Income Taxes

Following is a summary of earnings from continuing operations before income taxes for United States and foreign operations:



	2014		2013	2012
United States	$	331,553	288,627	164,122
Foreign	332,338		156,944	140,370
Earnings before income taxes	$	663,891	445,571	304,492

Income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 consists of the following:



	2014			2013		2012
Current income taxes:
U.S. federal	$	100,826		84,686		26,204
State and local	13,686			9,774		4,583
Foreign	41,151			46,450		13,775
Total current	155,663			140,910		44,562
Deferred income taxes:
U.S. federal	31,052			5,280		31,106
State and local	(3,473		)	(5,720	)	4,704
Foreign	(51,605		)	(62,085	)	(26,773	)
Total deferred	(24,026		)	(62,525	)	9,037
Total	$	131,637		78,385		53,599

Income tax expense (benefit) attributable to earnings from continuing operations before income taxes differs from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate to earnings from continuing operations before income taxes as follows:



	2014			2013		2012
Income taxes at statutory rate	$	232,362		155,950		106,572
State and local income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit	9,239			9,317		6,004
Foreign income taxes	(89,385		)	(80,937	)	(66,538	)
Change in valuation allowance	(6,482		)	(1,846	)	5,703
Tax contingencies and audit settlements	(7,882		)	(4,076	)	(3,598	)
Other, net	(6,215		)	(23	)	5,456
	$	131,637		78,385		53,599

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 are presented below:



	2014			2013
Deferred tax assets:
Accounts receivable	$	12,454		17,346
Inventories	53,120			50,423
Employee benefits	58,461			55,479
Accrued expenses and other	62,287			72,582
Deductible state tax and interest benefit	7,067			7,927
Intangibles	62,079			92,164
Federal, foreign and state net operating losses and credits	432,906			438,272
Gross deferred tax assets	688,374			734,193
Valuation allowance	(300,472		)	(375,859	)
Net deferred tax assets	387,902			358,334
Deferred tax liabilities:
Inventories	(4,224		)	(11,140	)
Plant and equipment	(422,350		)	(413,989	)
Intangibles	(194,717		)	(208,159	)
Other liabilities	(19,564		)	(25,387	)
Gross deferred tax liabilities	(640,855		)	(658,675	)
Net deferred tax liability (1)	$	(252,953	)	(300,341	)


(1)	This amount includes $6,027 and $9,183 of non-current deferred tax assets which are in deferred income taxes and other non-current assets and $9,090 and $11,235 current deferred tax liabilities which are included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company evaluates its ability to realize the tax benefits associated with deferred tax assets by analyzing its forecasted taxable income using both historic and projected future operating results, the reversal of existing temporary differences, taxable income in prior carry-back years (if permitted) and the availability of tax planning strategies. The valuation allowance as of December 31, 2014, and 2013 is $300,472 and $375,859 , respectively. The valuation allowance as of December 31, 2014 relates to the net deferred tax assets of certain of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries as well as certain state net operating losses and tax credits. The total change in the 2014 valuation allowance was a decrease of $75,387 which includes ($39,243) related to foreign currency translation and ($61,148) related to the disposal of a subsidiary. The total change in the 2013 valuation allowance was an increase of $54,274, which includes $12,471 related to foreign currency translation.

Management believes it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the benefits of its deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances, based upon the expected reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the level of historic and forecasted taxable income over periods in which the deferred tax assets are deductible.

As of December 31, 2014, the Company has state net operating loss carry forwards and state tax credits with potential tax benefits of $65,041, net of federal income tax benefit; these carry forwards expire over various periods based on taxing jurisdiction. A valuation allowance totaling $51,987 has been recorded against these state deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, the Company has net operating loss carry forwards in various foreign jurisdictions with potential tax benefits of $367,864. A valuation allowance totaling $189,883 has been recorded against these deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014.

The Company does not provide for U.S. federal and state income taxes on the cumulative undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries because such earnings are deemed to be permanently reinvested. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had not provided federal income taxes on earnings of approximately $1,385,000 from its foreign subsidiaries. Should these earnings be distributed in the form of dividends or otherwise, the Company would be subject to both U.S. income taxes and withholding taxes in various foreign jurisdictions. These taxes may be partially offset by U.S. foreign tax credits. Determination of the amount of the unrecognized deferred U.S. tax liability is not practical because of the complexities associated with this hypothetical calculation.

Tax Uncertainties

In the normal course of business, the Company’s tax returns are subject to examination by various taxing authorities. Such examinations may result in future tax and interest assessments by these taxing jurisdictions. Accordingly, the Company accrues liabilities when it believes that it is not more likely than not that it will realize the benefits of tax positions that it has taken in its tax returns or for the amount of any tax benefit that exceeds the cumulative probability threshold in accordance with ASC 740-10. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company records interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest and penalties in income tax expense (benefit). Differences between the estimated and actual amounts determined upon ultimate resolution, individually or in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position but could possibly be material to the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flow in any given quarter or annual period.

As of December 31, 2014, the Company’s gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits is $49,599, excluding interest and penalties. If the Company were to prevail on all uncertain tax positions, $22,490 of the unrecognized tax benefits would affect the Company’s effective tax rate, exclusive of any benefits related to interest and penalties.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:



	2014			2013
Balance as of January 1	$	56,545		53,835
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	3,424			3,840
Additions for tax positions of prior years	219			15,275
Reductions for tax positions of prior years	—			(5,736	)
Reductions resulting from the lapse of the statute of limitations	(4,925		)	(6,075	)
Settlements with taxing authorities	(919		)	(4,594	)
Effects of foreign currency translation	(4,745		)	—
Balance as of December 31	$	49,599		56,545

The Company will continue to recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of its income tax provision. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company has $9,409 and $13,890, respectively, accrued for the payment of interest and penalties, excluding the federal tax benefit of interest deductions where applicable. During the years ending December 31, 2014 , 2013 and 2012, the Company accrued interest and penalties through the consolidated statements of operations of $(3,579), $74 and $(1,585), respectively.

The Company believes that its unrecognized tax benefits could decrease by $14,746 within the next twelve months. The Company has effectively settled all Federal income tax matters related to years prior to 2010. Various other state and foreign income tax returns are open to examination for various years.

In January 2012, the Company received a €23,789 assessment from the Belgian tax authority related to its year ended December 31, 2008, asserting that the Company had understated its Belgian taxable income for that year. The Company filed a formal protest in the first quarter of 2012 refuting the Belgian tax authority's position. The Belgian tax authority set aside the assessment in the third quarter of 2012 and refunded all related deposits, including interest income of €1,583 earned on such deposits. However, on October 23, 2012, the Belgian tax authority notified the Company of its intent to increase the Company's taxable income for the year ended December 31, 2008 under a revised theory.

However, on December 28, 2012, the Belgian tax authority issued assessments for the years ended December 31, 2005 and December 31, 2009, in the amounts of €46,135 and €35,567, respectively, including penalties, but excluding interest. The Company filed a formal protest during the first quarter of 2013 relating to the new assessments. In September 2013, the Belgian tax authority denied the Company's protests, and the Company has brought these two years before the Court of First Instance in Bruges.

In December 2013, the Belgian tax authority issued additional assessments related to the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007, and 2010, in the amounts of €38,817, €39,635, and €43,117, respectively, including penalties, but excluding interest. The Company filed formal protests during the first quarter of 2014, refuting the Belgian tax authority's position for each of the years assessed. In the quarter ended June 28, 2014, the Company received a formal assessment for the year ended December 31, 2008, totaling €30,131, against which the Company also submitted its formal protest. All 4 additional years have been brought before the Court of First Appeal in November 2014.

In January of 2015, the Company met with the Court of First Appeal in Bruges and agreed with the Belgium tax authorities to consolidate and argue the issues regarding the years 2005 and 2009, and apply the ruling to all of the open years (to the extent there are no additional facts/procedural arguments in the other years).

The Company continues to disagree with the views of the Belgian tax authority on this matter and will persist in its vigorous defense. Although there can be no assurances, the Company believes the ultimate outcome of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition but could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, liquidity or cash flows in a given quarter or year.