Provision for Income Taxes |
6 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2019 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Provision for Income Taxes |
Provision for Income Taxes
The Company files a consolidated United States income tax return and income tax returns in various states. Management evaluated the Company's tax positions at March 31, 2019, based on appropriate provisions of applicable enacted tax laws and regulations, and believes that they are supportable based on their specific technical merits and the facts and circumstances of the respective transactions.
On December 22, 2017, the United States government enacted comprehensive tax legislation known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act"). The Tax Act included broad and complex changes to the United States tax code, including a reduction in the United States federal corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% effective January 1, 2018. For periods during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company recorded its income tax provision based on a blended U.S. statutory rate of 24.5%, which is based on a proration of the applicable tax rates before and after the effective date of the Tax Act, and the applicable state income taxes.
During the six months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded a provisional discrete tax benefit of $3.5 million related to the Tax Act, primarily related to an adjustment of its United States deferred tax liabilities by the same amount, reflecting the reduction in the United States federal corporate income tax rate. This net reduction in deferred tax liabilities also included the estimated impact on the Company's net state deferred tax assets. The Company completed its accounting for the income tax effects of the Tax Act during the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.
The Company's effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018 was 26.1% and 29.8%, respectively. The lower effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018 was primarily due to the lower United States statutory income tax rate during the three months ended March 31, 2019 as described above. The Company's effective tax rate for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018 was 25.1% and 15.2%, respectively. The lower effective tax rate for the six months ended March 31, 2018 compared to the six months ended March 31, 2019 was primarily due to the benefit of the tax credit recorded during the six months ended March 31, 2018 related to the enactment of the Tax Act.
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