Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Income Taxes

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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Apr. 04, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Note 14 – Income Taxes

The Company recognized an income tax provision from continuing operations for the three months ended April 4, 2015 of $28.3 million, which included a net benefit of $1.3 million primarily associated with adjustments made to deferred tax balances. The Company recognized an income tax provision from continuing operations for the three months ended March 29, 2014 of $26.0 million, which included a net charge of $0.4 million mainly associated with the impact of tax rate changes on deferred tax balances. The effective tax rate from continuing operations, which is calculated as the income tax benefit or provision as a percentage of pre-tax income, for the three months ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014, was 33.3 percent and 34.6 percent, respectively.

The Company has historically provided deferred taxes for the presumed ultimate repatriation to the U.S. of earnings from most of its non-U.S. subsidiaries and unconsolidated affiliates. Through December 31, 2014, the indefinite criteria had been applied to certain entities and allowed the Company to overcome that presumption to the extent the earnings were to be indefinitely reinvested outside the United States. As of January 1, 2015, the Company determined that the indefinite reversal assertion should be applied to one more non-U.S. subsidiary's earnings recorded only for 2015 and future years which will be considered indefinitely reinvested. Accordingly, no deferred income taxes have been provided as of April 4, 2015, December 31, 2014 and March 29, 2014 on the applicable undistributed earnings of the non-U.S. subsidiaries where the indefinite reinvestment assertion has been applied. If at some future date these earnings cease to be indefinitely reinvested, the Company may be subject to additional U.S. income taxes and foreign withholding and other taxes on such amounts. The Company continues to provide deferred taxes, as required, on the undistributed net earnings of foreign subsidiaries and unconsolidated affiliates that are not deemed to be indefinitely reinvested in operations outside the United States.

As of April 4, 2015, December 31, 2014 and March 29, 2014, the Company had $5.0 million, $5.1 million and $5.6 million of gross unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, respectively.  The Company believes it is reasonably possible that the total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits as of April 4, 2015, could decrease by approximately $0.3 million in the next 12 months due to settlements with taxing authorities or lapses in the statute of limitations.  Due to the various jurisdictions in which the Company files tax returns and the uncertainty regarding the timing of the settlement of tax audits, it is possible that there could be other significant changes in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits in 2015, but the amount cannot be estimated.
The Company is regularly audited by federal, state and foreign tax authorities. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has completed its field examination and has issued its Revenue Agents Report for 2010 and all open issues have been resolved. The IRS is currently examining the Company's taxable years 2011 and 2012. Primarily as a result of filing amended returns, which were generated by the closing of federal income tax audits, the Company is still open to state and local tax audits in major tax jurisdictions dating back to the 2004 taxable year. The Company is not subject to income tax examinations by any major foreign tax jurisdiction for years prior to 2008.