NOTE 14 — Income Taxes

Prior to the closing of the Business Combination, the Legacy Company was structured as a limited liability company and treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. As such, the responsibility for determining and paying income taxes was passed through to its members, and the Legacy Company itself was not subject to income taxes.

Following the closing of the Business Combination, the Company became a corporation subject to U.S. federal and applicable state income taxes. For interim reporting periods, the Company estimates its annual effective tax rate and applies this rate to year-to-date pre-tax income or loss. The Company also recognizes the tax effects of discrete items in the period in which they occur, including changes in enacted tax laws or rates.

For the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company’s effective tax rate was 0%. The Company expects its effective tax rate for the full fiscal year 2025 will remain at 0%, primarily due to the following (i) the gains on the extinguishment of debt recognized for financial statement purposes were not taxable to the Company, the gains were recognized by the Legacy Company prior to the Business Combination, and (ii) the full valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets.

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial reporting and the tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.

Deferred tax assets are evaluated for future realization and reduced by a valuation allowance to the extent that the Company believes they will not be realized. The Company considers all available evidence, including historical information, long range forecast of future taxable income and evaluation of tax planning strategies. Amounts recorded for valuation allowance can result from a complex series of judgments about future events and can rely on estimates and assumptions. Based primarily on the negative evidence outweighing the positive evidence, including the Company’s expected tax losses, the Company believes there is uncertainty as to when it will be possible to utilize certain net operating losses (“NOL”) and other deferred tax assets. Therefore, the Company recorded a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets for which it is more-likely-than-not they will not be realized.

Should the Company’s operating results improve, and projections show continued utilization of the tax attributes, the Company would consider that as significant positive evidence and future reassessment may result in the determination that all or a portion of the valuation allowance is no longer required. If this were to occur, any reversal of the valuation allowance would result in a corresponding non-cash income tax benefit, thereby increasing total deferred tax assets.

The Company has adopted the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under these principles, tax positions are evaluated in a two-step process. The Company first determines whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination. If a tax position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, it is then measured to determine the amount of benefit to be recognized in the financial statements. The tax position is the most significant benefit, with a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.