Note 17. Income taxes

On December 22, 2017, the United States (“U.S.”) enacted significant changes to the U.S. tax law following the passage and signing of H.R.1, “An Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Titles II and V of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2018” (the “Tax Act”) (previously known as “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”). The Tax Act included significant changes to existing tax law, including a permanent reduction to the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, a one-time repatriation tax on deferred foreign income (“Transition Tax”), deductions, credits and business-related exclusions.

U.S. GAAP requires that the interim period tax provision be determined as follows:

At the end of each quarter, Woodward estimates the tax that will be provided for the current fiscal year stated as a percentage of estimated “ordinary income.” The term ordinary income refers to earnings from continuing operations before income taxes, excluding significant unusual or infrequently occurring items.

The estimated annual effective rate is applied to the year-to-date ordinary income at the end of each quarter to compute the estimated year-to-date tax applicable to ordinary income. The tax expense or benefit related to ordinary income in each quarter is the difference between the most recent year-to-date and the prior quarter year-to-date computations.

The tax effects of significant unusual or infrequently occurring items are recognized as discrete items in the interim period in which the events occur. The impact of changes in tax laws or rates on deferred tax amounts, the effects of changes in judgment about beginning of the year valuation allowances, and changes in tax reserves resulting from the finalization of tax audits or reviews are examples of significant unusual or infrequently occurring items that are recognized as discrete items in the interim period in which the event occurs. Enactment of the Tax Act during December 2017 resulted in a provisional discrete net charge to Woodward’s income tax expense in the amount of $14,778.

The determination of the annual effective tax rate is based upon a number of significant estimates and judgments, including the estimated annual pretax income of Woodward in each tax jurisdiction in which it operates, and the development of tax planning strategies during the year. In addition, as a global commercial enterprise, Woodward’s tax expense can be impacted by changes in tax rates or laws, the finalization of tax audits and reviews, changes in the estimate of the amount of undistributed foreign earnings that Woodward considers indefinitely reinvested, and other factors that cannot be predicted with certainty. As such, there can be significant volatility in interim tax provisions.

The permanent reduction to the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% is effective January 1, 2018 (the “Effective Date”). When a U.S. federal tax rate change occurs during a fiscal year, taxpayers are required to compute a weighted daily average rate for the fiscal year of enactment. As a result of the Tax Act, Woodward has calculated a U.S. federal statutory corporate income tax rate of 24.5% for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018 and applied this rate in computing the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 income tax provision. The U.S. federal statutory corporate income tax rate of 24.5% is the weighted daily average rate between the pre-enactment U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35% applicable to Woodward’s 2018 fiscal year prior to the Effective Date and the post-enactment U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21% applicable to the 2018 fiscal year thereafter. Woodward expects the U.S. federal statutory rate to be 21% for fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2018.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”). SAB 118 expresses views of the SEC regarding ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”) in the reporting period that includes the enactment date of the Tax Act. The SEC staff issuing SAB 118 (the “Staff”) recognized that a registrant’s review of certain income tax effects of the Tax Act may be incomplete at the time financial statements are issued for the reporting period that includes the enactment date, including interim periods therein. The Staff’s view of the enactment of the Tax Act has been developed considering the principles of ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations, which addresses the accounting for certain items in a business combination for which the accounting is incomplete upon issuance of the financial statements that include the reporting period in which the business combination occurs. Specifically, the Staff provides that the accounting guidance in ASC Topic 805 may be analogized to the accounting for impacts of the Tax Act. If a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act, SAB 118 allows a company to report provisional numbers and adjust those amounts during the measurement period not to extend beyond one year. For the three-months ended December 31, 2017, Woodward has recorded all known and estimable impacts of the Tax Act that are effective for fiscal year 2018. Future adjustments to the provisional numbers will be recorded as discrete adjustments to income tax expense in the period in which those adjustments become estimable and/or are finalized.

Accordingly, Woodward’s income tax provision as of December 31, 2017 reflects (i) the current year impacts of the Tax Act on the estimated annual effective tax rate and (ii) the following discrete items resulting directly from the enactment of the Tax Act based on the information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail.



	Three-Months Ended
	December 31, 2017
Transition Tax (provisional)	$	26,000
Net impact on U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities (provisional)		(16,260)
Net changes in deferred tax liability associated with anticipated repatriation taxes (provisional)		5,038
Net discrete impacts of the enactment of the Tax Act	$	14,778

Woodward determined that the Transition Tax is provisional because various components of the computation are unknown as of December 31, 2017, including the following significant items: the exchange rates for fiscal year 2018, the actual aggregate foreign cash position and the earnings and profits of the foreign entities as of September 30, 2018, the interpretation and identification of cash positions as of September 30, 2018, and incomplete computations of accumulated earnings and profits balances as of November 2, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Consistent with provisions allowed under the Tax Act, the $26,000 estimated Transition Tax liability will be paid over an eight year period beginning in fiscal year 2019. The entire amount of the estimated Transition Tax liability has been included in “Other liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Woodward also determined that the impact of the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate change on the U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities is provisional because the number cannot be calculated until the underlying timing differences are known rather than estimated.

Given the Tax Act’s significant changes and potential opportunities to repatriate cash tax free, Woodward is in the process of evaluating its current indefinite assertions. As a result of the Tax Act, Woodward now expects to repatriate certain earnings which will be subject to withholding taxes. These additional withholding taxes are being recorded as an additional deferred tax liability associated with the basis difference in such jurisdictions. The uncertainty related to the taxation of such withholding taxes on distributions under the Tax Act and finalization of the cash repatriation plan makes the deferred tax liability a provisional amount.

Woodward continues to review the anticipated impacts of the global intangible low taxed income (“GILTI”) and base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) on Woodward, which are not effective until fiscal year 2019. Woodward has not recorded any impact associated with either GILTI or BEAT in the tax rate for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018.

Within the calculation of Woodward’s annual effective tax rate Woodward has used assumptions and estimates that may change as a result of future guidance, interpretation, and rule-making from the Internal Revenue Service, the SEC, and the FASB and/or various other taxing jurisdictions. For example, Woodward anticipates that the state jurisdictions will continue to determine and announce their conformity to the Tax Act which could have an impact on the annual effective tax rate.

The following table sets forth the tax expense and the effective tax rate for Woodward’s earnings before income taxes:



	Three-Months Ended
	December 31,
	2017		2016
Earnings before income taxes	$	37,487	$	47,059
Income tax expense		19,227		511
Effective tax rate		51.3%		1.1%

The increase in the year-over-year effective tax rate for the three-months ended December 31, 2017 is primarily attributable to the $14,778 discrete net impact resulting from the enactment of the Tax Act partially offset by benefits of the current year effect of the U.S. federal corporate tax rate reduction resulting from the enactment of the Tax Act on the estimated annual effective tax rate. In addition, the effective tax rate for the three-months ended December 31, 2016 includes the impact of the repatriation to the U.S. of certain net foreign profits and losses. The U.S. foreign tax credits available as a result of the repatriation of the foreign net earnings in the first quarter of last year were greater than the U.S. taxes payable on these net foreign earnings.

Gross unrecognized tax benefits were $18,997 as of December 31, 2017, and $20,132 as of September 30, 2017. Included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits were $8,949 as of December 31, 2017 and $9,677 as of September 30, 2017 of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. At this time, Woodward estimates that it is reasonably possible that the liability for unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by as much as $8,901 in the next twelve months due to the completion of reviews by tax authorities, lapses of statutes, and the settlement of tax positions. Woodward accrues for potential interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits and all other interest and penalties related to tax payments in tax expense. Woodward had accrued gross interest and penalties of $1,243 as of December 31, 2017 and $1,123 as of September 30, 2017.

Woodward’s tax returns are subject to audits by U.S. federal, state, and foreign tax authorities, and these audits are at various stages of completion at any given time. Reviews of tax matters by authorities and lapses of the applicable statutes of limitations may result in changes to tax expense. Fiscal years remaining open to examination in significant foreign jurisdictions include 2008 and thereafter. Woodward’s fiscal years remaining open to examination in the United States include fiscal years 2014 and thereafter. Woodward is currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service for fiscal year 2014. Woodward has concluded U.S. federal income tax examinations through fiscal year 2012. Woodward is generally subject to U.S. state income tax examinations for fiscal years 2012 and the periods thereafter.