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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes

For interim tax reporting, we estimate our annual effective tax rate and apply it to our year-to-date ordinary income. Tax jurisdictions with a projected or year-to-date loss for which a tax benefit cannot be realized are excluded from the annualized effective tax rate. The tax effects of unusual or infrequently occurring items, including changes in judgment about valuation allowances and effects of changes in tax laws or rates, are reported in the interim period in which they occur.

Our effective tax rate was 4.1 percent for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to (46.6) percent for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Our effective tax rate differs from the United States (U.S.) statutory tax rate primarily due to valuation allowances, earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, foreign withholding tax, accruals related to uncertain tax positions, and tax planning structures. At September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had $0.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively, of gross unrecognized tax benefits, exclusive of interest and penalties. Tax benefits, exclusive of interest and penalties, of zero and $0.3 million were recorded in our income tax provision for the three months and the nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, due to expirations of statutes of limitations. During the three months and the nine months ended September 30, 2014, we recorded tax benefits, exclusive of interest and penalties, of zero and $0.6 million, respectively.

FASB ASC 740-20, "Income Taxes - Intraperiod Tax Allocation," requires that the provision for income taxes be allocated between continuing operations and other categories of earnings (such as discontinued operations or other comprehensive income) for each tax jurisdiction. For periods in which there is a year-to-date pre-tax loss from continuing operations and pre-tax income in other categories of earnings, the tax provision is first allocated to the other categories of earnings. A related tax benefit is then recorded in continuing operations. There were no such tax benefits recorded in our income tax provision for the three months and the nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively. Tax benefits of $0.3 million and $1.9 million were recorded in our income tax provision for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.

In the U.S., the Netherlands and Portugal, we have recorded either full or partial valuation allowances against our deferred income tax assets. We review the need for valuation allowances on a quarterly basis in order to assess the likelihood of the realization of our deferred tax assets. In assessing the need for recording or reversing a valuation allowance, we weigh all available positive and negative evidence. Examples of the evidence we consider are cumulative losses in recent years, losses expected in early future years, a history of potential tax benefits expiring unused, prudent and feasible tax planning strategies that could be implemented, and whether there were unusual, infrequent or extraordinary items to be considered.

At September 30, 2015, we continued to record full valuation allowances in the U.S. and the Netherlands of approximately $48.0 million and $9.8 million, respectively. While we have experienced some positive trends recently in these regions with our improved financial performance, management continues to conclude that the negative evidence outweighs the positive; however, the weight of that negative evidence in the U.S. is decreasing as our cumulative income position strengthens.

If the U.S. substantially achieves forecasted profitability through 2015 and if the 2016 business plan currently under development indicates continued profitability, the positive evidence considered in supporting a valuation allowance release in the U.S. will continue to strengthen and we may be in a position to release all or a portion of the valuation allowance against our U.S. deferred tax assets as early as the fourth quarter of 2015. This would result in a significant benefit to net income in the quarter in which the valuation allowance is released.