The provision (benefit) for income taxes for the years ended December 31, consists of the following:
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
| Current: | ||||||||||||
| Federal | $ | 4,991 | $ | 4,597 | $ | 2,929 | ||||||
| State | 2,131 | 2,249 | 1,321 | |||||||||
| $ | 7,122 | $ | 6,846 | $ | 4,250 | |||||||
| Deferred: | ||||||||||||
| Federal | $ | 2,782 | $ | (808 | ) | $ | (158 | ) | ||||
| State | (597 | ) | (342 | ) | (728 | ) | ||||||
| 2,185 | (1,150 | ) | (886 | ) | ||||||||
| Total provision for taxes | $ | 9,307 | $ | 5,696 | $ | 3,364 | ||||||
The reason for the differences between the statutory federal income tax rate and the effective tax rates for the years ending December 31, are summarized as follows:
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||
| Statutory rates | 35.0 | % | 35.0 | % | 34.0 | % | ||||||
| Increase (decrease) resulting from: | ||||||||||||
| Tax exempt Income for federal purposes | -5.1 | % | -7.1 | % | -8.2 | % | ||||||
| State taxes on income, net of federal benefit | 5.0 | % | 7.8 | % | 3.4 | % | ||||||
| Benefits from low income housing credits | -1.3 | % | -1.6 | % | -2.3 | % | ||||||
| Stock based compensation | -0.9 | % | 1.7 | % | 2.0 | % | ||||||
| Tax Cut and Jobs Act rate reduction | 14.9 | % | -% | -% | ||||||||
| Other, net | -0.6 | % | -0.6 | % | 0.2 | % | ||||||
| Effective tax rate | 47.0 | % | 35.2 | % | 29.1 | % | ||||||
The tax effects of temporary differences giving rise to the Company’s net deferred tax asset are as follows:
| December 31, | ||||||||||||
| (Dollar amounts in thousands) | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
| Deferred tax assets | ||||||||||||
| Allowance for loan losses | $ | 3,295 | $ | 4,661 | $ | 4,470 | ||||||
| Accrued salaries and officers compensation | 3,130 | 3,717 | 2,770 | |||||||||
| Expenses accrued on books, not yet deductible in tax return | 1,236 | 1,908 | 1,766 | |||||||||
| Depreciation | 254 | 388 | 399 | |||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforward | 824 | 1,069 | 1,335 | |||||||||
| Acquisition accounting differences | 141 | 325 | — | |||||||||
| Unrealized depreciation on available-for-sale securities | 394 | 1,074 | — | |||||||||
| 9,274 | 13,142 | 10,740 | ||||||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Unrealized appreciation on available-for-sale securities | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 1,075 | ||||||
| State income taxes | 713 | 1,156 | 1,070 | |||||||||
| Core deposit intangible | 109 | 236 | 323 | |||||||||
| Expenses and credits deducted on tax return, not on books | 314 | 933 | 754 | |||||||||
| Total deferred tax liabilities | 1,136 | 2,325 | 3,222 | |||||||||
| Net deferred tax assets (included in other assets) | $ | 8,138 | $ | 10,817 | $ | 7,518 | ||||||
As of December 31, 2017, management believes that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized through recovery of taxes previously paid and/or future taxable income. In assessing the Company’s ability to realize the tax benefits of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Based upon the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods which the deferred tax assets are deductible, management believes it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the recorded benefits of these deductible differences.
On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”), which among other things reduced the federal corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018. As a result, the Company has concluded that this Act caused a reduction in the net deferred tax asset and an increase in the income tax expense of the Company of approximately $3 million, as of December 31, 2017, due to the revaluation of the Company’s net timing differences at the lower statutory income tax rate.