Income Taxes |
3 Months Ended |
|---|---|
May 31, 2025 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Income Taxes | Note 15 - Income Taxes We reorganized the Company in Bermuda in 1994, and many of our foreign subsidiaries are not directly or indirectly owned by a U.S. parent. As such, a significant portion of our foreign income is not subject to U.S. taxation on a permanent basis under current law. Additionally, our intangible assets are primarily owned by foreign affiliates, resulting in proportionally higher earnings in jurisdictions with statutory tax rates lower than the U.S. Taxable income in each jurisdiction, whether U.S. or foreign, is determined by the subsidiary's operating results as well as applicable transfer pricing and tax regulations. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) has introduced a framework to implement a global minimum corporate income tax of 15%, referred to as “Pillar Two.” Certain countries in which we operate have enacted, or are in process of enacting domestic legislation aligned with OECD's Pillar Two “Model Rules.” Pillar Two legislation in effect for our fiscal 2025 and 2026 has been incorporated into our financial statements. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, we implemented a reorganization involving the transfer of intangible assets previously held by Helen of Troy Limited (Barbados) to our subsidiary in Switzerland. The reorganization resulted in the consolidation of the ownership of intangible assets, supporting streamlined internal licensing and centralized management of the intangible assets. Further, the reorganization resulted in a transitional income tax benefit of $64.6 million from the recognition of a deferred tax asset, partially offset by taxes associated with the transfer. In response to Pillar Two, on May 24, 2024, Barbados enacted a domestic corporate income tax rate of 9%, effective for our fiscal 2025. We incorporated this corporate income tax into our estimated annual effective tax rate increasing our income tax provision beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. In addition, we revalued our existing deferred tax liabilities subject to the Barbados legislation, which resulted in a discrete tax charge of $6.0 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Additionally, Barbados enacted a domestic minimum top-up tax (“DMTT”) of 15% which was effective beginning with our fiscal 2026. As a result of the reorganization of our intangible assets described above, the Barbados DMTT will not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. Like Barbados, the government of Bermuda enacted a 15% corporate income tax that was effective for us beginning in fiscal 2026. This Bermuda tax will not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. We expect our ongoing effective tax rate, excluding discrete or non-recurring items, to increase relative to historical periods due to the impact of global tax reform initiatives, including the implementation of Pillar Two and economic substance regulations. As additional jurisdictions implement or revise legislation in response to these reforms, we may experience further adverse impacts on our global effective tax rate. For interim periods, our income tax expense and resulting effective tax rate are based on an estimated annual effective tax rate, adjusted for the impact of discrete items recognized in the period. Discrete items include changes in tax laws or rates, changes in estimates for uncertain tax positions, excess tax benefits or deficiencies from stock-based compensation, foreign currency remeasurement effects that are not reasonably estimable, and other infrequent or non-recurring items. Discrete items do not include the intangible asset impairment charges described below and in Note 5. During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, we recognized a goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charge of $414.4 million, which included $265.0 million of non-deductible goodwill that will not result in a tax benefit. The expected tax benefit of the impairment charge of $24.2 million will be recognized over the course of the fiscal year in relation to pre-tax book income, rather than as a discrete item in the period in which the charge was incurred. Our estimated annual effective tax rate for fiscal 2026 is negative, which when applied to the quarter-to-date loss in the first quarter, results in a quarter-to-date tax expense in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. The downward revisions to our internal forecasts utilized in our impairment testing during the first quarter of fiscal 2026 impacted our assessment of the future realizability of a related deferred tax asset, which led to the recording of a $16.5 million valuation allowance during the first quarter of fiscal 2026. For the three months ended May 31, 2025, income tax expense was $30.2 million compared to $12.1 million for the same period last year. The year-over-year increase in tax expense is primarily due to the timing of the accounting for the tax impact of the impairment charge in the quarter and a related valuation allowance on intangible asset deferred tax assets, partially offset by a decrease in tax expense for discrete items.
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