Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

6  Income Taxes

The four principal jurisdictions in which the Company manufactures are the U.S., Ireland, the U.K. and Singapore, where the Company's marginal effective tax rates were approximately 37.5%, 12.5%, 19.25% and 0%, respectively, as of September 30, 2017. The Company has a contractual tax rate of 0% on qualifying activities in Singapore through March 2021, based upon the achievement of certain contractual milestones, which the Company expects to continue to meet. The current statutory tax rate in Singapore is 17%. For the first nine months of 2017 and 2016, the effect of applying the contractual tax rate rather than the statutory tax rate to income from qualifying activities in Singapore increased the Company's net income by $18 million and $16 million, respectively, and increased the Company's net income per diluted share by $0.23 and $0.20, respectively.

The Company's effective tax rate for the quarter was 11.5% and 14.2% for 2017 and 2016, respectively. Year-to-date, the Company's effective tax rate was 10.1% and 12.7% for 2017 and 2016, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate in 2017 as compared to 2016 can be primarily attributed to the adoption of new accounting guidance related to stock-based compensation, which decreased income tax expense by $3 million and $14 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017,respectively, and decreased the Company's effective tax rate by 1.7 percentage points and 3.4 percentage points, respectively. See Note 13 for further information regarding the adoption of this standard.In addition, the provision for income tax for the first quarter of 2016 included a quarter-specific tax benefit associated with modifications to certain stock-based compensation awards. The remaining differences between the effective tax rate in 2017 and 2016 can be primarily attributed to differences in the proportionate amounts of pre-tax income recognized in jurisdictions with different effective tax rates.

The Company accounts for its uncertain tax return reporting positions in accordance with the accounting standards for income taxes, which require financial statement reporting of the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax reporting positions on the presumption that all concerned tax authorities possess full knowledge of those tax reporting positions, as well as all of the pertinent facts and circumstances, but prohibit any discounting of unrecognized tax benefits associated with those reporting positions for the time value of money. The Company classifies interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of the provision for income taxes.

The following is a summary of the activity of the Company's unrecognized tax benefits for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and October 1, 2016 (in thousands):

		September 30, 2017		October 1, 2016
Balance at the beginning of the period		$	9,964	$	14,450
	Net changes in uncertain tax benefits		(2,953)		(3,559)
Balance at the end of the period		$	7,011	$	10,891

With limited exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to tax audit examinations in significant jurisdictions for the years ended on or before December 31, 2012. However, carryforward tax attributes that were generated in years beginning on or before January 1, 2013 may still be adjusted upon examination by tax authorities if the attributes are utilized. The Company continuously monitors the lapsing of statutes of limitations on potential tax assessments for related changes in the measurement of unrecognized tax benefits, related net interest and penalties, and deferred tax assets and liabilities. As of September 30, 2017, the Company expects to record additional reductions in the measurement of its unrecognized tax benefits and related net interest and penalties of approximately $2 million within the next twelve months due to potential tax audit settlements and the lapsing of statutes of limitations on potential tax assessments. The Company does not expect to record any other material reductions in the measurement of its unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.