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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Income Taxes [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

(12) Income Taxes

 

The Company computes its consolidated income tax provision each quarter based on a projected annual effective tax rate, as required. The Company is required to reduce deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if, based on all available evidence, it is considered more likely than not that some portion or all of the benefit of the deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods.  The Company also records the income tax impact of certain discrete, unusual or infrequently occurring items including changes in judgment about valuation allowances and effects of changes in tax laws or rates, in the interim period in which they occur.

 

When a company maintains a valuation allowance in a particular jurisdiction, no net tax provision or (benefit) will typically be provided on the income (loss) for that jurisdiction on an annual basis.  Jurisdictions with projected income that maintain a valuation allowance typically will form part of the projected annual effective tax rate calculation discussed above.  However, jurisdictions with a projected loss for the year that maintain a valuation allowance are excluded from the projected annual effective income tax rate calculation. Instead, the income tax for these jurisdictions is computed separately.

 

The actual year to date income tax provision (benefit) is the product of the most current projected annual effective income tax rate and the actual year to date pre-tax income (loss) adjusted for any discrete tax items. The income tax provision (benefit) for a particular quarter is the difference between the year to date calculation of income tax provision (benefit) and the year to date calculation for the prior quarter.

 

Therefore, the actual income tax provision (benefit) and the actual effective income tax rate for a particular quarter can vary significantly based upon the jurisdictional mix and timing of actual earnings, the most current projected annual earnings compared to the projected annual earnings at the prior quarter, permanent items, earnings for those jurisdictions that maintain a valuation allowance, tax associated with jurisdictions excluded from the projected annual effective income tax rate calculation and discrete items.

 

Projected annual earnings as well as actual earnings were significantly different at September 30, 2014 compared to June 30, 2014 due to the anticipated debt refinancing, the adjustment to the non-tax deductible goodwill impairment and the significant reduction in forecasted results for our Brazilian operations due to the continued economic weakness in Brazil. These factors caused a significant change in the projected annual tax rate for the third quarter of 2014 compared to that used for the second quarter of 2014, which as discussed above, the cumulative impact of such change in projected annual effective tax rate yielded an unusual amount of tax benefit in the third quarter of 2014.

 

The Company recognized an income tax provision (benefit) of $32 and $(1,174) from continuing operations for federal, state and foreign income taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The effective tax rate increased to 0.4% in the third quarter of 2015 from (14.7)% in the third quarter of 2014. The increase in the income tax expense and the effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2015 compared to the same period for 2014 was primarily attributable to the factors discussed in the preceding paragraph as well as the improved earnings related to the U.S. operations, reduced earnings of the European operations and the smaller operating loss at PST.

 

The Company recognized an income tax benefit for income taxes of $(202) and $(790) for federal, state and foreign income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014,  respectively. The effective tax rate decreased to (1.3)% in the first nine months of 2015 from (3.8)% in the first nine months of 2014The decrease in the income tax benefit and the effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to the same period for 2014 was primarily attributable to the impact of the non-tax deductible goodwill impairment charge in 2014. Also, the decrease in the income tax benefit and effective tax rate was due to the improved earnings related to the U.S. operations, reduced earnings of the European operations and the smaller operating loss at PST. The decrease was partially offset by discrete tax expense related to certain foreign operations during the first nine months of 2014 which did not recur in the first nine months of 2015.