Income Taxes |
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Dec. 31, 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Income Taxes [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||
| Income Taxes |
Note 10. Income Taxes
Income tax provisions for the Company's interim periods are based on the effective income tax rate expected to be applicable for the full year. The Company's effective tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 2015 was 25.3%, compared to 25.9% for the three months ended December 31, 2014. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the fiscal 2016 first quarter primarily reflected lower tax rates in certain foreign jurisdictions and the benefit of the recent extension of the U.S. research and development tax credit. Fiscal 2015 reflected the benefit of the utilization of certain tax attributes as a result of legal structure reorganization in foreign jurisdictions. The difference between the Company's fiscal 2016 first quarter effective tax rate and the Federal statutory rate of 35.0% primarily reflected the impact of state taxes, offset by lower foreign income taxes.
The Company had unrecognized tax benefits (excluding penalties and interest) of $4,115 and $4,086 on December 31, 2015 and September 30, 2015, respectively, all of which, if recorded, would impact the 2016 annual effective tax rate.
The Company classifies interest and penalties on tax uncertainties as a component of the provision for income taxes. Total penalties and interest accrued were $2,029 and $2,010 at December 31, 2015 and September 30, 2015, respectively. These accruals may potentially be applicable in the event of an unfavorable outcome of uncertain tax positions.
The Company is currently under examination in several tax jurisdictions and remains subject to examination until the statute of limitations expires for those tax jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2015, the tax years that remain subject to examination by major jurisdiction generally are:
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