INCOME TAXES INCOME TAXES |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2018 | |
| INCOME TAXES [Abstract] | |
| Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block] | INCOME TAXES
The effective income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was significantly impacted by recording the effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), enacted on December 22, 2017 by the U.S. government. The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which affected the Company’s year ended December 31, 2017, including, but not limited to, reducing the maximum U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, and requiring a one-time repatriation tax on certain un-repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries at a rate of 15.5% tax on post-1986 foreign earnings held in cash and an 8% rate on all other post-1986 earnings, which is payable over eight years beginning with 8% of the liability due with the filing of the year ended December 31, 2017 federal tax return that will be due in 2018.
On December 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”), which provides guidance on accounting for tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes. In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provision of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act. While the Company is able to make reasonable estimates of the impact of the reduction in the corporate income tax rate and the deemed repatriation transition tax, the final impact of the Tax Act may differ from these estimates, due to, among other things, changes in the Company’s interpretations and assumptions, additional guidance that may be issued by the Internal Revenue Service, and actions it may take. The Company is continuing to gather additional information to determine the final impact. Any adjustments recorded to the provisional amounts through the fourth quarter of 2018 will be included as an adjustment to income tax expense.
Effective January 1, 2018, the Company is subject to the new Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) tax rules. GILTI is the excess income of foreign subsidiaries over a 10% routine return on tangible assets. After a 50% deduction, GILTI is subject to the 21% corporate tax rate. Due to the complexity of the GILTI tax rules, the Company continues to evaluate this provision of the Tax Act and the application of ASC 740. Under U.S. GAAP, the Company is allowed to make an accounting policy choice of either treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or factoring such amounts into the Company’s measurement of its deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). Although the Company has not elected an accounting policy, it has recorded a provisional amount of the GILTI tax as a current period expense for 2018. The impact of GILTI on the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was approximately 10%, or $1.0 million, net of foreign tax credits attributed to GILTI. The Company will determine the appropriate accounting policy for its structure and record any necessary adjustments within the measurement period.
As a result of capital return activities, the Company determined that a portion of its current undistributed foreign earnings are no longer deemed reinvested indefinitely by its non-U.S. subsidiaries. For state income tax purposes, the Company will continue to periodically reassess the needs of its foreign subsidiaries and update its indefinite reinvestment assertion as necessary. Due to the adoption of a territorial tax regime upon the enactment of the Tax Act, any foreign source portion of a qualified dividend received by a 10% U.S. corporate shareholder is exempt from U.S. federal tax, therefore resulting in any future repatriation having a minimal effect on the Company’s effective tax rate. To the extent that additional foreign earnings are not deemed permanently reinvested, the Company expects to recognize additional income tax provision at the applicable U.S. state corporate tax rate(s). As of March 31, 2018, the Company has accrued tax liabilities for earnings that it plans to repatriate out of accumulated earnings in future periods for state tax purposes only. All undistributed earnings in excess of 50% of current earnings on an annual basis are intended to be reinvested indefinitely as of March 31, 2018.
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