The Company's effective tax rate was 15.0% for the three months ended March 29, 2014 and a tax benefit of 17.1% for the three months ended March 30, 2013. The income tax provision for the three months ended March 30, 2013 included a $31 million tax benefit related to ongoing tax audit examinations. In addition, the research and development tax credit (“R&D Tax Credit) was retroactively extended in January 2013 for the 2012 and 2013 tax years. The entire $3 million benefit related to the 2012 tax year was recorded in the first quarter of 2013, and the 2013 benefit was included in the 2013 annual effective tax rate. This R&D Tax Credit expired at the end of 2013 and is not applicable for 2014. The net income tax benefits related to ongoing tax audit examinations and the 2012 R&D Tax Credit decreased the Company's effective tax rate by 32.9 percentage points in the three months ended March 30, 2013. The remaining differences between the effective tax rates for 2014 and 2013 were primarily attributable to differences in the proportionate amounts of pre-tax income recognized in jurisdictions with different effective tax rates.

The Company accounts for its uncertain tax return reporting positions in accordance with the accounting standards for income taxes, which require financial statement reporting of the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax reporting positions on the presumption that all concerned tax authorities possess full knowledge of those tax reporting positions, as well as all of the pertinent facts and circumstances, but prohibit any discounting of those unrecognized tax benefits associated with those reporting positions for the time value of money.

The following is a summary of the activity of the Company's unrecognized tax benefits for the three months ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013 (in thousands):

		March 29, 2014		March 30, 2013
Balance at the beginning of the period		$	24,716	$	64,390
	Changes resulting from ongoing tax examinations		-		(30,511)
	Other net changes in uncertain tax benefits		(812)		(805)
Balance at the end of the period		$	23,904	$	33,074

The Company's uncertain tax reporting positions are taken with respect to income tax return reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2006, which are the periods that generally remain open to income tax audit examination by income tax authorities. The Company continuously monitors the lapsing of statutes of limitations on potential tax assessments for related changes in the measurement of unrecognized tax benefits, related net interest and penalties, and deferred tax assets and liabilities.

During the three months ended March 30, 2013, the Company recorded a $31 million reduction in the measurement of its unrecognized tax benefits due to progress made toward resolving certain ongoing tax audit examinations, which reduced the provision for income taxes and increased net income for the three months ended March 30, 2013 by $31 million. As of March 29, 2014, the Company expects to record additional reductions in the measurement of its unrecognized tax benefits and related net interest and penalties of approximately $6 million within the next twelve months due to the lapsing of statutes of limitations on potential tax assessments. The Company does not expect to record any other material reductions in the measurement of its unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.