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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

11. Income Taxes

The Company reported a tax benefit for the three months ended September 30, 2017 while reporting a pretax profit for the same period. The resulting effective tax rate is a negative 193%. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was 49%. The earnings of the Company’s foreign entities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 were $15.2 million and $40.6 million. The tax rates in the foreign jurisdictions in which the Company operates are less than the domestic tax rate. The effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 were impacted by profits and losses in certain foreign jurisdictions taxed at lower rates and domestic losses taxed at higher rates.

The effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 were 40% and 17%, respectively. The earnings of the Company’s foreign entities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 were $16.4 million and $44.0 million, respectively. The tax rates in the foreign jurisdictions in which the Company operates are less than the domestic tax rate. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was reduced by foreign profits taxed at lower rates. The effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2016 was increased by the establishment of a $4.7 million valuation allowance against foreign tax credits existing in the US that were expected to expire before they can be utilized. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was also reduced by a net release of $5.4 million valuation allowance previously established against foreign tax credits that were expected to be fully utilized as a result of the sale of the CFS assets and liabilities.

The Company’s effective tax rate could fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and could be negatively affected to the extent earnings are lower in the countries in which it operates that have a lower statutory rate or higher in the countries in which it operates that have a higher statutory rate or to the extent it has losses sustained in countries where the future utilization of losses are uncertain. The Company’s effective tax rate could also fluctuate due to changes in the valuation of its deferred tax assets or liabilities, or by changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles, or interpretations thereof. In addition, the Company is occasionally subject to examination of its income tax returns by tax authorities in the jurisdictions it operates. The Company regularly assesses the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of its provision for income taxes.

The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $25.6 million as of September 30, 2017 and $24.3 million as of December 31, 2016, excluding related liabilities for interest and penalties of $1.5 million and $1.9 million as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

The Company believes it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will decrease within the next 12 months by approximately $1.4 million, due to the settlement of various audits and the expiration of statutes of limitation.