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Income Tax
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Tax Income Tax 
The components of the Company's loss before income taxes are as follows:
Year Ended December 31, 2021Year Ended December 31, 2020
United Kingdom$(72,244)$(51,197)
United States(16,358)(1,713)
Loss before income taxes$(88,602)$(52,910)
Significant components of the provision for income taxes are as follows:
Year Ended December 31, 2021Year Ended December 31, 2020
Current income tax benefit:
Federal United States$— $(215)
State - United States— 
Non-United States— — 
Total— (213)
Federal - United States— — 
State - United States— — 
Non-United States— — 
Total deferred tax— — 
Total income tax benefit$— $(213)

Deferred taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the basis of assets and liabilities for financial statement and income tax purposes.

The major components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforward$49,422 $29,831 
Research and development credit carryforward941 — 
Stock based compensation2,560 1,167
Other1,477 491
Total deferred tax assets54,400 31,489
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible asset(2,600)(2,189)
Other(54)(71)
Total deferred tax liabilities(2,654)(2,260)
Net deferred tax assets before valuation allowance 51,74629,229
Valuation allowance(51,746)(29,229)
Deferred tax, net$— $— 

For the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded a deferred tax asset of $54.400 and $31,489 respectively. The Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon its ability to realize its deferred tax assets, which are comprised primarily of net operating loss carryforwards and excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation. Management has considered the Company’s history of cumulative net losses in the United States ("U.S.") and the United Kingdom ("U.K."), estimated future taxable income, as well as prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, and has concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefits of its U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets and U.K. deferred tax assets. Accordingly, a full valuation allowance has been established against these net deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company reevaluates the positive and negative evidence at each
reporting period. The Company’s valuation allowance increased during 2021 by $22,517 primarily due to the generation of net operating loss and stock-based compensation.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had U.S. Federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $1,034 and $232, respectively, which may be available to offset future income tax liabilities. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“ TCJA”) will generally allow losses incurred after 2017 to be carried over indefinitely, but will generally limit the net operating loss deduction to the lesser of the net operating loss carryover or 80% of a corporation’s taxable income (subject to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended). In addition, the Company has approximately $165 in U.S. State loss carryforwards which expire through various dates through 2040 and as of December 31, 2021, the Company had an estimated U.S. federal research and development tax credit carryforwards of $941 which may be available to offset future tax liabilities, and each begin to expire in 2033. The Company also had approximately $191,714 in U.K. loss carryforwards available to use against future taxable profits on a year-by-year basis (a potential deferred tax asset of $47,929). To the extent that U.K. taxable profits exceed £5,000 in each year, the loss available to utilize against profits in excess of £5,000 will be restricted to 50%. The U.K. loss carryforwards do not lapse and therefore, the full amount will be relieved over time provided there are sufficient profits against which the losses can be utilized.

Utilization of the U.S. net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. These ownership changes may limit the amount of carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain shareholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50% over a three-year period. The Company has not completed a study to assess whether a change of ownership has occurred, or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since its formation. Any limitation may result in the loss of a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards or research and development tax credit carryforwards before utilization.

U.K. tax losses are subject to additional restrictions where there is a change in ownership in the business and certain other conditions are met. An ownership change of a UK tax resident company would occur where (directly or indirectly) a single person acquires more than half of the ordinary share capital of a company, or two or more persons each acquire a holding of at least 5% of the ordinary share capital of a company and these holdings together amount to more than half the ordinary share capital of a company. Where a change in ownership has occurred, and within three years prior to that change in ownership and five years afterwards, there is a major change in the nature and conduct of trade of that company or the trade of that business becomes small or negligible, any losses carried forward will be extinguished from the point of the change in ownership. In addition, losses accrued subsequent to April 1, 2017 will be extinguished on a change of ownership when there is a major change in the nature or conduct of a company’s business, or where there is a major change in the scale of that business, or a company ceases to carry on a particular trade or business. The Company has not completed a study to assess whether a change of ownership has occurred since its formation, or whether there has been a major change in the Company's business that would restrict the U.K. tax losses. Any limitation may result in the loss of a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards before utilization.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“2017 Act”) created a requirement that US corporations include in income earnings of certain controlled foreign corporations (“CFC”) under the global intangible low taxed income (“GILTI”) regime. Pursuant to the FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740 No.5. Accounting for Global Intangible Low-taxed Income, the Company is allowed to make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or to provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred as period expense only. The Company has elected to account for GILTI in the year the tax is incurred and include the current tax impact of GILTI in the effective tax rate. Given the Company's loss position in the U.S. and the valuation allowance recorded against its U.S. net deferred tax assets, these provisions have not had a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). The Cares Act includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of the employer portion of certain payroll taxes, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations, and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. The CARES Act also
established a Paycheck Protection Program whereby certain small businesses are eligible for a loan to fund payroll expenses, rent, and related costs.

The Company considered the provisions under the CARES Act and elected not to take advantage of the provisions of the CARES Act as the effect of such provisions was not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows, and consolidated financial statements.

During 2021, the U.K. Government announced that from April 1, 2023, the corporation tax rate would increase to 25%. This new law was enacted on June 10, 2021. The overall effect of the change was an increase in net deferred tax assets by $9,311 and an increase in valuation allowance by an equal amount.

A reconciliation of the Company's effective tax rate to the U.S. federal statutory rate is as follows:

Year Ended December 31, 2021Year Ended December 31, 2020
U.S. federal income tax statutory rate21.0 %21.0 %
Change in valuation allowance(10.5)%(12.1)%
Non-deductible expenses(0.4)%(3.9)%
Refundable research and development tax credit(8.3)%(7.0)%
Effect of foreign operations taxed at various rates0.5 %0.9 %
Stock-based compensation(1.6)%— %
Other(0.7)%1.4 %
— %0.30 %

In the U.K., the Company is entitled to a research and development tax relief for small and medium-sized enterprises which allows the Company an enhanced deduction rate of 230% on qualifying research and development expenditure (the tax relief). If the Company incurs tax losses, it is entitled to surrender the lesser of unrelieved tax loss sustained and the tax relief. As the realization of the tax relief does not depend on generation of future taxable income or the Company's ongoing tax status or tax position, the Company does not consider the tax relief as an element of income tax accounting under ASC 740. For the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized research and development tax relief of $15,206 and $9,363 respectively, which is included in other operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive loss.

It is the intention of the Company to reinvest the earnings of its non-U.S. subsidiaries in those operations and not to repatriate the earnings to the U.S. Accordingly, the Company does not provide for deferred taxes on differences between financial reporting and tax basis in its investments in foreign subsidiaries as they are considered permanent in duration or are not expected to reverse in the foreseeable future.

The Company does not have any uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2021. In the U.K., tax returns for the year ended December 31, 2020 remains subject to examination by HMRC.

In the U.S., the Company files income tax returns in various states. In the U.S., tax years from 2018 remain subject to examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities. The Company is not currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service or any other jurisdiction for years 2018 through present. To the extent the Company has tax attribute carryforwards, the tax years in which the attribute was generated may be adjusted upon examination by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities to the extent utilized in a future period. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as part of its income tax provision. As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, the Company has recorded no liability for unrecognized tax benefits, interest, or penalties related to federal, state or foreign income tax matters.