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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes was $19.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to $15.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2013. The effective tax rate was 33.4% for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 29.2% for the same period in 2013. The quarter-over-quarter increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to the impact of retroactive tax law changes enacted in the first quarter of 2013, as well as the expiration of favorable tax legislation in the fourth quarter of 2013, which had the effect of increasing the effective tax rate in 2014.

As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had gross unrecognized tax benefits of $15.8 million and $14.5 million, respectively. It is reasonably possible that gross unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by approximately $4.0 million within the next 12 months, due to the anticipated closure of audits and the expiration of certain statutes of limitation. These unrecognized tax benefits relate primarily to the utilization of tax attributes, as well as certain other unrecognized tax positions, each of which are individually insignificant.

In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service commenced an audit of the Company's federal income tax returns for the 2010 and 2011 tax years. Although the final resolution of these audits is uncertain, the Company believes the ultimate disposition will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.