11. Foreign Currency Gain (Loss), Net
Net foreign currency gain or loss includesnon-cash translation gain or loss associated with intercompany balances. A substantial portion of the Company’s net foreign currency gain or loss isnon-cash translation gain or loss associated with intercompany long-term loans to our Korean subsidiary. The loans are denominated in U.S. dollars and are affected by changes in the exchange rate between the Korean won and the U.S. dollar. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the outstanding intercompany loan balances including accrued interest between the Korean subsidiary and the Dutch subsidiary were $680,442 thousand and $677,267 thousand, respectively. The Korean won to U.S. dollar exchange rates were 1,112.7:1, 1,071.4:1 using the first base rate as of September 30, 2018, December 31, 2017, respectively, as quoted by the KEB Hana Bank.
12. Restructuring and other gain
As of December 21, 2016, the Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell a building located in Cheongju, South Korea. The building has historically been used to house the Company’ssix-inch fabrication facility in Cheongju, South Korea (the“6-inch fab”) and became vacant upon the closure of the fabrication facility in February 2016. As of December 31, 2015, the building was fully impaired. The Company received proceeds of $18,204 thousand, including a $1,655 thousand value-added tax, for the sale of the building in December 2016. As the Company was obligated to perform certain removal construction work, it recorded the $18,204 thousand proceeds as restricted cash and $16,549 thousand as deposits received in its consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company completed all removal construction work necessary to transfer the title of the building, and the $18,204 thousand of restricted cash was fully released. Accordingly, the Company recorded $16,635 thousand as restructuring gain in the consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
In March 2017, the Company sold its sensor product business, which was included in and reported as part of Display Solutions line of its Standard Products Group, to a third party for proceeds of $1,295 thousand, in an effort to improve our overall profitability. The Company recorded $375 thousand net gain from this sale after deducting the book values of certain assets transferred to the buyer.
13. Early Termination Charges
As of February 22, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the implementation of a new headcount reduction plan (the “Headcount Reduction Plan”). As of June 30, 2017, 352 employees elected to resign from the Company during the period in which the Headcount Reduction Plan was offered. The total cash cost of approximately $31 million has been fully paid. The Company recorded in its consolidated statement of operations $11,107 thousand and $2,262 thousand in termination related charges as early termination charges for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, respectively. The remaining total estimated cost relates to statutory severance benefits, which are required by law and have already been fully accrued in the Company’s financial statements.
14.Income Taxes
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S., Korea, Japan, Taiwan and various other jurisdictions. The Company is subject to income- ornon-income-based tax examinations by tax authorities of the U.S., Korea and multiple other foreign jurisdictions, where applicable, for all open tax years.
Income tax expenses recorded for three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were $1,608 thousand and was $4,119, respectively. Income tax expenses recorded for three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 were $937 thousand and was $2,328, respectively. The amounts recorded during 2018 included income tax expense for the Korean subsidiary, which is estimated to generate taxable income for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, combined with its ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards up to 70% of taxable income for the year.
On December 22, 2017, H.R. 1, originally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was enacted in the U.S (the “Tax Reform Act”). The Tax Reform Act reduces the U.S. federal statutory rate to 21.0% from 35.0% effective January 1, 2018. The key provisions contained in the Tax Reform Act are mandatory deemed repatriation tax, global intangible low tax income and foreign derived intangible income provisions. The Company does not expect that the global intangible low tax income and foreign derived intangible income provisions will have any material impact to its income tax expense. The Company is currently reviewing the provision relating to the mandatory deemed repatriation tax and will complete its assessment before the measurement period ending in December 2018.
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