Note 11 – Income Taxes

Income tax expense for the three- and nine-months ended November 30, 2016 was 3.7 and 7.0 percent of income before income taxes, respectively, compared to 11.8 and 14.1 percent, respectively, for the same periods last year. The year-over-year decrease in our effective tax rate for both periods was primarily due to:

a $1.40 million tax benefit recorded in the fiscal quarter ended May 31, 2016 related to the resolution of uncertain tax positions;

$0.29 and $1.64 million in tax benefits, respectively, for the three- and nine-months ended November 30,

2016, resulting from the recognition of excess tax benefits from share-based compensation in income tax expense rather than paid-in capital due to our adoption of ASU 2016-09;

$1.18 million in tax benefits recorded in the fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2016 due to the finalization of certain tax returns; and

shifts in the mix of taxable income in our various tax jurisdictions.

Due to the Company’s organization in Bermuda and the ownership structure of its foreign subsidiaries, many of which are not owned directly or indirectly by a U.S. parent company, an immaterial amount of the Company’s foreign income is subject to U.S. taxation on a permanent basis under current law. Additionally, the Company’s intellectual property is largely owned by foreign subsidiaries of the Company, resulting in proportionally higher earnings in jurisdictions with lower statutory tax rates, which decreases the Company’s overall effective tax rate.