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BASIS OF PRESENTATION
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
BASIS OF PRESENTATION  
BASIS OF PRESENTATION

2.        BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, the Company believes such information and the disclosures herein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading and reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position and results of operations for such periods. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Results of interim periods may not be indicative of results for the full year.  These condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

See Note 4 for information regarding the Company’s sale of its U.S. retail wireless business operated under the Alltel name.  The assets, liabilities and operations of the Alltel business have been classified as discontinued for all periods presented.  Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements refer to our continuing operations.

 

Consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its majority-owned subsidiaries and certain entities, which are consolidated in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) authoritative guidance on the consolidation of variable interest entities since it is determined that the Company is the primary beneficiary of these entities.

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company recognized approximately $0.7 million in general and administrative expenses to correct for an understatement of transactional tax liabilities generated in periods during 2013.   The Company determined that the impact of the correction of this error was not material to the current or any prior period financial statements.

 

The Company’s effective tax rate declined in 2014 as the result of increased income in lower taxed jurisdictions, such as Bermuda, as compared to 2013.  The Company’s effective tax rate in 2013 was higher than the statutory federal income tax rate of 35% (plus applicable statutory state income tax rates) due primarily to (i) the portion of our earnings that are taxed in Guyana at 45%, and (ii) a portion of the Company’s earnings that include losses generated in foreign jurisdictions for which we receive no tax benefit since these are non-tax jurisdictions. The Company’s effective tax rates for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2014 were 40.1% and 34.8%, respectively.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” ASU 2014-08 provides guidance on determining when disposals can be presented as discontinued operations. ASU 2014-08 requires that only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations should be presented as discontinued operations. A strategic shift may include a disposal of a major line of business, major equity method investment or a major part of an entity. Additionally, ASU 2014-08 requires expanded disclosures regarding discontinued operations. This standard is effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption of this amendment is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In March 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-05, “Foreign Currency Matters (Topic 830): Parent’s Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity.” ASU 2013-05 provides clarification regarding whether ASC 810-10, “Consolidation — Overall” or ASC 830-30, “Foreign Currency Matters—Translation of Financial Statements,” applies to the release of cumulative translation adjustments into net income when a reporting entity either sells a part or all of its investment in a foreign entity or ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets that constitute a business within a foreign entity. The revised standard is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The adoption of this amendment did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In July 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force),” which states that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward. If a company does not have: (i) a net operating loss carryforward; (ii) a similar tax loss; or (iii) a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the entity does not intend to use the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. The authoritative guidance is effective for fiscal years and the interim periods within those fiscal years beginning on or after December 15, 2013 and was applied on a prospective basis. The adoption of this authoritative guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.