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INCOME TAXES
3 Months Ended
Jan. 01, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES
The Company’s effective tax rate was 24.8% for the three months ended January 1, 2016, compared to 28.5% for the year-ago period of fiscal year 2015. The decrease in the Company’s effective tax rate during the three months ended January 1, 2016 compared to the year ago period, was primarily due to the geographic mix of earnings and the reinstatement of the federal research and development tax credit.
The Company’s effective income tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily because the Company’s foreign earnings are taxed at rates that are, on average, lower than the U.S. federal rate, and because the Company’s domestic earnings are subject to state income taxes.
The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits did not materially change during the three months ended January 1, 2016; however, the amount of unrecognized tax benefits has increased as a result of positions taken during the current and prior years, and has decreased as the result of the expiration of the statutes of limitation in various jurisdictions.