INCOME TAXES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

INCOME TAXES [ABSTRACT]

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

(9)INCOME TAXES

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the accounting literature for income taxes, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future income tax consequences of transactions that have been included in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Quarterly, the Company assesses the likelihood that its net deferred tax assets will be recovered. Based on the weight of all available evidence, both positive and negative, the Company records a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not that a future tax benefit will not be realized. The Company’s selection of an accounting policy with respect to both the global intangible low taxed foreign income (“GILTI”) and base erosion and anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) rules is to compute the related taxes in the period the entity becomes subject to either GILTI or BEAT.

At the end of each interim period, we are required to estimate our annual effective tax rate for the fiscal year and to use that rate to provide for income taxes for the current year-to-date reporting period. The Company’s 2024 estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.2%, before discrete items, is driven by the distribution of forecasted income between the U.S. and international tax jurisdictions, earnings in international jurisdictions currently under an income tax holiday, and the impact of valuation allowances in the United States and several other jurisdictions. The Company’s effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was (26.4)%. This rate was the result of low year-to-date income, the exclusion of losses related to entities with a full valuation allowance and includes a $37.5 million benefit related to an impairment charge, and $85.8 million of expense related to changes in valuation allowances during the quarter.

The Company’s U.S. income tax returns filed for the tax years ending December 31, 2017, December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2020, to present, remain open tax years. The Company has been notified of the intent to audit or is currently under audit of income taxes for the United States for tax year 2017 and 2018, the Philippines for tax years 2021 to 2023, the State of Oregon in the United States for tax years 2020 through 2022, the State of Illinois in the United States for tax year 2020, the State of Wisconsin in the United States for tax years 2019 through 2021, Canada for tax year 2021, and India for tax years 2017 through 2022. Although the outcome of examinations by taxing authorities are always uncertain, it is the opinion of management that the resolution of these audits will not have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), supported by 140 of their member countries, have agreed to implement a minimum 15% tax rate on certain multinational enterprises and have released model guidance. This global minimum tax, known as the Pillar Two framework, became effective across various countries in 2024, as each country works to enact legislation influenced by the OECD Pillar 2 rules. While the Company does not expect the adoption of the Pillar Two framework to have a material impact on its effective tax rate, the Company continues to evaluate additional guidance released by the OECD, along with the pending and adopted legislation in each of the countries in which it operates.

When there is a change in judgment concerning the recovery of deferred tax assets in future periods, a valuation allowance is recorded into earnings during the quarter in which the change in judgment occurred. During the first, second and third quarters of 2023, a $1.3 million, a $3.1 million and a $4.4 million valuation allowance were recorded, respectively, for assets that are not expected to be recovered in future periods. Additionally, during the third quarter 2023, a valuation allowance in the amount of $1.7 million was released for assets now expected to be recovered in future periods. During the first, second and third quarters of 2024, a $3.0 million, $81.1 million and a $1.7 million net valuation allowance was recorded, respectively, for assets that are not expected to be recovered in future periods.

The Company has been granted “Tax Holidays” as an incentive to attract foreign investment by the governments of the Philippines and Honduras. Generally, a Tax Holiday is an agreement between the Company and a foreign government under which the Company receives certain tax benefits in that country, such as exemption from taxation on profits derived from export-related activities. In the Philippines, the Company has been granted multiple agreements under local laws which result in an overall reduced tax rate. These incentives have varying benefit year over year and expire at various times beginning in 2031. The aggregate benefit to income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively, which had an impact on diluted net income per share of $0.02 and $0.02, respectively. The aggregate benefit to income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $2.1 million and $1.8 million, respectively, which had an impact on diluted net income per share of $0.04 and $0.04, respectively.

Since 2017, the Company has been making tax payments to the IRS due to the one-time transition tax on untaxed foreign earnings of foreign subsidiaries, as mandated by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The final payment for this charge will be paid in December of 2024 for a total cash payment of $10.4 million this year, resulting in reduction in cash taxes going forward.