Note 9. Income Taxes
The income tax provision (benefit) consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2015 | |||||||
| Current | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Deferred | 38,000 | 64,000 | ||||||
| Subtotal | 38,000 | 64,000 | ||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | 38,000 | 64,000 | ||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
At December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company reviewed all available evidence pertaining to the realization of the Company’s recorded deferred tax assets. The negative evidence available to the Company at December 31, 2016 and 2015 included the Company’s continued significant operating losses recorded through December 31, 2016 and 2015 and the divestiture of the Company’s only operating business on October 31, 2011. Based on the weighting of the evidence, the Company concluded that a full valuation allowance was needed as of December 31, 2016 and 2015.
Significant components of the Company’s estimated deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31 are as follows:
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2015 | |||||||
| Net operating loss carry forwards | $ | 2,184,000 | $ | 2,224,000 | ||||
| Other | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||||||
| 2,185,000 | 2,225,000 | |||||||
| Valuation allowance | (2,185,000 | ) | (2,225,000 | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax asset | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
As of December 31, 2016, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $5,742,000 expiring in various years from 2028 through 2035. Due to the significant ownership change that occurred with the divestiture of ECC-C on October 21, 2011, these federal operating loss carryforwards will likely be severely limited after a U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 382 study is performed if the Company becomes profitable in the future.
The reconciliation of the tax provision (benefit) compared at the statutory rate to the effective tax rate is as follows for the years ended December 31:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2015 | |||||||
| Expected statutory rate | (34.0 | )% | (34.0 | )% | ||||
| State income tax rate, net of Federal benefit | (5.3 | )% | (5.3 | )% | ||||
| Permanent differences | ||||||||
| Other | — | % | — | % | ||||
| (39.3 | )% | (39.3 | )% | |||||
| Valuation allowance | 39.3 | % | 39.3 | % | ||||
| — | % | — | % | |||||