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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]  
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]
9. INCOME TAXES

We are required to adjust our effective tax rate each quarter to estimate our annual effective tax rate. We must also record the tax impact of certain discrete, unusual or infrequently occurring items, including changes in judgment about valuation allowances and effects of changes in tax laws or rates, in the interim period in which they occur. In addition, jurisdictions with a projected loss for the year or a year-to-date loss where no tax benefit can be recognized are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate. The impact of such an exclusion could result in a higher or lower effective tax rate during a particular quarter, based upon the mix and timing of actual earnings versus annual projections.
Income tax expense (benefit) was a benefit of $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to expense of $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2012.  Our effective income tax rate was negative 48.1% in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to 4.3% in the first quarter of 2012. Our income tax benefit and effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2013 primarily reflect favorable foreign tax rates, along with our inability to realize a tax benefit for current foreign losses. Our income tax benefit and effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2013 also reflect a tax benefit of $1.5 million relating to the release of a prior year unrecognized tax benefit due to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations and a benefit of $3.3 million relating to an election we made in the first quarter of 2013 regarding the treatment of foreign exchange gains and losses in a foreign jurisdiction.

Our income tax expense and effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2012 primarily reflected recognizing a net operating loss benefit against our taxable income in the U.S., as well as the effect of recognizing a tax benefit of $1.1 million relating to the release of a prior year unrecognized tax benefit for which the statute of limitations had expired and tax expense of $0.7 million relating to foreign withholding taxes paid for which a foreign tax credit could not be realized.