Income taxes

The Company’s income tax expense and the resulting effective tax rate are based upon the estimated annual effective tax rates applicable for the respective period, including losses generated in countries where the Company is projecting annual losses for which deferred tax assets are not anticipated to be recognized. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company recorded a full valuation allowance against its net U.S. deferred tax assets, and for the foreseeable future anticipates providing a valuation allowance against any additional deferred tax assets until such time it is more likely than not the benefit of these deferred tax assets may be recognized.

The Company’s tax provision and the resulting effective tax rate for interim periods is determined based upon its estimated annual effective tax rate, adjusted for the effect of discrete items arising in that quarter. The Company also includes jurisdictions with a projected loss for the year (or year-to-date loss) where the Company cannot or does not expect to recognize a tax benefit from its estimated annual effective tax rate. The impact of such inclusions could result in a higher or lower effective tax rate during a particular quarter, based upon the mix and timing of actual earnings or losses versus annual projections. In each quarter, the Company updates its estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if the estimated annual tax rate changes, a cumulative adjustment is made in that quarter.



	Three months ended June 30,						Six months ended June 30,
(dollars in thousands)	2018			2017			2018			2017
Income tax (benefit) expense	$	706		$	1,991		$	(2,076	)	$	24,273
Effective tax rate	(1.9		)%	(7.0		)%	1.8		%	(20.7		)%

The Company recorded an income tax expense of $0.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 on a pre-tax net loss of $36.6 million, which resulted in a negative effective tax rate of 1.9%. The Company’s income tax expense for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was composed of $0.5 million of tax expense incurred on pre-tax income in profitable foreign jurisdictions, and $1.5 million of net non-deductible equity tax expense, partially offset by a $1.3 million net decrease in the valuation allowance. The Company recorded an income tax benefit of $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 on a pre-tax net loss of $115.7 million, which resulted in an effective tax rate of 1.8%. The Company’s income tax benefit for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was composed of $0.9 million of tax expenses incurred on pre-tax income in profitable foreign jurisdictions, one-time items that included $10.9 million of tax benefit primarily relating to the conclusion of the IRS audit and the release of uncertain tax positions, $4.4 million of tax benefit relating to restructuring expenses, $2.6 million of net non-deductible equity tax expense, and $0.3 million tax expense relating to other items, partially offset by $9.4 million net increase in the valuation allowance.

For the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $2.0 million on a pre-tax net loss of $28.5 million, which resulted in a negative effective tax rate of 7.0%. The Company recorded an income tax provision of $24.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 on a pre-tax net loss of $117.4 million, which resulted in a negative effective tax rate of 20.7%. The Company’s income tax provision for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 were principally composed of tax expenses incurred on pre-tax income in profitable foreign jurisdictions. Due to certain tax structure changes effective January 1, 2018, including the planned liquidation of the Company’s subsidiary, Woodman Labs Cayman, Inc., the Company’s tax provision and resulting effective tax rate for interim periods in 2018 and future years is expected to be subject to less volatility and fluctuation quarter over quarter than in 2017. Further, for both 2018 and 2017, while the Company incurred pre-tax losses in the United States and certain lower-rate jurisdictions, the Company does not expect to recognize any tax benefits on pre-tax losses in the United States due to a full valuation allowance recorded against its U.S. deferred tax assets.

During the six months ended June 30, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service concluded its audit for the 2012 through 2015 tax years. The Closing Agreement was received on January 24, 2018 and the Company received an income tax refund of approximately $32.9 million, net of IRS adjustments, in February 2018. As a result, the Company recognized a reduction in gross unrecognized tax benefits of $26.0 million and an income tax benefit, net of valuation allowance, of approximately $2.6 million.

At June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company’s gross unrecognized tax benefits were $33.7 million and $58.6 million, respectively. If recognized, $16.9 million of these unrecognized tax benefits (net of U.S. federal benefit) at June 30, 2018 would be recorded as a reduction of future income tax provision. These unrecognized tax benefits relate primarily to unresolved matters with taxing authorities regarding tax positions based on the Company’s interpretation of certain U.S. trial and appellate court decisions, which remain subject to appeal and therefore could be overturned in future periods and tax positions on IP transfers. Although the completion, settlement and closure of any audits is uncertain, it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will not materially increase within the next 12 months. However, given the number of years remaining that are subject to examination, the range of the reasonably possible change cannot be estimated reliably.

U.S. Tax Reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, enacted on December 22, 2017, reduced the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective January 1, 2018. The TCJA also implemented a territorial tax system. Under the territorial tax system, in general, the Company’s foreign earnings would no longer be subject to tax in the U.S. As part of transitioning to the territorial tax system, the TCJA includes a mandatory deemed repatriation of all undistributed foreign earnings that are subject to a U.S. income tax. The Company estimates that the deemed repatriation will not result in any additional U.S. income tax. This estimate may be impacted by a number of additional considerations, including, but not limited to, the issuance of final regulations and the Company's ongoing analysis of the new law.

While the TJCA provides for a territorial tax system, beginning in 2018, it includes two new U.S. tax base erosion provisions, the global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) provisions and the base-erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT) provisions. The GILTI provisions require the Company to include in its U.S. income tax return foreign subsidiary earnings in excess of an allowable return on the foreign subsidiary’s tangible assets. The BEAT provisions in the TCJA eliminate the deduction of certain base-erosion payments made to related foreign corporations and impose a minimum tax if greater than regular tax. The BEAT or GILTI provisions did not result in significant additional U.S. tax beginning in 2018.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (SAB 118) to address the application of U.S. GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the TCJA. The Company has recognized the provisional tax impacts related to deemed repatriated earnings and the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities to the extent needed and included these amounts in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. The ultimate impact may differ from these provisional amounts, possibly materially, due to, among other things, additional analysis, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company has made, additional regulatory guidance that may be issued, and actions the Company may take as a result of the TCJA. The accounting is expected to be complete when the 2017 U.S. corporate income tax return is filed in 2018.