12.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes at each interim period using its estimated annual effective tax rate. Discrete items and changes in the estimate of the annual effective tax rate are recorded in the period they occur. The consolidated effective tax rate was approximately (213.7%) and (5.0%) for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and (17.0%) and (7.6%) for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The income tax provision for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 reflects that the Company (i) continues to record a full valuation allowance for its domestic and certain foreign tax jurisdictions, (ii) records a tax provision for certain foreign and state jurisdictions which are generating earnings, and (iii) incurs taxable temporary differences related to the amortization of indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill.

The Company provides a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to their estimated realizable value if, based on the weight of all available evidence, it is not more likely than not that a portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The Company does not expect to record significant tax benefits on future domestic net operating losses until circumstances justify the recognition of such benefits.

As a result of the domestic valuation allowance, taxable temporary differences from the amortization of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are expected to result in $7.7 million of income tax expense for 2015, and are reflected in the Company’s estimated domestic annual effective tax rate. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are amortized for income tax purposes, but not for financial statement reporting purposes. This difference results in net deferred income tax expense since the taxable temporary difference cannot be scheduled to reverse during the loss carryforward period. The Company will record tax expense related to the amortization of its tax deductible goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets during those future periods for which it maintains domestic valuation allowances, or until its estimated unamortized balance of $134.7 million at December 31, 2015 is fully amortized for tax purposes.