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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Income Taxes
 
12.
Income Taxes
 
 Income tax expense for the quarter ended September 30, 2011 was $1.7 million, resulting in an effective rate of 25.5%.  For the third quarter of 2010, income tax expense was $3.3 million, resulting in an effective tax rate of 36.7%.  The decline in the effective tax rate in the third quarter of 2011 was a result of extensive state tax planning strategies implemented along with increasing certain tax credits available to the Company for 2010 and open tax years (amended returns filed for prior years).   As a manufacturing entity based in Maryland, the Company adopted the single sales factor apportionment method and claimed new state job credits on its tax returns.  These state tax strategies and tax credits resulted in favorable adjustments when the Company filed its 2010 federal and state tax returns in mid-September 2011 as compared to the estimated tax provision prepared as of year-end 2010.