Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2018
Income Taxes
Income Taxes	16. Income Taxes Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was signed into U.S. law. The Tax Act significantly changes the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Tax Act, among other things, includes changes to the U.S. corporate tax rate, expands limitations on the deductibility of meals and entertainment, eliminates the exception to the section 162(m) limitation on the deductibility of the compensation paid to certain executive officers for ”qualified performance-based compensation,“ allows for the expensing of capital expenditures, migrates from a ”worldwide” system of taxation to a territorial system, and includes a one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of cumulative foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. ASC Topic 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” requires companies to recognize the effect of tax law changes in the period of enactment even though the effective date for most provisions is for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, or in the case of certain other provisions of the law, January 1, 2018. Given the significance of the legislation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued SAB 118, which allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year ”measurement period” similar to that used when accounting for business combinations. However, the measurement period is deemed to have ended earlier when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting. During the measurement period, impacts of the law are expected to be recorded at the time a reasonable estimate for all or a portion of the effects can be made, and provisional amounts can be recognized and adjusted as information becomes available, prepared, or analyzed. SAB 118 summarizes a three-step process to be applied at each reporting period to account for and disclose: (1) the effects of the change in tax law for which accounting is complete; (2) provisional amounts (or adjustments to provisional amounts) for the effects of the change in tax law where accounting is not complete, but a reasonable estimate has been determined; and (3) current or deferred tax amounts reflected in accordance with law prior to the enactment of the change in tax law because the accounting of the effects of the change in tax law are not complete and a reasonable estimate has not been determined, together with qualitative disclosure of the effects of the changes in tax law for which the accounting is not compete, the reason why the accounting is not complete, and the additional information that is needed to be obtained, prepared or analyzed in order to complete the accounting. CRA is applying the guidance in SAB 118 when accounting for the enactment-date effects of the Tax Act. As of September 29, 2018, CRA has not completed its accounting for all the tax effects of the Tax Act; however, in certain cases, as described below, aspects of accounting are complete. Additionally, CRA has made a reasonable estimate of other effects. As further discussed below, during the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018, CRA recognized an adjustment of $0.3 million to the provisional amounts recorded at December 30, 2017 and included this adjustment as a component of income tax expense from continuing operations. In all cases, CRA will continue to make and refine its calculations as additional analysis is completed. CRA’s estimates may also be affected as it gains a more thorough understanding of the tax law. These changes could be material to income tax expense. Deferred tax assets and liabilities: In response to the Tax Act, CRA remeasured its U.S. related deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the expected rates at which they may reverse in the future, which is generally 21%. CRA recorded a provisional amount of $3.6 million as of December 30, 2017 related to the remeasurement of its deferred tax balances. Upon refinement of its calculations during the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018, CRA adjusted its provisional amount by $0.1 million which was recorded during the first quarter. Additionally, as a result of anticipated guidance in connection with the deductibility of compensation paid to certain executive officers for “qualified performance-based compensation," CRA recorded a provisional amount of $0.2 million during the second quarter. Both adjustments were included as a component of income tax expense from continuing operations, the impact of which was to increase the fiscal year-to-date effective tax rate from 22.7% to 24.1%. CRA will continue to analyze and refine its calculations related to deferred tax balances. Foreign Tax Effects The Tax Act includes a one-time mandatory repatriation transition tax on the net accumulated earnings and profits of a U.S. taxpayer's foreign subsidiaries. At December 30, 2017, CRA did not record any transition tax liability as it is in an accumulated deficit position with respect to its foreign subsidiaries based on its earnings and profits ("E&P") analysis. CRA considers its accounting for the transition tax to be complete. The Tax Act subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”)earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740 No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI resulting from those items in the year the tax is incurred. Given the complexity of the GILTI provisions, CRA is still evaluating the effects of the GILTI provisions and has not yet determined its accounting policy. As of the September 29, 2018 reporting period, CRA has included GILTI associated with current-year operations solely within the estimated annual effective tax rate (“EAETR”) and has not provided additional GILTI on deferred items. The Tax Act allows U.S. corporations to take a deduction related to its foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”) produced in the U.S. CRA expects to be able to take FDII deduction for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2018. CRA has made sufficient progress in its calculations to reasonably estimate the effect on its estimated annual effective tax rate but will continue to refine its calculations, which may result in changes to this amount. CRA’s effective income tax rates were 20.9% and 41.7% for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively. The effective tax rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was lower than the prior year primarily due to a lower statutory U.S. corporate tax rate of 21%, an increased tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, and the remeasurement of U.S deferred tax assets and liabilities based on expected fiscal 2018 applicable state apportionment and statutory rates. Additionally, there had been a discrete provision recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 that was nonrecurring in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. This was partially offset by higher non-deductible items as a result of the Tax Act stemming from new limitations on the deductibility of compensation paid to executive officers and the deductibility of meals and entertainment. The effective tax rate in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to the tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 and the remeasurement of U.S deferred tax assets and liabilities based on expected fiscal 2018 applicable state apportionment and statutory rates. The effective tax rate in the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 was higher than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate due to higher executive compensation and the correction of a prior year estimate. CRA's effective income tax rates were 24.1% and 38.0% for the fiscal year-to-date periods ended September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018 was lower than the prior year primarily due to a lower statutory U.S. corporate tax rate of 21% as well as an increased tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, partially offset by higher non-deductible items as a result of the Tax Act stemming from new limitations on the deductibility of compensation paid to executive officers and the deductibility of meals and entertainment. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to the tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, partially offset by non-deductible items referenced above as a result of the Tax Act. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 30, 2017 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to a favorable geographical mix of earnings, as well as the tax benefit related to stock-based compensation and the tax implications associated with the reversal of contingent consideration, offset partially by executive compensation and other discrete unfavorable items. CRA has not provided for deferred income taxes or foreign withholding taxes on undistributed earnings and other basis differences that may exist from its foreign subsidiaries as of September 29, 2018 because such earnings are considered to be indefinitely reinvested. CRA does not rely on these unremitted earnings as a source of funds for its domestic business as it expects to have sufficient cash flow in the U.S. to fund its U.S. operational and strategic needs. If CRA were to repatriate its foreign earnings that are indefinitely reinvested, it would accrue substantially no additional tax expense.

16. Income Taxes

Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was signed into U.S. law. The Tax Act significantly changes the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Tax Act, among other things, includes changes to the U.S. corporate tax rate, expands limitations on the deductibility of meals and entertainment, eliminates the exception to the section 162(m) limitation on the deductibility of the compensation paid to certain executive officers for ”qualified performance-based compensation,“ allows for the expensing of capital expenditures, migrates from a ”worldwide” system of taxation to a territorial system, and includes a one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of cumulative foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. ASC Topic 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” requires companies to recognize the effect of tax law changes in the period of enactment even though the effective date for most provisions is for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, or in the case of certain other provisions of the law, January 1, 2018.

Given the significance of the legislation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued SAB 118, which allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year ”measurement period” similar to that used when accounting for business combinations. However, the measurement period is deemed to have ended earlier when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting. During the measurement period, impacts of the law are expected to be recorded at the time a reasonable estimate for all or a portion of the effects can be made, and provisional amounts can be recognized and adjusted as information becomes available, prepared, or analyzed.

SAB 118 summarizes a three-step process to be applied at each reporting period to account for and disclose: (1) the effects of the change in tax law for which accounting is complete; (2) provisional amounts (or adjustments to provisional amounts) for the effects of the change in tax law where accounting is not complete, but a reasonable estimate has been determined; and (3) current or deferred tax amounts reflected in accordance with law prior to the enactment of the change in tax law because the accounting of the effects of the change in tax law are not complete and a reasonable estimate has not been determined, together with qualitative disclosure of the effects of the changes in tax law for which the accounting is not compete, the reason why the accounting is not complete, and the additional information that is needed to be obtained, prepared or analyzed in order to complete the accounting. CRA is applying the guidance in SAB 118 when accounting for the enactment-date effects of the Tax Act. As of September 29, 2018, CRA has not completed its accounting for all the tax effects of the Tax Act; however, in certain cases, as described below, aspects of accounting are complete. Additionally, CRA has made a reasonable estimate of other effects. As further discussed below, during the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018, CRA recognized an adjustment of $0.3 million to the provisional amounts recorded at December 30, 2017 and included this adjustment as a component of income tax expense from continuing operations. In all cases, CRA will continue to make and refine its calculations as additional analysis is completed. CRA’s estimates may also be affected as it gains a more thorough understanding of the tax law. These changes could be material to income tax expense.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities: In response to the Tax Act, CRA remeasured its U.S. related deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the expected rates at which they may reverse in the future, which is generally 21%. CRA recorded a provisional amount of $3.6 million as of December 30, 2017 related to the remeasurement of its deferred tax balances. Upon refinement of its calculations during the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018, CRA adjusted its provisional amount by $0.1 million which was recorded during the first quarter. Additionally, as a result of anticipated guidance in connection with the deductibility of compensation paid to certain executive officers for “qualified performance-based compensation," CRA recorded a provisional amount of $0.2 million during the second quarter. Both adjustments were included as a component of income tax expense from continuing operations, the impact of which was to increase the fiscal year-to-date effective tax rate from 22.7% to 24.1%. CRA will continue to analyze and refine its calculations related to deferred tax balances.

Foreign Tax Effects

The Tax Act includes a one-time mandatory repatriation transition tax on the net accumulated earnings and profits of a U.S. taxpayer's foreign subsidiaries. At December 30, 2017, CRA did not record any transition tax liability as it is in an accumulated deficit position with respect to its foreign subsidiaries based on its earnings and profits ("E&P") analysis. CRA considers its accounting for the transition tax to be complete.

The Tax Act subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”)earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740 No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI resulting from those items in the year the tax is incurred. Given the complexity of the GILTI provisions, CRA is still evaluating the effects of the GILTI provisions and has not yet determined its accounting policy. As of the September 29, 2018 reporting period, CRA has included GILTI associated with current-year operations solely within the estimated annual effective tax rate (“EAETR”) and has not provided additional GILTI on deferred items.

The Tax Act allows U.S. corporations to take a deduction related to its foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”) produced in the U.S. CRA expects to be able to take FDII deduction for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2018. CRA has made sufficient progress in its calculations to reasonably estimate the effect on its estimated annual effective tax rate but will continue to refine its calculations, which may result in changes to this amount.

CRA’s effective income tax rates were 20.9% and 41.7% for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively. The effective tax rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was lower than the prior year primarily due to a lower statutory U.S. corporate tax rate of 21%, an increased tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, and the remeasurement of U.S deferred tax assets and liabilities based on expected fiscal 2018 applicable state apportionment and statutory rates. Additionally, there had been a discrete provision recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 that was nonrecurring in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. This was partially offset by higher non-deductible items as a result of the Tax Act stemming from new limitations on the deductibility of compensation paid to executive officers and the deductibility of meals and entertainment. The effective tax rate in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to the tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 and the remeasurement of U.S deferred tax assets and liabilities based on expected fiscal 2018 applicable state apportionment and statutory rates. The effective tax rate in the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 was higher than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate due to higher executive compensation and the correction of a prior year estimate.

CRA's effective income tax rates were 24.1% and 38.0% for the fiscal year-to-date periods ended September 29, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018 was lower than the prior year primarily due to a lower statutory U.S. corporate tax rate of 21% as well as an increased tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, partially offset by higher non-deductible items as a result of the Tax Act stemming from new limitations on the deductibility of compensation paid to executive officers and the deductibility of meals and entertainment. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 29, 2018 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to the tax benefit on stock-based compensation related to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, partially offset by non-deductible items referenced above as a result of the Tax Act. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year-to-date period ended September 30, 2017 was lower than the combined federal and state statutory tax rate primarily due to a favorable geographical mix of earnings, as well as the tax benefit related to stock-based compensation and the tax implications associated with the reversal of contingent consideration, offset partially by executive compensation and other discrete unfavorable items.

CRA has not provided for deferred income taxes or foreign withholding taxes on undistributed earnings and other basis differences that may exist from its foreign subsidiaries as of September 29, 2018 because such earnings are considered to be indefinitely reinvested. CRA does not rely on these unremitted earnings as a source of funds for its domestic business as it expects to have sufficient cash flow in the U.S. to fund its U.S. operational and strategic needs. If CRA were to repatriate its foreign earnings that are indefinitely reinvested, it would accrue substantially no additional tax expense.