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INCOME TAXES
6 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2023
INCOME TAXES  
INCOME TAXES

12.  INCOME TAXES

Our provision for income taxes and effective tax rate is affected by the geographical composition of pre-tax income which includes jurisdictions with differing tax rates, conditional reduced tax rates, and other events that are not consistent from period to period, such as changes in income tax laws.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “Inflation Reduction Act” or “IRA”) was signed into law on August 16, 2022. The IRA provides investment in clean energy, promotes reductions in carbon emissions, and extends select Affordable Care Act premium reductions. The IRA is paid for through the implementation of a 15 percent corporate minimum tax on corporations with over $1 billion of financial statement income, budget increases for the Internal Revenue Service, an excise tax on stock repurchases, and changes to Medicare rules. The Company does not currently expect that the Inflation Reduction Act will have a material impact on its income taxes.

We recorded an income tax expense during the six months of fiscal year 2023 of $0.9 million compared to income tax expense of $2.5 million for the same period in 2022. Our effective tax rate for the first six months of fiscal year 2023 was 35%, compared to 31% in the corresponding prior year period. The year-over-year increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to changes in geographic mix of income and loss that includes jurisdictions with differing tax rates and a discrete item related to stock compensation.

Our unrecognized tax benefits were $176,000 as of April 30, 2023, and $171,000 as of October 31, 2022, and in each case included accrued interest.

We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as components of income tax expense. As of April 30, 2023, the gross amount of interest accrued, reported in Accrued expenses, was approximately $38,000, which did not include the federal tax benefit of interest deductions.

We file U.S. federal and state income tax returns, as well as tax returns in several foreign jurisdictions. The statutes of limitations with respect to unrecognized tax benefits will expire between August 2023 and September 2024.