Note 12 - Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

(12) Income Taxes

In preparing its consolidated financial statements, the Company estimates income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates. This process involves estimating actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred income tax assets and liabilities.

Additionally, the Company currently has significant deferred tax assets and other deductible temporary differences including basis differences between intangible assets. The Company does not provide a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets as the Company believes that it is more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets will be realized based on available evidence including scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and other tax planning considerations.

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 740 as it relates to uncertain tax positions. This interpretation prescribes a comprehensive model for how a company should recognize, measure, present and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that the company has taken or expects to take on a tax return. ASC 740 states that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized only if it is “more likely than not” that the position is sustainable, based on its technical merits. The tax benefit of a qualifying position is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement with a taxing authority having full knowledge of all relevant information. The Company recognizes interest and penalties accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

The following table summarizes the activity related to the unrecognized tax benefits for the three months ended March 31, 2016, (in thousands):

Balance at January 1, 2016	$	1,924
Increase to prior year tax positions		95
Increase to current year tax positions		445
Expiration of the statute of limitations for the assessment of taxes		—
Decrease related to settlements		—
Balance at March 31, 2016	$	2,464

The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal income and state tax return examinations by tax authorities for tax years before 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company operates in multiple taxing jurisdictions and experiences audits from various tax authorities. The Company remains subject to possible examination until the statute of limitations expires for the respective tax jurisdiction. The Company does not anticipate that the amount of the unrecognized benefit will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months.

Undistributed earnings of the Company’s controlled foreign corporation subsidiaries are considered indefinitely reinvested and, accordingly, no provision for U.S. federal income taxes has been recorded. Deferred taxes are provided for earnings outside the United States when those earnings are not considered indefinitely reinvested.