DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES [Abstract]

DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

9. DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the Income Taxes Topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Codification.  These standards establish financial accounting and reporting standards for the effects of income taxes that result from an enterprise's activities during the current and preceding years.  The Company takes an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting of income taxes.  The Company pays income taxes in many foreign jurisdictions based on the profits realized in those jurisdictions, which can be significantly impacted by terms of intercompany transactions between the Company and its foreign affiliates.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are created in this process. The Company has netted these deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities by jurisdiction. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts expected to be ultimately realized.  As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had net deferred tax assets of $30.8 million and $35.1 million, respectively.

The Company evaluates its indefinite reinvestment assertions with respect to foreign earnings for each quarter.  Other than earnings the Company intends to reinvest indefinitely, the Company accrues for the U.S. federal and state income taxes applicable to the earnings. For all foreign earnings, the Company accrues the applicable foreign income taxes. The Company intends to utilize the offshore earnings to fund foreign investments, specifically capital expenditures. Undistributed earnings that the Company has indefinitely reinvested, for which no federal or state income taxes in the U.S. have been provided, aggregate to $70.0 million as of December 31, 2016. If the amount designated as indefinitely reinvested as of December 31, 2016 was repatriated to the United States, the amount of incremental taxes would be approximately $7.6 million.