| 11. | INCOME TAXES |
The Company files a consolidated federal income tax return. The Company uses the specific charge-off method for computing reserves for bad debts. Generally this method allows the Company to deduct an annual addition to the reserve for bad debt equal to its net charge-offs.
The provision for income taxes for the years ended September 30, consists of the following:
| Year Ended September 30, | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Current: | ||||||||||||
| Federal expense | $ | 801 | $ | 1,275 | $ | 461 | ||||||
| Total current taxes | 801 | 1,275 | 461 | |||||||||
| Deferred income tax (benefit) expense | 140 | (16 | ) | (345 | ) | |||||||
| Total income tax provision | $ | 941 | $ | 1,259 | $ | 116 | ||||||
Items that gave rise to significant portions of deferred income taxes are as follows:
| September 30, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Allowance for loan losses | $ | 1,675 | $ | 1,289 | ||||
| Non-accrual interest | 349 | 163 | ||||||
| Accrued vacation | 12 | 13 | ||||||
| Capital loss carryforward | 476 | 378 | ||||||
| Post-retirement benefit plans | 98 | 96 | ||||||
| Split dollar life insurance | 15 | 18 | ||||||
| Unrealized losses on available for sale securities | 569 | - | ||||||
| Unrealized losses on interest rate swaps | - | 69 | ||||||
| Deferred compensation | 1,439 | - | ||||||
| Goodwill | 148 | - | ||||||
| Purchase accounting adjustments | 731 | - | ||||||
| Other | 254 | - | ||||||
| Employee benefit plans | 90 | 434 | ||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | 5,856 | 2,460 | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | (378 | ) | (378 | ) | ||||
| Total deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance | 5,478 | 2,082 | ||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities: | ||||||||
| Property | 332 | 423 | ||||||
| Unrealized gains on available for sale securities | - | 500 | ||||||
| Unrealized gains on interest rate swaps | 171 | - | ||||||
| 481(a)Adjustment | - | 12 | ||||||
| Deferred loan fees | 884 | 578 | ||||||
| Total deferred tax liabilities | 1,387 | 1,513 | ||||||
| Net deferred tax asset | $ | 4,091 | $ | 569 | ||||
The Company establishes a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets when management believes that the deferred tax assets are not likely to be realized either through a carry back to taxable income in prior years, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, and, to a lesser extent, future taxable income. The valuation allowance totaled $378,000 at both September 30, 2017 and 2016. The gross deferred tax assets related to capital loss carryforwards increased in the aggregate by $98 thousand during the year ended September 30, 2017, primarily due to the sale of AFS investment securities acquired from the Polonia Bancorp acquisition.
The income tax expense differs from that computed at the statutory federal corporate tax rate as follows:
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| of Pretax | of Pretax | of Pretax | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amount | Income | Amount | Income | Amount | Income (Loss) | |||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tax at statutory rate | $ | 1,265 | 34.0 | % | $ | 1,353 | 34.0 | % | $ | 798 | 34.0 | % | ||||||||||||
| Adjustments resulting from: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valuation allowance | - | - | (156 | ) | (3.9 | ) | (677 | ) | (28.8 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Tax exempt income | (109 | ) | (2.9 | ) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Nondeductible merger expenses | 80 | 2.1 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income from bank owned life insurance | (230 | ) | (6.2 | ) | (113 | ) | (2.8 | ) | (117 | ) | (5.0 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Employee benefit plans | (39 | ) | (1.1 | ) | 151 | 3.8 | 126 | 5.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | (26 | ) | (0.6 | ) | 24 | 0.5 | (14 | ) | (0.6 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | 941 | 25.3 | % | $ | 1,259 | 31.6 | % | $ | 116 | 5.0 | % | ||||||||||||
There is currently no liability for uncertain tax positions and no known unrecognized tax benefits. The Company recognizes, when applicable, interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as a component of income tax expense. During fiscal 2017, the Internal Revenue Service conducted an audit of the Company’s tax returns for the year ended September 30, 2014, and no adverse findings were reported. The Company’s federal and state income tax returns for taxable years through September 30, 2014 have been closed for purposes of examination by the Internal Revenue Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.