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Income Taxes:
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]
Income Taxes
 
Income from continuing operations before taxes for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 is as follows: 
 
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
United States
 
$
63,575

 
$
46,669

 
$
33,672

Foreign
 
2,847

 
1,116

 
2,935

 
 
$
66,422

 
$
47,785

 
$
36,607



The provision (benefit) for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 is as follows:
 
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
Current:
 
 

 
 

 
 

Federal
 
$
19,246

 
$
15,331

 
$
9,533

State
 
1,246

 
1,200

 
692

Foreign
 
785

 
1,109

 
1,126

 
 
21,277

 
17,640

 
11,351

Deferred:
 
 

 
 

 
 

Federal
 
$
169

 
$
(781
)
 
$
1,056

State
 
326

 
439

 
(1,002
)
Foreign
 
(19
)
 
564

 
221

 
 
476

 
222

 
275

 
 
$
21,753

 
$
17,862

 
$
11,626


 
Current income taxes payable were reduced from the amounts in the above table by $4.3 million, $1.7 million and $0.1 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, equal to the direct tax benefit that the Company receives upon exercise of stock options by employees and directors. That benefit is allocated to stockholders’ equity. The Company has accrued for tax contingencies for potential tax assessments, and in 2011 has recognized a $0.1 million net decrease of accruals most of which relates to state tax reserves.
 
Reconciliations of the provision for income taxes at the statutory rate to the Company’s effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:
 
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Amount
 
Percent
 
Amount
 
Percent
Federal tax at the expected statutory rate
 
$
23,247

 
35.0
 %
 
$
16,724

 
35.0
 %
 
$
12,812

 
35.0
 %
State income tax, net of federal effect
 
1,460

 
2.2
 %
 
1,007

 
2.1
 %
 
818

 
2.2
 %
Tax credits
 
(1,171
)
 
(1.8
)%
 
(121
)
 
(0.3
)%
 
(1,690
)
 
(4.6
)%
Tax-exempt interest and dividends
 
(45
)
 
(0.1
)%
 
(33
)
 
(0.1
)%
 
(283
)
 
(0.8
)%
Domestic production activities/other
 
(1,508
)
 
(2.3
)%
 
(997
)
 
(2.0
)%
 
(351
)
 
(0.9
)%
Foreign income tax
 
(230
)
 
(0.3
)%
 
1,282

 
2.7
 %
 
320

 
0.9
 %
 
 
$
21,753

 
32.7
 %
 
$
17,862

 
37.4
 %
 
$
11,626

 
31.8
 %

 
Tax credits in 2011, 2010 and 2009 consist principally of research and developmental tax credits.  The indirect effect of non-statutory stock options exercised on research and development tax credits and other tax credits were recorded as reductions of the effective tax provision.
 
The components of the Company’s deferred income tax provision for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 are as follows: 
 
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
Allowance for doubtful accounts
 
$
(24
)
 
$
(66
)
 
$
(17
)
Inventory reserves
 
1,147

 
(1,137
)
 
(297
)
Accruals
 
(464
)
 
(1,792
)
 
(114
)
State income taxes
 
(7
)
 
(290
)
 
(52
)
Acquired future tax deductions
 
293

 
300

 
300

Depreciation and amortization
 
(205
)
 
2,820

 
1,571

Tax credits
 
(264
)
 
387

 
(1,116
)
 
 
$
476

 
$
222

 
$
275

 
 
 
 
 
 
 


The components of the Company’s deferred income tax assets (liabilities) at December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

 
 
2011
 
2010
Current deferred tax assets:
 
 

 
 

State income taxes
 
$
343

 
$
549

Foreign
 
$
429

 
$
444

Accruals/other
 
$
1,377

 
$
1,827

Tax credits
 
$
452

 
$
—

Allowance for doubtful accounts
 
$
102

 
$
105

Inventory reserves
 
1,378

 
2,128

 
 
$
4,081

 
$
5,053

Non-current deferred tax asset:
 
 

 
 

State income taxes
 
$
—

 
$
(33
)
Foreign
 
526

 
—

Accruals/other
 
347

 
—

Depreciation and amortization
 
(523
)
 
—

Tax credits state
 
4,409

 
4,597

 
 
$
4,759

 
$
4,564

Non-current deferred tax liability:
 
 

 
 

State income taxes
 
$
(1,481
)
 
$
(1,661
)
Foreign
 
$
(2,633
)
 
$
(2,140
)
Accruals/other
 
$
(186
)
 
$
—

Depreciation and amortization
 
$
(6,862
)
 
$
(7,193
)
Acquired future tax deductions
 
(460
)
 
(28
)
Stock-based compensation
 
3,843

 
2,943

Foreign currency translation adjustments
 
635

 
56

 
 
$
(7,144
)
 
$
(8,023
)

 
Acquired future tax deductions are the tax benefits included in the Company’s consolidated income tax returns originating in Bio-Plexus, Inc., an entity purchased in 2002, prior to its acquisition by the Company. They consist of: (a) the net tax benefit of items expensed for financial statement purposes but capitalized and amortized for tax purposes and (b) by the tax benefited portion of Bio-Plexus’s NOL carry-forward which will be realized in approximately equal amounts over the next 12 years. Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, certain ownership changes limit the utilization of the NOL carry-forwards, and the amount of Bio-Plexus federal NOL carry-forwards recorded is the net federal benefit available.
 
The Company’s Mexican subsidiary has a deferred tax liability of $2.6 million at December 31, 2011, as a result of tax legislation enacted in 2008.
 
Foreign currency translation adjustments, and related tax effects, are an element of “other comprehensive income” and are not included in net income.
 
Our estimate of undistributed earnings of the Company's foreign subsidiaries for which no federal or state liability has been recorded cumulatively totaled $14.0 million and $9.7 million at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.  These undistributed earnings of the Company are primarily considered to be indefinitely reinvested. Upon distribution of those earnings in the form of dividends or otherwise, some portion of the distribution would be subject to both foreign withholding taxes and U.S. income taxes.  Determination of the potential amount of unrecognized deferred federal and state income tax liability and foreign withholding taxes is not practicable because of the complexities associated with its hypothetical calculation; however, unrecognized foreign tax credits would be available to reduce some portion of the federal liability.

The Company is subject to taxation in the United States and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company’s United States federal income tax returns for tax years since 2009 are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. The Company’s principal state income tax returns for tax years since 2004 are subject to examination by the state tax authorities the total gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2011 was $5.0 million that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate. The Company does not anticipate that unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within 12 months of the reporting date.
 
The following table summarizes our cumulative gross unrecognized tax benefits for 2011, 2010 and 2009 : 
 
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
Beginning balance
 
$
4,411

 
$
5,306

 
$
4,887

Increases (decreases) to prior year tax positions
 
494

 
(649
)
 
(29
)
Increases to current year tax positions
 
764

 
518

 
536

Decrease related to settlements
 
(392
)
 
(764
)
 
(88
)
Decrease related to lapse of statute of limitations
 
(299
)
 
—

 
—

Ending balance
 
$
4,978

 
$
4,411

 
$
5,306