INCOME TAXES:

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



	For the Three Months Ended March 31,						For the Nine Months Ended March 31,
	2018			2017			2018			2017
	(Dollars in thousands)
Income tax benefit (expense)	$	2,225		$	(3,858	)	$	73,855		$	(7,317	)
Effective tax rate	86.4		%	48.3		%	389.9		%	332.7		%

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 the Company's 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 the Tax Act, the Company recorded a provisional net tax benefit of $68.9 million in continuing operations during the nine months ended March 31, 2018. The $68.9 million net tax benefit is comprised of $31.0 million for the partial release of the U.S. valuation allowance and $37.9 million associated with remeasurement of the deferred tax accounts. The benefit recognized on current losses and the partial valuation allowance 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 new tax rules, the Company can now consider its indefinite lived deferred tax liabilities as a source of income to support the realization of its existing deferred tax assets that upon reversal are expected to generate indefinite lived NOLs. Consequently, the Company is able to remove the valuation allowance associated with these deferred tax assets. The Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance 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 IRS examination associated with the Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2010 through 2013 was finalized during the period ended March 31, 2018. Closure of the examination resulted in adjustments to existing tax attributes and did not result in any cash outflow. The Company is no longer subject to IRS examinations for years before 2013. Furthermore, with limited exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to state and international income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2012.

The recorded tax provisions and effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2018 and three and nine months ended March 31, 2017 were different than what would normally be expected primarily due to the impact of the federal Tax Act and state conformity of the new federal provisions, closure of the IRS examination and the deferred tax valuation allowance. 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 that the Company could not recognize for reporting purposes.