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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Income Taxes  
Income Taxes

Note 12 – Income Taxes

U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted the Tax Act. Due to the complexity of the Tax Act, the SEC issued guidance in SAB 118 which clarified the accounting for income taxes under ASC 740 if certain information was not yet available, prepared or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for income tax effects of the Tax Act.

SAB 118 provided for a measurement period of up to one year after the enactment of the Tax Act, during which time the required analyses and accounting must be completed. During fiscal year 2018, we recorded provisional amounts for the income tax effects of the changes in tax law and tax rates, as reasonable estimates were determined by management during this period.

The SAB 118 measurement period ended on December 22, 2018. Although we no longer consider these amounts to be provisional, the determination of the Tax Act’s income tax effects may change following future legislation or further interpretation of the Tax Act based on the publication of recently proposed U.S. Treasury regulations and guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

The Tax Act includes provisions for Global Intangible Low-Tax Income (GILTI) under which taxes on foreign income are imposed on the excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign subsidiaries. Consistent with accounting guidance, we have elected to account for the tax on GILTI as a period cost and thus have not adjusted any net deferred tax assets of our foreign subsidiaries in connection with the Tax Act.

Effective Tax Rate

During interim periods, we generally utilize the estimated annual effective tax rate method which involves the use of forecasted information. Under this method, the provision is calculated by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full fiscal year to “ordinary” income or loss (pre-tax income or loss excluding unusual or infrequently occurring discrete items) for the reporting period. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2019, we believe it is more appropriate to use a blend of the discrete effective tax rate method and the estimated annual effective tax rate method to calculate income tax expense for the period. Since income from U.S. operations fluctuates throughout the year, we determined the discrete tax rate method should be utilized to determine a more reliable estimate of U.S. income tax expense for the period.

The income tax expense recognized on pre-tax income from continuing operations for the three months ended June 30, 2019 resulted in an effective tax rate of 5%, which differs from the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to the change in U.S. valuation allowance related to tax attributes projected to be utilized. The income tax benefit recognized on pre-tax income from continuing operations for the nine months ended June 30, 2019 resulted in an effective tax rate of negative 166% which differs from the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to the jurisdictional mix of pre-tax income (loss) and discrete tax benefits related to the release of a portion of the existing U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance due to deferred tax liabilities acquired in business combinations. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended June 30, 2019 differs from the effective tax rate of negative 38% and 48% for the nine months ended June 30, 2018 and the year ended September 30, 2018, respectively, primarily due to differences in the jurisdictional mix of pre-tax income (loss), partially offset by discrete benefits resulting from the enactment of the Tax Act and by discrete benefits recorded related to the release of a portion of the existing U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance due to deferred tax liabilities acquired in business combinations.

Deferred Tax Balances

As of June 30, 2019, we maintained a valuation allowance against U.S. deferred tax assets as realization of such assets does not meet the more-likely-than-not threshold required under accounting guidelines. We will continue to assess the need for a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets by evaluating positive and negative evidence that may exist. Through June 30, 2019, a total valuation allowance of $61.9 million has been established for U.S. net deferred tax assets, certain foreign operating losses and other foreign assets.