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INCOME TAXES
6 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2017
INCOME TAXES

(11) INCOME TAXES

The Company operates in multiple taxing jurisdictions, both within and outside of the United States. For the three months ended January 31, 2017, the Company was profitable in certain jurisdictions, resulting in an income tax expense using enacted rates in those jurisdictions. As of January 31, 2017 and July 31, 2016, the total amount of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits related to federal, state and foreign taxes was approximately $0.7 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

 

Uncertain Tax Positions

In accordance with the Company’s accounting policy, interest related to unrecognized tax benefits is included in the provision of income taxes line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of January 31, 2017 and July 31, 2016, the liabilities for interest expense related to uncertain tax positions were immaterial. The Company did not accrue for penalties related to income tax positions as there were no income tax positions that required the Company to accrue penalties. The Company does not expect any unrecognized tax benefits to reverse in the next twelve months. The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax and various state, local and international income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. The federal and state tax returns are generally subject to tax examinations for the tax years ended July 31, 2012 through July 31, 2016. To the extent the Company has tax attribute carry forwards, the tax year in which the attribute was generated may still be adjusted upon examination by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities to the extent utilized in a future period. In addition, a number of tax years remain subject to examination by the appropriate government agencies for certain countries in the Europe and Asia regions. In Europe, the Company’s 2009 through 2016 tax years remain subject to examination in most locations, while the Company’s 2005 through 2016 tax years remain subject to examination in most Asia locations.

Net Operating Loss

The Company has certain deferred tax benefits, including those generated by net operating losses and certain other tax attributes (collectively, the “Tax Benefits”). The Company’s ability to use these Tax Benefits could be substantially limited if it were to experience an “ownership change,” as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In general, an ownership change would occur if there is a greater than 50-percentage point change in ownership of securities by stockholders owning (or deemed to own under Section 382 of the Code) five percent or more of a corporation’s securities over a rolling three-year period.

Tax Benefit Preservation Plan

On October 17, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted a Tax Benefit Preservation Plan between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent (as amended from time to time, the “Tax Plan”). The Tax Plan reduces the likelihood that changes in the Company’s investor base would have the unintended effect of limiting the Company’s use of its Tax Benefits. The Tax Plan is intended to require any person acquiring shares of the Company’s securities equal to or exceeding 4.99% of the Company’s outstanding shares to obtain the approval of the Board of Directors. This would protect the Tax Benefits because changes in ownership by a person owning less than 4.99% of the Company’s stock are considered and included in one or more public groups in the calculation of “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Code. On October 9, 2014, the Tax Plan was amended by our Board of Directors to extend the expiration of the Tax Plan until October 17, 2017. Following the stockholders’ approval of the Protective Amendment (as described below) at the Company’s 2014 Annual Meeting, the Tax Plan was further amended so that it expired at the close of business on December 31, 2014.

Protective Amendment

On December 29, 2014, the Company filed an Amendment to its Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Protective Amendment”) with the Delaware Secretary of State to protect the significant potential long-term tax benefits presented by its net operating losses and other tax benefits (collectively, the “NOLs”). The Protective Amendment was approved by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on December 9, 2014. As a result of the filing of the Protective Amendment with the Delaware Secretary of State, the Company amended its Tax Benefit Preservation Plan so that it expired at the close of business on December 31, 2014.

The Protective Amendment limits certain transfers of the Company’s common stock, to assist the Company in protecting the long-term value of its accumulated NOLs. The Protective Amendment’s transfer restrictions generally restrict any direct or indirect transfers of the common stock if the effect would be to increase the direct or indirect ownership of the common stock by any person (as defined in the Protective Amendment) from less than 4.99% to 4.99% or more of the common stock, or increase the percentage of the common stock owned directly or indirectly by a Person owning or deemed to own 4.99% or more of the common stock. Any direct or indirect transfer attempted in violation of the Protective Amendment will be void as of the date of the prohibited transfer as to the purported transferee. The Board of Directors of the Company has discretion to grant waivers to permit transfers otherwise restricted by the Protective Amendment. In accordance with the Protective Amendment, Handy & Harman (“HNH”), a related party, requested, and the Company granted HNH and its affiliates, a waiver under the Protective Amendment to permit their acquisition of up to 45% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock in the aggregate (subject to proportionate adjustment, the “45% Cap”), in addition to acquisitions of common stock in connection with the exercise of certain warrants of the Company (the “Warrants”) held by Steel Partners Holdings L.P. (“SPH”), an affiliate of HNH, as well as a limited waiver under Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law for this purpose. Notwithstanding the foregoing, HNH and its affiliates (and any group of which HNH or any of its affiliates is a member) are not permitted to acquire securities that would result in an “ownership change” of the Company for purposes of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, that would have the effect of impairing any of the Company’s NOLs. The foregoing waiver was approved by the independent directors of the Company.