Income Taxes |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2018 | |
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
Income Taxes | Income Taxes For the quarter ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded income tax expense of $47,632 on earnings before income taxes of $256,873 for an effective tax rate of 18.5%, as compared to an income tax expense of $68,358 on earnings before income taxes of $269,414, for an effective tax rate of 25.4% for the quarter ended April 1, 2017. The effective tax rate for the quarter was favorably impacted by the net tax benefit of tax reforms in Belgium, which reduced the statutory rate from 33.99% to 29.58%, and the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), which was signed into law on December 22, 2017 and reduced the statutory rate from 35% to 21%. On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”), which provided guidance on accounting for the income tax effects of the TCJA. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the enactment date of the TCJA for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes ("ASC 740"). In accordance with SAB 118, a company must (1) reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of TCJA for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete, (2) record a provisional estimate for those aspects of TCJA for which the accounting is incomplete but a reasonable estimate can be made, and/or (3) continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provisions of tax laws in effect immediately before the enactment of the TCJA if no reasonable estimate can be made. The Company has not completed its accounting for the income tax effects of the TCJA but this will be completed within the one-year time period permitted by SAB 118. As disclosed in the December 31, 2017 10-K, the Company was able to make reasonable estimates and recorded a provisional amount in 2017 for the reduction of the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. This estimate may be affected in future periods by other analysis to the TCJA, including, but not limited to, calculations of deemed repatriation of deferred foreign income and the state tax effect, expenditures that qualify for immediate expensing, and amounts limited for payments to covered employees. The Company has made no changes to its provisional estimates during the quarter ended March 31, 2018. The Deemed Repatriation Transition Tax (“Transition Tax”) is a tax on previously untaxed earning and profits (“E&P”) of certain foreign subsidiaries. To determine the amount of the Transition Tax, the Company must determine, in addition to other factors, the amount of post-1986 E&P of the relevant foreign subsidiaries, as well as the amount of non-U.S. income tax paid on such earnings. The Company made a provisional estimate of the Transition Tax obligation in 2017; however, the Company is continuing to gather additional information to compute a more precise amount. The Company will elect to pay the transition tax liability over the 8-year deferral period, with 8% due in each of the first five years, 15% in the sixth year, 20% in the seventh year, and 25% in the eighth year. On April 2, 2018, the Department of the Treasury issued additional guidance on how to account for certain aspects of the TCJA, including the Transition Tax, in Notice 2018-26 (the "Notice"), which may have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company is currently analyzing the Notice and assessing its impact on the provisional amounts previously recorded. The Company has not made any changes to this provisional amount during the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Because of the complexity of the new Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) rules, the Company is continuing to evaluate this provision of the TCJA and the application of ASC 740. Accordingly, the accounting is incomplete, and the Company is not yet able to make reasonable estimates of the effects; therefore, no provisional estimates were recorded. Under U.S. GAAP, the Company is allowed to make an accounting policy choice of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or (2) factoring such amounts into a company’s measurement of its deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). The Company’s selection of an accounting policy with respect to the new GILTI tax rules will depend on complex calculations that the Company is unable to reasonably determine at this time. The Company will continue to evaluate the interpretations of the TCJA, the assumptions made within the calculations, and future guidance that may be issued to determine the impact, if any, on these provisional calculations, which may materially change the Company’s tax determinations. |