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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

G.  INCOME TAXES

 

At the end of each interim reporting period, the Company makes an estimate for the annual effective income tax rate.  Tax items included in the annual effective income tax rate are pro-rated for the full year and tax items discrete to a specific quarter are included in the effective income tax rate for that quarter.  The estimate used in providing for income taxes on a year-to-date basis may change in subsequent interim periods.  During the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, the effective income tax rate was 25.6% and 33.6%, respectively, and for the nine months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, the effective income tax rate was 27.4% and 40.9%, respectively.

 

The lower effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2013, as compared to the same period of the prior year, was primarily due to the differences in the availability of the Federal Research and Development Tax Credit (Federal R&D Tax Credit), the utilization of loss carry forwards on Canadian income and the utilization of certain foreign tax credits.  On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted which retroactively reinstated and extended the Federal R&D Tax Credit from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013.  The current year effective tax rate reflects a full year benefit from the Federal R&D Tax Credit in the estimate of the annual effective income tax rate, whereas the prior year reflected only three months of the benefit.  Additionally, the retroactive benefit for the previously expired period from January 1, 2012 to September 30, 2012 is reflected as a discrete item which lowered our effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2013.  Upon the reinstatement and extension of the Federal R&D Tax Credit, we completed an R&D Tax Credit study resulting in increases in the available R&D credits for current and prior years.  The utilization of these credits resulted in a lower effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.  However, the decrease in the effective tax rate was partially reduced by an increase  in our reserve for uncertain tax positions for years still open to audit by the Internal Revenue Service.

 

The lower effective tax rate for the nine months ended June 30, 2013, as compared to the same period of the prior year, was primarily due to the favorable impact of the extension of the Federal R&D Tax Credit, the utilization of loss carry forwards on Canadian income and the utilization of certain foreign tax credits.  The effective tax rates for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 and the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 were negatively impacted by our inability to record a tax benefit related to pre-tax losses in Canada in fiscal year 2012.