered into a TRA that provides for the payment by us of 85% of the amount of any tax benefits that we actually realize, or in some cases are deemed to realize, as a result of (i) increases in our share of the tax basis in the net assets of P3 LLC resulting from any redemptions or exchanges of P3 LLC, (ii) tax basis increases attributable to payments made under the TRA, and (iii) deductions attributable to imputed interest pursuant to the TRA (the “TRA Payments”). We expect to benefit from the remaining 15% of any tax benefits that we may actually realize.

The estimation of liability under the TRA is, by its nature, imprecise and subject to significant assumptions regarding a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the amount and timing of taxable income generated by the Company each year as well as the tax rate then applicable. As a result of the Business Combinations, the potential future tax benefits are estimated to be $5.4 million, of which $4.6 million is estimated to be the associated TRA liability. However, due to the full valuation allowance recorded by the Company, which results in no tax benefits that are to be realized related to the amortization of the step-up, no TRA liability is recorded within the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

As noted above, the Company has no recorded tax benefits associated with the increase in tax basis as a result of the Business Combinations. As a result, the Company determined that payments to TRA holders are not probable and no TRA liability has been recorded as of December 31, 2021.

As non-controlling interest holders exercise their right to exchange their units in P3 LLC, a TRA liability may be recorded based on 85% of the estimated future tax benefits that the Company may realize as a result of increases in the tax basis of P3 LLC. The amount of the increase in the tax basis, the related estimated tax benefits, and the related TRA liability to be recorded will depend on the price of the Company’s Class A Common Stock at the time of the relevant redemption or exchange.