Income Taxes | 12. Income Taxes The Company’s income tax benefit (provision) consists of the following components: Year Ended December 31, 2016 2015 2014 Current: Federal $ (150 ) $ (988 ) $ (1,062 ) State (92 ) (159 ) (150 ) International 456 (544 ) (86 ) Total current 214 (1,691 ) (1,298 ) Deferred: Federal 2,477 (5,695 ) (1,118 ) State 562 68 (76 ) International (192 ) (981 ) 999 Total deferred 2,847 (6,608 ) (195 ) Total income tax benefit (provision) $ 3,061 $ (8,299 ) $ (1,493 ) The components of the deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following at: December 31, 2016 December 31, 2015 Deferred Income Tax Deferred Income Tax Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities Allowance for bad debts $ 485 $ — $ 376 $ — Deferred compensation 4,675 — 4,013 — Inventory 12,811 — 10,604 — Fixed assets and intangibles — (5,690 ) — (7,667 ) Investments 2,133 — 2,133 — Net operating losses 4,547 — 2,830 — Tax credits 5,235 — 4,645 — Deferred revenue 3,804 — 4,968 — Accrued liabilities 2,004 — 1,847 — Other — (120 ) — (258 ) Valuation allowance (4,916 ) — (1,106 ) — Total $ 30,778 $ (5,810 ) $ 30,310 $ (7,925 ) The Company expects its deferred tax assets of $24,968, net of the valuation allowance at December 31, 2016 of $4,916, to be realized through the generation of future taxable income and the reversal of existing taxable temporary differences, see Note 3. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts which are more likely than not to be realized. As such, valuation allowances of $4,916 and $1,106 have been established at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, against a portion of the deferred tax assets. The Company recorded a tax benefit from the exercise of stock options in the amount of $546, $1,139, and $539 for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of $1,978 that will expire in the years 2026 and 2027. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards of $22,799 that will expire in the years 2018 through 2036. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has foreign net operating loss carryforwards of $10,194 that will carryfoward indefinitely. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has research tax credit carryforwards of $6,002 that will expire in years 2028 through 2036. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has alternative minimum tax credit carryforwards of $827 that will carryfoward indefinitely. U.S. income taxes have not been provided on the undistributed earnings of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries. It is not practicable to estimate the amount of tax that might be payable. The Company’s intention is to indefinitely reinvest earnings of its foreign subsidiaries outside of the U.S. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the amount of undistributed earnings related to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries considered to be indefinitely reinvested was $5,031 and $11,227, respectively. The Company evaluates the need for deferred tax asset valuation allowances based on a more likely than not standard. The ability to realize deferred tax assets depends on the ability to generate sufficient taxable income within the carryback or carryforward periods provided for in the tax law for each applicable tax jurisdiction. The assessment regarding whether a valuation allowance is required or should be adjusted also considers all available positive and negative evidence. It is difficult to conclude a valuation allowance is not required when there is significant objective and verifiable negative evidence, such as cumulative losses in recent years. The Company utilizes a rolling three years of actual results as the primary measure of cumulative losses in recent years. On a rolling three years, the Company’s U.S. operations are in a cumulative income position. The Company considers this objectively verifiable evidence that its current U.S. operations existing on December 31, 2016, have consistently demonstrated the ability to operate at a profit. The Company has a history of utilizing 100 percent of its U.S. deferred taxes assets before they expire and the forecasts of taxable earnings project a complete realization of all U.S. deferred tax assets before they expire, including under stressed scenarios. The Company’s French and German operations are in cumulative loss positions. Since inception, the Company’s French operations have generated losses. As a result, the Company has historically recorded a full valuation allowance on its French subsidiary’s deferred tax assets. During the quarter ended September 30, 2016, the Company’s German operations entered into a cumulative loss position. As a result, the Company recorded a full valuation allowance on its German subsidiary’s deferred tax assets. The Company has evaluated all available positive and negative evidence, including the extent to which that evidence was objectively verifiable. The Company has concluded, for those jurisdictions where valuation allowances have not been established, the positive evidence outweighed the negative evidence and the deferred tax assets are more likely than not realizable as of December 31, 2016. The Company will continue to regularly assess the realizability of our deferred tax assets. Changes in historical earnings performance and future earnings projections, among other factors, may cause the Company to adjust its valuation allowance, which would impact the Company’s income tax expense in the period the Company determines that these factors have changed. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has $1,591 of unrecognized tax benefits, which was recorded net against deferred tax assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s unrecognized tax benefits are summarized as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2016 2015 2014 Opening balance $ 1,986 $ 1,787 $ 2,825 Reductions based on tax positions related to the current year — — (136 ) Additions for tax positions of prior years — 199 — Reductions for tax positions of prior years (60 ) — (902 ) Reductions for expiration of statute of limitations (335 ) — — $ 1,591 $ 1,986 $ 1,787 The unrecognized tax benefits if recognized, would favorably impact the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in the provision for income taxes. There were no interest and penalties recorded in 2016, 2015 and 2014 and no interest and penalties accrued at December 31, 2016 and 2015. The Company is undergoing an examination by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). The IRS examination covers the 2015 tax year. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company’s German subsidiary completed an examination by the German tax authorities. The examination covered the German subsidiary’s 2010 through 2013 tax years. No material adjustments were recorded as a result of the German examination. The effective tax rate differs from the statutory federal income tax rate for the following reasons: Year Ended December 31, 2016 2015 2014 Statutory federal rate 35.00 % 35.00 % 35.00 % State income taxes—net of federal tax benefit 1.73 % 0.25 % 3.51 % Foreign rate differential (3.29 %) (2.18 %) 4.99 % Other permanent items (3.15 %) 0.56 % (1.25 %) Research tax credits 7.02 % (0.28 %) (7.52 %) Domestic production activities deduction 1.38 % — (4.33 %) Valuation allowance (21.71 %) 0.85 % 5.26 % Other reconciling items, net 0.55 % 1.55 % (0.02 %) Effective tax rate 17.53 % 35.75 % 35.64 % For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company had no individually significant other reconciling items. |