TRA Liability |
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Dec. 31, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tax Receivable Agreement Liability |
8.TRA Liability At the closing of the IPO, we entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement, or TRA, with the Legacy Owners of Solaris LLC units (each such person, a “TRA Holder,” and together, the “TRA Holders”). The TRA generally provides for the payment by us to each TRA Holder of 85% of the net cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax and franchise tax that we actually realize (computed using simplifying assumptions to address the impact of state and local taxes) or, are deemed to realize in certain circumstances, in periods after the IPO as a result of certain increases in tax basis that occur as a result of our acquisition or Solaris LLC’s redemption, respectively, of all or a portion of such TRA Holder’s Solaris LLC units in connection with the IPO or pursuant to the exercise of a redemption right or call right. We retain the remaining 15% of these cash savings. A reconciliation of the changes in the TRA liability is as follows:
The calculation of the TRA liability is complex and data-intensive due to: 1) the intricacy of the provisions of the TRA; 2) historical tax data with asset step-ups in connection with previous acquisitions and/or equity offerings; 3) the need to make assumptions and allocations on an asset by asset basis for both the historical tax basis and the step-up tax basis due to transactions; 4) the need to identify the underlying attributes associated with numerous individual TRA Holders’ accounts in order to complete specific Legacy Owner calculations; and 5) various tax elections that can be made upon the filing of our tax returns.
Therefore, the balance of the TRA liability resulting from IPO and the subsequent conversions of Solaris LLC units to Class A common stock, which were recorded in additional paid-in-capital, may change substantially in the future as we refine our initial estimates and calculations and consider tax elections to be made as part of our tax return filings for the 2022 tax year to be made later in 2023. Any change in the balance of the TRA liability related to the IPO and subsequent conversions of Solaris LLC units to Class A common stock will be recorded as an adjustment to additional paid-in-capital. Additionally, subsequent changes in the TRA liability due to future conversions of Solaris LLC units to shares of our Class A common stock will also be recorded as an adjustment to additional paid-in-capital. Future changes in the TRA liability due to changes in tax law and/or our historical and projected future tax profile will be recorded in earnings.
We estimate if all the remaining Solaris LLC units were converted to Class A common stock on December 31, 2022, the TRA liability would be approximately $240.4 million. If we experience a change of control (as defined under the TRA, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations and change of control events) or the TRA terminates early (at our election or as a result of our breach), we could be required to make an immediate lump-sum payment under the terms of the TRA. As of December 31, 2022, we estimate the liability associated with this lump-sum payment (or “early termination payment”) would be approximately $159.0 million, discounted. The amount of this liability for a change of control can be significantly impacted by the closing price of our Class A shares on the applicable exchange date. We currently do not anticipate experiencing a change of control or an early termination of the TRA. |