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Income Taxes

The components of income before income taxes consist of the following:

	Year ended December 31,
	2024		2023		2022
U.S. operations	$	83,169	$	103,517	$	75,682
Foreign operations		185,222		146,076		118,537
	$	268,391	$	249,593	$	194,219

The provision for current and deferred income tax expense (benefit) consists of the following:

	Year ended December 31,
	2024			2023			2022
Current:
Federal	$	14,992		$	18,322		$	14,019
State and local		2,627			2,297			2,782
Foreign		50,557			44,341			30,144
		68,176			64,960			46,945
Deferred:
Federal		(1,115	)		518			(1,150	)
State and local		(162	)		81			(149	)
Foreign		(1,941	)		(3,742	)		(2,464	)
		(3,218	)		(3,143	)		(3,763	)
Total income tax expense	$	64,958		$	61,817		$	43,182

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are as follows:


	December 31,
	2024			2023
Net deferred tax assets:
Foreign net operating loss carry-forwards	$	—		$	218
Inventory and accounts receivable		4,505			3,138
Profit sharing		2,274			3,505
Stock option compensation		314			613
Effect of inventory profit elimination		11,569			10,957
Other		2,290			1,674
Total gross deferred tax assets, net		20,952			20,105
Valuation allowance		—			(296	)
Net deferred tax assets		20,952			19,809
Deferred tax liabilities (long-term):
Building expenses		(1,196	)		(1,327	)
Trademarks and licenses		(2,104	)		(2,238	)
Unrealized gain on marketable equity securities		(560	)		(1,044	)
Other		(58	)		(655	)
Total deferred tax liabilities		(3,918	)		(5,264	)
Net deferred tax assets	$	17,034		$	14,545

Valuation allowances have been provided for deferred tax assets relating to foreign net operating loss carry-forwards as future profitable operations from certain foreign subsidiaries might not be sufficient to realize the full amount of the deferred tax assets in 2023. No valuation allowances were provided for deferred tax assets in 2024.

No other valuation allowances have been provided as management believes that it is more likely than not that the asset will be realized in the reduction of future taxable income.

The Company estimated the effect of foreign derived intangible income (“FDII”) and recorded a tax benefit of approximately $2.4 million, $2.4 million and $1.5 million as of December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal, and various states and foreign jurisdictions.

The Company assessed its uncertain tax positions and determined that it has no material uncertain tax position at December 31, 2024.

A tax audit of our Company’s French subsidiary was finalized in 2023 for the tax years 2020 and 2021. As a result of the audit’s conclusions, a one-time assessment of €2.8 million ($3.1 million) was included in tax expense in the consolidated statements of income for the annual period ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s French subsidiary is no longer subject to foreign tax examination for years before 2022. The Company's French subsidiary has been notified of an upcoming audit for tax years 2022 and 2023, to begin in 2025.

The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state, and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2021.

Differences between the United States federal statutory income tax rate and the effective income tax rate were as follows:


	Year ended December 31,
	2024			2023			2022
Statutory rates		21.0	%		21.0	%		21.0	%
State and local taxes, net of Federal benefit		0.7			0.8			1.1
Windfall benefit from exercise of stock options		(0.3	)		(0.4	)		(0.4	)
Benefit of Foreign Derived Intangible Income		(0.9	)		(0.9	)		(0.8	)
Effect of foreign taxes greater than U.S. statutory rates		3.5			4.1			1.5
Other		0.2			0.2			(0.2	)
Effective rates		24.2	%		24.8	%		22.2	%