Income taxes



	26 weeks ended
	August 4, 2018		July 29, 2017
Effective tax rate	32.2	%	23.0	%
Discrete items recognized	(12.2	)%	0.5	%
Effective tax rate recognized in income statement	20.0	%	23.5	%

During the 26 weeks ended August 4, 2018, the Company’s effective tax rate was lower than the US federal income tax rate primarily due to the unfavorable impact of the impairment of goodwill which was not deductible for tax purposes partially offset by the favorable impact of foreign tax rate differences and benefits from global reinsurance and financing arrangements. The effective tax rate excludes the effects of any discrete items that may be recognized in future periods.

On December 22, 2017, the US government enacted “An Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Titles II and V of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2018” (the “TCJ Act”). The TCJ Act provides for comprehensive tax legislation that reduces the US federal statutory corporate tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% effective January 1, 2018, limits certain deductions, including limiting the deductibility of interest expense to 30.0% of US Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, broadens the US federal income tax base, requires companies to pay a one-time repatriation tax on earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries that were previously tax deferred (“transition tax”), and creates new taxes on certain foreign sourced earnings. As we have a 52-53-week tax year ending the Saturday nearest October 31, the lower corporate income tax rate is administratively phased in, resulting in a blended U.S. federal statutory rate of approximately 23.4% for our fiscal tax year from October 29, 2017 through November 3, 2018 and 21.0% for our fiscal tax years thereafter.

The SEC issued rules to allow a measurement period of up to 12 months following the enactment of the TCJ Act for registrants to finalize their accounting for the related income tax effects.

During the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018, we recorded a provisional net tax benefit associated with the TCJ Act. During the 13 weeks ended May 5, 2018, we recorded a provisional benefit of $0.6 million as an adjustment to the amounts recorded at February 3, 2018 related to the re-measurement of deferred tax balances recorded in purchase accounting with respect to the R2Net acquisition.

As of August 4, 2018, the amounts recorded for the TCJ Act remain provisional for the re-measurement of deferred taxes. Within our calculations of the income tax effects of the TCJ Act, we used assumptions and estimates that may change as a result of future guidance and interpretation from the Internal Revenue Service, the SEC, the FASB and/or various other taxing jurisdictions. In particular, we anticipate that the US state jurisdictions will continue to determine and announce their conformity or decoupling from the Act, either in its entirety or with respect to specific provisions. All of these potential legislative and interpretive actions could result in adjustments to any of the provisional estimates when the accounting for the income tax effects of the TCJ Act is completed.

Tax effects for these items will be recorded in subsequent quarters, as discrete adjustments to our income tax provision, once complete. We elected to adopt the SEC issued guidance that allows for a measurement period, not to exceed one year after the enactment date of the TCJ Act, to finalize the recording of related tax impacts. We currently anticipate finalizing and recording any resulting adjustments during the fourth quarter.

There has been no material change in the amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, or the related accrued interest and penalties (where appropriate), in respect of uncertain tax positions identified as of February 3, 2018.