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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
INCOME TAXES

At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had approximately $160.1 million and $163.4 million, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits, all of which would affect the Company’s effective tax rate if recognized. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had approximately $56.8 million and $61.8 million, respectively, of accrued or deferred taxes related to uncertain income tax positions connected with ongoing income tax audits in various jurisdictions that it expects to settle or pay in the next 12 months. The Company accrues interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in its provision for income taxes. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits of $25.2 million and $23.0 million, respectively. Generally, tax years 2012 through 2017 remain open to examination by taxing authorities in the United States and certain other foreign tax jurisdictions.
    
On December 22, 2017, the 2017 Tax Act was enacted in the United States. The 2017 Tax Act includes a number of changes to existing U.S. tax laws that impact the Company, including a reduction of the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017.  The 2017 Tax Act also provides for a one-time transition tax on certain foreign earnings and the acceleration of depreciation for certain assets placed into service after September 27, 2017, as well as prospective changes beginning in 2018, including the repeal of the domestic manufacturing deduction, capitalization of research and development expenditures, additional limitations on executive compensation and limitations on the deductibility of interest. 

In 2017, the Company recorded a provision in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, which provides SEC Staff guidance for the application of ASC 740, “Income Taxes”, in the reporting period in which the 2017 Tax Act was enacted. The provision reflected both the income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 was complete as well as provisional amounts for those specific income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 is incomplete but a reasonable estimate was determined. The Company did not identify any items for which the income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act had not been completed and a reasonable estimate could not be determined as of December 31, 2017.

The Company is in the process of finalizing its calculations with respect to the tax reform legislation. The final impact of the tax reform legislation may differ due to factors such as refinement of the Company’s calculations, changes in interpretations and assumptions that the Company and its advisors have made, and additional guidance that may be issued in the future by the U.S. and state governments. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company did not make any material adjustments to the provisional amounts recorded as of December 31, 2017.

The Company has previously established valuation allowances to fully or partially reserve against certain net deferred tax assets in several jurisdictions, including the United States. A valuation allowance is established when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company assesses the likelihood that its deferred tax assets will be recovered from estimated future taxable income and available tax planning strategies and determines in certain cases that adjustments to the valuation allowances are appropriate. In making these assessments, all available evidence is considered including the current economic climate, as well as reasonable tax planning strategies. The Company believes it is more likely than not that the Company will realize its deferred tax assets, net of any applicable valuation allowances, in future years.