Income Taxes

The effective tax rates for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 were:



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,		September 30,		September 30,		September 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Effective tax rate	28.9	%	31.1	%	29.7	%	30.0	%

Our effective income tax rate was 28.9% and 31.1% in the third quarters of 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2018, compared with the same period in 2017, was primarily attributed to a reduction in our statutory tax rate as a result of the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act"). The tax rate in the third quarter of 2018 was higher than the U.S. statutory federal tax rate primarily due to state taxes, foreign withholding taxes including the impact of the one-time cash distribution from Taiwan, higher non-deductible currency losses, and foreign earnings taxed at higher rates. The tax rate in the third quarter of 2017 was lower than the U.S. statutory federal tax rate primarily due to lower foreign tax rates applicable on foreign earnings.

Our effective income tax rate was 29.7% and 30.0% in the first nine months of 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, compared with the same period in 2017, was primarily attributed to the previously mentioned statutory tax rate reduction resulting from the Tax Act. The tax rate in the first nine months of 2018 was higher than the U.S. statutory federal tax rate primarily due to state taxes, foreign withholding taxes including the impact of the one-time cash distribution from Taiwan, higher non-deductible currency losses, and foreign earnings taxed at higher rates. The tax rate in the first nine months of 2017 was lower than the U.S. statutory federal tax rate primarily due to tax benefits recorded upon vesting of restricted stock units, a release of valuation allowances recorded against realizable foreign NOLs, and favorable tax rates on foreign earnings, offset by the impact of state taxes, tax expense for withholding taxes on the anticipated distribution of earnings in China, and other various permanent items.

We recognized the income tax effects of the Tax Act in the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 provides Securities and Exchange Commission staff guidance for the application of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, which allows for a measurement period of up to one year from the enactment date for companies to complete their accounting for the U.S. tax law changes. As such, our 2017 financial results reflected a provisional amount of $6,267 that was recorded as deferred tax expense related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, and a provisional amount of $11,734 that was recorded as current tax expense related to the transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of foreign earnings. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we recognized measurement period adjustments that resulted in additional tax expense of $0 and $241, respectively. Any subsequent adjustments to our provisional estimated amounts will be recorded to tax expense in the quarter when the analysis is complete.

For the calendar year beginning in 2018, we are subject to several new provisions of the Tax Act including but not limited to the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) tax. We have elected to account for any GILTI tax in the period in which it is incurred, and therefore have not provided any deferred tax impacts in our consolidated financial statements. For these computations, we have recorded an estimate in our annual effective tax rate. The company will continue to refine our estimates as additional guidance and information becomes available.

In general, outside of Canada and the U.K., it has been our historical practice to permanently reinvest the earnings of our non-U.S. subsidiaries into those operations. However, as a result of the Tax Act, we can repatriate our cumulative undistributed foreign earnings to the U.S. as needed with minimal U.S. income tax consequences other than the one-time deemed repatriation tax. We will continue to evaluate whether to repatriate all or a portion of the cumulative undistributed foreign earnings based on expansion needs and as circumstances change. We are still evaluating whether to change our indefinite reinvestment assertion in light of the Tax Act and consider that conclusion to be incomplete under guidance issued by SAB 118. If we subsequently change our assertion during the measurement period, we will account for the change in assertion as part of the Tax Act enactment.

Our continuing practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters as income tax expense. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, and 2017, we recorded interest and penalties of $0 and $181, and $14 and $533, respectively.