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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
INCOME TAXES
Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized.
The Company recognizes the impact of an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not that such position will be sustained on audit, based solely on the technical merits of the position.
The income tax provision for interim periods is comprised of tax on ordinary income (loss) provided at the most recent estimated annual effective tax rate, adjusted for the tax effect of discrete items. Management estimates the annual effective tax rate quarterly based on the forecasted pretax income (loss) results of its U.S. and non-US jurisdictions. Items unrelated to current year ordinary income (loss) are recognized entirely in the period identified as a discrete item of tax. These discrete items generally relate to changes in tax laws, adjustments to the actual liability determined upon filing tax returns, and adjustments to previously recorded reserves for uncertain tax positions.
Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
New tax legislation in the U.S., commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was enacted on December 22, 2017. Accounting Standards Codification 740, "Accounting for Income Taxes," requires companies to recognize the effect of tax law changes in the period of enactment even though the effective date for most provisions is for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, or in the case of certain other provisions, January 1, 2018. Though certain key aspects of the new law are effective January 1, 2018 and have an immediate accounting effect, other significant provisions are not effective or may not result in accounting effects for the Company until April 1, 2018.
Given the significance of the legislation, the Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118, "Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" ("SAB 118"), which allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year “measurement period” similar to that used when accounting for business combinations. However, the measurement period is deemed to have ended earlier when the registrant has obtained, prepared and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting. During the measurement period, impacts of the law are expected to be recorded at the time a reasonable estimate for all or a portion of the effects can be made, and provisional amounts can be recognized and adjusted as information becomes available, prepared or analyzed.
SAB 118 summarizes a three-step process to be applied at each reporting period to account for and qualitatively disclose: (1) the effects of the change in tax law for which accounting is complete; (2) provisional amounts (or adjustments to provisional amounts) for the effects of the tax law where accounting is not complete, but that a reasonable estimate has been determined; and (3) that a reasonable estimate cannot yet be made and therefore taxes are reflected in accordance with law prior to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Amounts recorded where accounting is complete in the three- and nine months ended December 31, 2017 principally relate to the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21%, which resulted in the Company reporting an income tax benefit of $3,147,000 to remeasure deferred taxes. Furthermore, income tax expense of $238,000 was recorded for the reduced federal tax benefit of state income tax expense.
Provisional amounts recorded where accounting is based upon reasonable estimates through the three- and nine months ended December 31, 2017 related to the new law include a one-time mandatory repatriation transition tax of $2,721,000 on the net accumulated earnings and profits of our foreign subsidiaries. The Company has 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 2019, the actual aggregate foreign cash position and the earnings and profits of the foreign entities as of March 31, 2018, the interpretation and identification of cash positions as of March 31, 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 Cut and Jobs Act, the estimated transition tax liability of $2,721,000 will be paid over an eight year period beginning in fiscal year 2018.  The Company has recorded the current portion of the estimated transition tax liability of $218,000 in accrued income taxes and has recorded the estimated long term portion of $2,503,000 in other long-term obligations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.