INCOME TAXES

Our effective tax rate represents the net effect of the mix of income earned in various tax jurisdictions that are subject to a wide range of income tax rates.

We recognize interest expense and penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

For the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, we recognized the following amounts as income tax-related interest expense and penalties:



	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2016			2015
Interest expense	$	1,282		$	1,777
Penalties expense (recoveries)	(106		)	(130		)
Total	$	1,176		$	1,647

As of September 30, 2016 and June 30, 2016, the following amounts have been accrued on account of income tax-related interest expense and penalties:



	As of September 30, 2016		As of June 30, 2016
Interest expense accrued *	$	35,574	$	34,476
Penalties accrued *	$	1,540	$	1,615


*	These balances have been included within "Long-term income taxes payable" within the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We believe that it is reasonably possible that the gross unrecognized tax benefits, as of September 30, 2016, could decrease tax expense in the next 12 months by $3.1 million, relating primarily to the expiration of competent authority relief and tax years becoming statute barred for purposes of future tax examinations by local taxing jurisdictions.

Our four most significant tax jurisdictions are Canada, the United States, Luxembourg and Germany. Our tax filings remain subject to audits by applicable tax authorities for a certain length of time following the tax year to which those filings relate. The earliest fiscal years open for examination are 2008 for Germany, 2010 for the United States, 2011 for Luxembourg, and 2012 for Canada.

We are subject to tax audits in all major taxing jurisdictions in which we operate and currently have tax audits open in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Japan and Malaysia. On a quarterly basis we assess the status of these examinations and the potential for adverse outcomes to determine the adequacy of the provision for income and other taxes. Statements regarding the United States audits are included in note 13.

The timing of the resolution of income tax audits is highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts accrued. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we will receive additional assessments by various tax authorities or possibly reach resolution of income tax audits in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements may or may not result in changes to our contingencies related to positions on tax filings. The actual amount of any change could vary significantly depending on the ultimate timing and nature of any settlements. We cannot currently provide an estimate of the range of possible outcomes. For more information relating to certain tax audits, please refer to note 13.

As at September 30, 2016, we have provided $16.7 million (June 30, 2016—$15.9 million) in respect of both additional foreign withholding taxes or deferred income tax liabilities for temporary differences related to the undistributed earnings of certain non-United States subsidiaries, and planned periodic repatriations from certain United States and German subsidiaries, that will be subject to withholding taxes upon distribution. We have not provided for additional foreign withholding taxes or deferred income tax liabilities related to undistributed earnings of all other non-Canadian subsidiaries, since such earnings are considered permanently invested in those subsidiaries, or are not subject to withholding taxes. It is not practicable to reasonably estimate the amount of additional deferred income tax liabilities or foreign withholding taxes that may be payable should these earnings be distributed in the future.

The effective tax rate decreased to a recovery of 1,606.8% for the three months ended September 30, 2016, compared to a provision of 21.3% for the three months ended September 30, 2015. The decrease to tax expense of $870.6 million was primarily due to a significant tax benefit of $876.1 million resulting from an internal reorganization that is further described below. Additionally, we saw an increase of $10.9 million resulting from the impact of foreign rates, and a decrease in changes in unrecognized tax benefits in the amount of $2.2 million. The remainder of the differences were due to normal course movements and non-material items.

In July 2016, we implemented a reorganization of our subsidiaries worldwide with the view to continuing to enhance operational and administrative efficiencies through further consolidated ownership, management, and development of our intellectual property (IP) in Canada, continuing to reduce the number of entities in our group and working towards our objective of having a single operating legal entity in each jurisdiction. We believe our reorganization also reduces our exposure to global political and tax uncertainties, particularly in Europe. We believe that further consolidating our IP in Canada will continue to ensure appropriate legal protections for our consolidated IP, simplify legal, accounting and tax compliance, and improve our global cash management. A significant tax benefit of $876.1 million, associated primarily with the recognition of a net deferred tax asset arising from the entry of the IP into Canada, was realized in the first quarter of Fiscal 2017. We believe it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will be realized and therefore no valuation allowance is required. We continue to evaluate our taxable position quarterly and consider factors by taxing jurisdiction, including but not limited to factors such as estimated taxable income, any historical experience of losses for tax purposes and the future growth of OpenText.