The components of the Company's Provision for (benefit from) income taxes are as follows (in thousands):

				Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
Current provision for (benefit from)
	Federal		$	(699)	$	(320)	$	(2,211)
	State			270		150		(1,013)
	Foreign			13,957		13,876		809
		Total current provision for (benefit from)		13,528		13,706		(2,415)
Deferred provision for (benefit from)
	Federal			10,148		4,674		1,215
	State			423		195		64
	Foreign			(1,057)		2,023		1,075
		Total deferred provision for (benefit from)		9,514		6,892		2,354
		Total provision for (benefit from) income taxes	$	23,042	$	20,598	$	(61)

The following reconciles the Company's effective tax rate to the federal statutory rate (in thousands):

			Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
Income tax per U.S. federal statutory rate (35%)		$	35,161	$	32,224	$	25,852
	State income taxes, net of federal deduction		1,525		210		(345)
	Change in valuation allowances		256		3,266		(315)
	Foreign income taxes at different rates than the U.S.		(17,824)		(20,529)		(24,507)
	Foreign withholding taxes		257		2,504		2,876
	Losses in international markets without tax benefits		1,649		779		4,329
	Nondeductible compensation under Section 162(m)		817		1,847		1,451
	Liabilities for uncertain tax positions		1,435		77		(2,988)
	Permanent difference related to foreign exchange gains		(11)		(122)		(13)
	(Income) losses of foreign branch operations		225		1,447		(4,263)
	Non-taxable earnings of minority interest		(1,141)		(1,172)		(213)
	Foreign dividend less foreign tax credits		(1,428)		(2,587)		(2,935)
	Increase in deferred tax liability - branch losses in UK		(75)		(954)		(1,012)
	Decrease (increase) to deferred tax asset - change in tax rate		(443)		(68)		946
	State income tax credits and net operating losses		(142)		615		709
	Foreign earnings taxed currently in U.S.		2,696		2,907		-
	Other		85		154		367
Income tax per effective tax rate		$	23,042	$	20,598	$	(61)

The Company's deferred income tax assets and liabilities are summarized as follows (in thousands):

			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013
Deferred tax assets, gross
	Accrued workers compensation, deferred compensation
		and employee benefits	$	17,030	$	7,866
	Allowance for doubtful accounts, insurance and other accruals			4,554		4,037
	Amortization of deferred rent liabilities			2,201		1,903
	Net operating losses			11,296		11,023
	Equity compensation			2,997		6,566
	Customer acquisition and deferred revenue accruals			16,241		15,228
	Federal and state tax credits, net			10,621		15,886
	Unrealized losses on derivatives			11,686		4,446
	Other			12,749		9,467
		Total deferred tax assets, gross		89,375		76,422
	Valuation allowances			(10,721)		(10,792)
		Total deferred tax assets, net		78,654		65,630
Deferred tax liabilities
	Long-term lease obligations			-		(12)
	Depreciation and amortization			(7,035)		1,067
	Contract acquisition costs			(11,768)		(11,653)
	Future losses in UK			(2,530)		(2,606)
	Intangible assets			(7,628)		-
	Other			(355)		(600)
		Total deferred tax liabilities		(29,316)		(13,804)
		Net deferred tax assets	$	49,338	$	51,826

Quarterly, the Company assesses the likelihood by jurisdiction that its net deferred tax assets will be recovered. Based on the weight of all available evidence, both positive and negative, the Company records a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not that a future tax benefit will not be realized.

As of December 31, 2014 the Company had approximately $32.3 million of net deferred tax assets in the U.S. and $17.0 million of net deferred tax assets related to certain international locations whose recoverability is dependent upon their future profitability. As of December 31, 2014 the deferred tax valuation allowance was $10.7 million and related primarily to tax losses in foreign jurisdictions and U.S. federal and state tax credits which do not meet the “more-likely-than-not” standard under current accounting guidance. The utilization of these federal and state tax credits are subject to numerous factors including various expiration dates, generation of future taxable income over extended periods of time and state income tax apportionment factors which are subject to change.

When there is a change in judgment concerning the recovery of deferred tax assets in future periods, a valuation allowance is recorded into earnings during the quarter in which the change in judgment occurred. In 2014, the Company made adjustments to its deferred tax assets and corresponding valuation allowances. The net reduction to the valuation allowance of $0.1 million was due to a $0.5 million increase in certain state credits and NOLs that do not meet the “more-likely-than-not” standard, a $0.4 million increase in valuation allowance in Argentina and Ghana for deferred tax assets that do not meet the “more-likely-than-not” standard, a $0.7 million release of valuation allowance in the Philippines for deferred tax assets, and a $0.3 million release of valuation allowance in various other jurisdictions for deferred tax assets.

Activity in the Company's valuation allowance accounts consists of the following (in thousands):

			Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
Beginning balance		$	10,792	$	20,909	$	16,555
Additions of deferred income tax expense			946		4,218		5,560
Reductions of deferred income tax expense			(1,017)		(14,335)		(1,206)
	Ending balance	$	10,721	$	10,792	$	20,909

As of December 31, 2014, after consideration of all tax loss and tax credit carry back opportunities, the Company had net tax loss carry forwards worldwide expiring as follows (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2014, domestically, the Company had federal tax credit carry forwards in the amount of $3.5 million that if unused will expire in 2020, $3.7 million that if unused will expire in 2021, $2.2 million that if unused will expire in 2022 and $2.3 million that if unused will expire in 2023 and $0.9 million that if unused will expire in 2024. The Company also had state tax credit carry-forwards of $1.8 million that if unused will expire between 2014 and 2023.

As of December 31, 2014 the cumulative amount of foreign earnings considered permanently invested outside the U.S. was $445.0 million. Those earnings do not include earnings from certain subsidiaries which the Company intends to repatriate to the U.S. or are otherwise considered available for distribution to the U.S. Accordingly, no provision for U.S. federal or state income taxes or foreign withholding taxes has been provided on these undistributed earnings. If these earnings become taxable in the U.S, the Company would be subject to incremental tax expense, after any applicable foreign tax credit, and foreign withholding tax expense. It is not practicable to estimate the additional taxes that may become payable upon the eventual remittance of these foreign earnings.

The Company has been granted “Tax Holidays” as an incentive to attract foreign investment by the governments of the Philippines and Costa Rica. Generally, a Tax Holiday is an agreement between the Company and a foreign government under which the Company receives certain tax benefits in that country, such as exemption from taxation on profits derived from export-related activities. In the Philippines, the Company has been granted multiple agreements with an initial period of four years and additional periods for varying years, expiring at various times between 2011 and 2020. The aggregate effect on income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $20.2 million, $14.6 million and $20.1 million, respectively, which had a favorable impact on diluted net income per share of $0.27, $0.28 and $0.36, respectively.

In accordance with ASC 740, the Company has recorded a reserve for uncertain tax positions. The total amount of interest and penalties recognized in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $132 thousand, $77 thousand and $40 thousand, respectively.

The Company had a reserve for uncertain tax benefits, on a net basis, of $1.9 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The liability for uncertain tax positions was not changed in 2014 for tax positions that were resolved favorably or expired.

The tabular reconciliation of the reserve for uncertain tax benefits on a gross basis without interest for the three years ended December 31, 2014 is presented below (in thousands):

Balance as of December 31, 2011		$	2,735
	Additions for current year tax positions		369
	Reductions in prior year tax positions		(2,746)
Balance as of December 31, 2012			358
	Additions for current year tax positions		-
	Reductions in prior year tax positions		-
Balance as of December 31, 2013			358
	Additions for current year tax positions		1,303
	Reductions in prior year tax positions		-
Balance as of December 31, 2014		$	1,661

At December 31, 2014, the amount of uncertain tax benefits that, if recognized, would reduce tax expense was $1.9 million. Within the next 12 months, it is not expected that unrecognized tax benefits will change as the result of the expiration of various statutes of limitation.

The Company and its domestic and foreign subsidiaries (including Percepta LLC and its domestic and foreign subsidiaries) file income tax returns as required in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions. The following table presents the major tax jurisdictions and tax years that are open as of December 31, 2014 and subject to examination by the respective tax authorities:

Tax Jurisdiction	Tax Year Ended
United States	2011 to present
Argentina	2009 to present
Australia	2010 to present
Brazil	2009 to present
Canada	2006 to present
Mexico	2009 to present
Philippines	2012 to present
Spain	2010 to present

During the first quarter of 2014, a benefit of $1.2 million was recorded due to the closing of statutes of limitations in Canada.

During the third quarter of 2014, the Company settled an audit with the taxing authorities in the Netherlands for tax years 2010 and 2011. An expense of $1.3 million was recorded in the quarter as a result of that settlement and the related impact through 2014.

The Company's U.S. income tax returns filed for the tax years ending December 31, 2011 to present, remain open tax years. The IRS has concluded its audit in the United States for tax years 2009, 2011 and 2012 resulting in no changes to the Company's financial statements or tax liabilities as previously reported.

The Company has been notified of the intent to audit, or is currently under audit of incomes taxes in the U.S., specifically for the acquired entity Technology Solutions Group (“TSG”), for the tax year 2012 (prior to acquisition) and Canada for tax years 2009 and 2010. Although the outcome of examinations by taxing authorities are always uncertain, it is the opinion of management that the resolution of these audits will not have a material effect on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.