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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes was $18.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013 compared to $15.4 million in the three months ended September 30, 2012. The effective tax rate was 32.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 33.0% for the same period in 2012. The quarter-over-quarter decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to a change in the estimated annual mix of pre-tax income by jurisdiction during the third quarter of 2012, which increased the effective rate for that period.

The provision for income taxes was $58.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 compared to $50.6 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2012. The effective tax rate was 32.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 32.1% for the same period in 2012. The increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to the benefit of certain nonrecurring state tax credits recognized in 2012, and to a lesser extent, the net impact of certain federal and state tax law changes impacting the 2013 period.

As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the Company had gross unrecognized tax benefits of $18.5 million and $17.6 million, respectively. The unrecognized tax benefits relate primarily to the utilization of certain tax attributes. It is reasonably possible that the gross unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by $5.7 million within the next 12 months, due to anticipated closure of audits and the expiration of certain statutes of limitation. The Company classifies uncertain tax positions not expected to be settled within one year as long term liabilities. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the Company had Other liabilities of $12.8 million and $13.1 million, respectively, related to uncertain tax positions.

In July 2013 the Internal Revenue Service closed its audit of the Company's federal income tax returns for the 2008 and 2009 tax years. The resolution of the audit did not result in any material adjustments to the Company's consolidated financial statements.