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Income Taxes And Tax Receivable Agreement
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes And Tax Receivable Agreement

16. INCOME TAXES AND TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT

Income Taxes

The Company is the managing member of Zevia LLC and as a result, consolidates the financial results of Zevia LLC in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Zevia PBC. Zevia LLC is a pass-through entity for U.S. federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes following the Reorganization Transactions effected in connection with the IPO. As an entity classified as a partnership for tax purposes, Zevia LLC is not subject to U.S. federal and certain state and local income taxes. Any taxable income or loss generated by Zevia LLC is passed through to its members, including the Company. The Company is taxed as a C corporation and pays corporate federal, state and local taxes with respect to income allocated from Zevia LLC based on Zevia PBC's economic interest in Zevia LLC, which was 65.1% as of September 30, 2022.

The provision for income taxes differs from the amount of income tax computed by applying the applicable U.S. statutory federal income tax rate of 21% to income before provision of income taxes due to Zevia LLC’s pass-through structure for U.S. income tax purposes, pass-through permanent differences, state franchise taxes, tax effects of stock-based compensation, and the valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets. Except for state franchise taxes, Zevia PBC did not recognize an income tax expense (benefit) on its share of pre-tax book loss, exclusive of the noncontrolling interest of 34.9%, due to the full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

Tax Receivable Agreement

The Company expects to obtain an increase in its share of tax basis in the net assets of Zevia LLC when Class B units are exchanged by the holders of Class B units for shares of Class A common stock of the Company and upon other qualifying transactions. Each change in outstanding shares of Class A common stock of the Company results in a corresponding increase or decrease in the Company's ownership of Class A units of Zevia LLC. The Company intends to treat any exchanges of Class B units as direct purchases of LLC interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These increases in tax basis may reduce the amounts that Zevia PBC would otherwise pay in the future to various taxing authorities. They may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain capital assets to the extent tax basis is allocated to those capital assets.

In connection with the IPO, the Company entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement ("TRA") with continuing members of Zevia LLC and the shareholders of blocker companies of certain pre-IPO institutional investors (the "Direct Zevia Stockholders"). In the event that such parties exchange any or all of their Class B units for Class A common stock, the TRA requires the Company to make payments to such holders for 85% of the tax benefits realized, or in some cases deemed to be realized, by the Company by such exchange as a result of (i) certain favorable tax attributes acquired from the blocker companies in the course of mergers related to the IPO (including net operating losses and the blocker companies’ allocable share of existing tax basis), (ii) increases in tax basis resulting from Zevia PBC's acquisition of continuing members' Zevia LLC units in connection with the IPO and in future exchanges and, (iii) tax basis increases attributable to payments made under the TRA (including tax benefits related to imputed interest). The annual tax benefits are computed by calculating the income taxes due, including such tax benefits, and the income taxes due without such benefits. The Company expects to benefit from the remaining 15% of any tax benefits that it may actually realize. The TRA payments are not conditioned upon any continued ownership interest in Zevia LLC or the Company. To the extent that the Company is unable to timely make payments under the TRA for any reason, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid.

The timing and amount of aggregate payments due under the TRA may vary based on a number of factors, including the amount and timing of the taxable income the Company generates each year and the tax rate then applicable. The Company calculates the liability under the TRA using a complex TRA model, which includes an assumption related to the fair market value of assets. Payments are generally due under the TRA within a specified period of time following the filing of the Company’s tax return for the taxable year with respect to which the payment obligation arises, although interest on such payments will begin to accrue at a rate of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 300 basis points from the due date (without extensions) of such tax return.

The TRA provides that if (i) certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations, or other changes of control were to occur; (ii) there is a material uncured breach of any obligations under the TRA; or (iii) the Company elects an early termination of the TRA, then the TRA will terminate and the Company's obligations, or the Company's successor’s obligations, under the TRA will accelerate and become due and payable, based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that the Company would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the TRA and that any Class B units that have not been exchanged are deemed exchanged for the fair market value of the Company's Class A common stock at the time of termination.

As of September 30, 2022, management believes based on applicable accounting standards and the weight of all available evidence, it is not more likely than not that the Company will generate sufficient taxable income to realize the Company's deferred tax assets ("DTAs") including the difference in the Company's tax basis in excess of the financial reporting value for the Company's investment in Zevia LLC. Consequently, management has established a full valuation allowance against the Company's DTAs as of September 30, 2022 and determined that it was more likely than not that its DTAs subject to the TRA would not be realized as of September 30, 2022. The Company has not recognized a liability related to the tax savings it may realize from utilization of such DTAs. As of September 30, 2022, the total unrecorded TRA liability is approximately $55.3 million. If utilization of the DTAs subject to the TRA becomes more likely than not in the future, the Company will record a liability related to the TRA, to the extent probable at that time, which will be recognized as an expense within its condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.