Notes to Financial Statements
NOTE 1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS
DMLPHCII was incorporated in March 2015 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy. DMLPHCII is the owner of approximately a 1% indirect interest in the common equity of Cove Point and previously held a noncontrolling interest in Dominion Energy Midstream.
NOTE 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
General
DMLPHCII makes certain estimates and assumptions in preparing its Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income, expenses and cash flows for the periods presented. Actual results may differ from those estimates.
The carrying values of affiliated receivables, promissory notes to affiliates, payables to affiliates and affiliated current borrowings are estimated to be substantially the same as their fair values at December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Income Taxes
Judgment and the use of estimates are required in developing the provision for income taxes and reporting oftax-related assets and liabilities. The interpretation of tax laws, including the provisions of the 2017 Tax Reform Act, involves uncertainty, since tax authorities may interpret the laws differently. In addition, the states in which we operate may or may not conform to some or all the provisions in the 2017 Tax Reform Act. Ultimate resolution or clarification of income tax matters may result in favorable or unfavorable impacts to net income and cash flows, and adjustments totax-related assets and liabilities could be material.
A consolidated federal income tax return is filed for Dominion Energy and its subsidiaries, including DMLPHCII. In addition, where applicable, combined income tax returns for Dominion Energy and its subsidiaries are filed in various states; otherwise, separate state income tax returns are filed.
DMLPHCII participates in intercompany tax sharing agreements with Dominion Energy and its subsidiaries. Current income taxes are based on taxable income or loss and credits determined on a separate company basis.
Under the agreements, if a subsidiary incurs a tax loss or earns a credit, recognition of current income tax benefits is limited to refunds of prior year taxes obtained by the carryback of the net operating loss or credit or to the extent the tax loss or credit is absorbed by the taxable income of other Dominion Energy consolidated group members. Otherwise, the net operating loss or credit is carried forward and is recognized as a deferred tax asset until realized.
The 2017 Tax Reform Act included a broad range of tax reform provisions affecting Dominion Energy and its subsidiary DMLPHCII, including changes in corporate tax rates and business deductions. The 2017 Tax Reform Act reduced the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the enacted tax rate expected to apply when temporary differences are realized or settled. Thus, at the date of enactment, deferred taxes were remeasured based upon the new 21% tax rate. The total effect of tax rate changes on federal deferred tax balances was recorded as a component of the income tax provision related to continuing operations for the period in which the law is enacted, even if the assets and liabilities relate to other components of the financial statements.
Accounting for income taxes involves an asset and liability approach. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are provided, representing future effects on income taxes for temporary differences between the bases of assets and liabilities for financial reporting and tax purposes. Accordingly, deferred taxes are recognized for the future consequences of different treatments used for the reporting of transactions in financial accounting and income tax returns. DMLPHCII establishes a valuation allowance when it ismore-likely-than-not that all, or a portion, of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, DMLPHCII had established $3.1 million of valuation allowances.
DMLPHCII recognizes positions taken, or expected to be taken, in income tax returns that aremore-likely-than-not to be realized, assuming that the position will be examined by tax authorities with full knowledge of all relevant information.
If it is notmore-likely-than-not that a tax position, or some portion thereof, will be sustained, the related tax benefits are not recognized in the financial statements. Unrecognized tax benefits may result in an increase in income taxes payable, a reduction of income tax refunds receivable or changes in deferred taxes. Also, when uncertainty about the deductibility of an amount is limited to the timing of such deductibility, the increase in income taxes payable (or reduction in tax refunds receivable) is
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