INCOME TAXES:

A summary of income tax benefit (expense) and corresponding effective tax rates is as follows:



	For the Three Months Ended December 31,						For the Six Months Ended December 31,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(Dollars in thousands)
Income tax benefit (expense)	$	76,462		$	(719	)	$	71,630		$	(3,459	)
Effective tax rate	205.9		%	42.3		%	332.9		%	34.0		%

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code including, but not limited to, (1) reducing the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent; (2) changing rules related to net operating losses ("NOL") carryforwards and carrybacks; (3) eliminating the corporate alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) and changing how existing AMT credits can be realized; (4) requiring companies to pay a one-time transition tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries; (5) generally eliminating U.S. federal income taxes on dividends from foreign subsidiaries; (6) allowing full expensing of qualified property; (7) creating a new base erosion anti-abuse minimum tax (“BEAT”) and provisions designed to tax global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”); (8) adding rules that limit the deductibility of interest expense; and (9) adding new provisions that further restrict the deductibility of certain executive compensation.

Due to our fiscal year end, different provisions of the Tax Act will become applicable at varying dates. Nonetheless, the Company is required to recognize the effects of the rate change and enacted legislation on its deferred tax assets and liabilities in the period of enactment.

The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin ("SAB") 118, which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 740. In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in the financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act.

In connection with our initial analysis of the impact of the Tax Act, we have recorded a provisional estimated net tax benefit of $68.9 million in continuing operations for the periods ended December 31, 2017. The net tax benefit is primarily attributable to the impact of the corporate rate reduction on our deferred tax assets and liabilities along with a partial release of the U.S. valuation allowance (“VA”). The VA release is solely attributable to tax reform and the law change that allows for the indefinite carryforward of NOLs arising in tax years ending after December 31, 2017. Prior law limited the carryforward period to 20 years. As a result of the change, the Company is able to release its VA on deferred tax assets that it expects to reverse in future periods. The Company continues to maintain a VA on the historical balance of its finite lived federal NOLs, tax credits and various state tax attributes. We are still analyzing certain aspects of the Tax Act and refining our calculations, which could potentially affect the measurement of our deferred tax balances and ultimately cause us to revise our provisional estimate in future periods in accordance with SAB 118. In addition, changes in interpretations, assumptions, and guidance regarding the new tax legislation, as well as the potential for technical corrections to the Tax Act, could have a material impact to the Company’s effective tax rate in future periods.

The recorded tax provision and effective tax rates for the three and six months ended December 31, 2017 and three and six months ended December 31, 2016 were different than what would normally be expected primarily due to the impact of the Tax Act and the deferred tax VA. Additionally, the majority of the tax provision in periods ended prior to December 31, 2017 related to non-cash tax expense for tax benefits on certain indefinite-lived assets the Company could not recognize for reporting purposes. Due to the Tax Act and the resulting partial release of the Company’s VA, the Company recorded $7.6 million of tax benefit in continuing operations during the three months ended December 31, 2017, exclusive of the $68.9 million benefit mentioned above. Furthermore, the non-cash tax expense is not expected to be material in future periods.

The Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for the fiscal years 2010 through 2013 have been examined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and were moved to the IRS Appeals Division. The Company believes its income tax positions and deductions will be sustained and will continue to vigorously defend such positions. All earlier tax years are closed to examination. With limited exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to state and international income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2012.