Entity information:

10. Income Taxes

The components of loss before income taxes are as follows:

 

 

 

Fiscal Years Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2015

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Domestic

 

$

(43,753

)

 

$

(34,527

)

 

$

(20,292

)

Foreign

 

 

921

 

 

 

1,751

 

 

 

1,181

 

Loss before taxes

 

$

(42,832

)

 

$

(32,776

)

 

$

(19,111

)

 

The Company has made no provision for U.S. income taxes on approximately $4.4 million of cumulative undistributed earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries at September 30, 2017 because it is the Company's intention to reinvest such earnings permanently.  The determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred tax liability related to these earnings is not practicable.

The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes are as follows:

 

 

 

Fiscal Years Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2015

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Current

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State

 

$

37

 

 

$

23

 

 

$

13

 

Foreign

 

 

647

 

 

 

140

 

 

 

482

 

 

 

 

684

 

 

 

163

 

 

 

495

 

Deferred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(3,436

)

 

 

150

 

 

 

27

 

State

 

 

(533

)

 

 

22

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

(3,969

)

 

 

172

 

 

 

33

 

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

$

(3,285

)

 

$

335

 

 

$

528

 

 

Reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax to the Company’s effective tax:

 

 

 

Fiscal Years Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2015

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Tax at statutory federal rate

 

$

(14,563

)

 

$

(11,147

)

 

$

(6,498

)

State tax, net of federal benefit

 

 

37

 

 

 

23

 

 

 

13

 

Permanent differences

 

 

96

 

 

 

571

 

 

 

729

 

Foreign tax rate differential

 

 

334

 

 

 

(453

)

 

 

81

 

Change in valuation allowance

 

 

15,279

 

 

 

12,008

 

 

 

6,648

 

Research and development tax credits

 

 

(656

)

 

 

(834

)

 

 

(450

)

Foreign tax credits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7

)

Change in deferred tax liabilities

 

 

(3,390

)

 

 

173

 

 

 

33

 

Other

 

 

(422

)

 

 

(6

)

 

 

(21

)

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

$

(3,285

)

 

$

335

 

 

$

528

 

 

The Company is subject to income taxes in U.S. federal and various state, local and foreign jurisdictions.  The tax years ended from September 2000 to September 2017 remain open to examination due to the carryover of unused net operating losses or tax credits.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following:

 

 

 

As of September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Deferred tax assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

842

 

 

$

436

 

Accruals and other

 

 

5,541

 

 

 

2,616

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

3,288

 

 

 

4,295

 

NOL carry-forward

 

 

68,190

 

 

 

35,885

 

Stock compensation

 

 

4,840

 

 

 

4,389

 

Research and development tax credits

 

 

9,792

 

 

 

8,492

 

Total deferred tax assets

 

 

92,493

 

 

 

56,113

 

Valuation allowance

 

 

(78,003

)

 

 

(56,113

)

Net deferred tax assets

 

$

14,490

 

 

$

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intangibles

 

 

(14,983

)

 

 

(295

)

Net deferred tax liabilities

 

$

(493

)

 

$

(295

)

 

A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company had established a valuation allowance to offset net deferred tax assets at September 30, 2017, 2016, and 2015 due to the uncertainty of realizing future tax benefits from its net operating loss carry-forwards and other deferred tax assets. In the second quarter of fiscal 2017, as a result of acquiring Revitas, we recorded an income tax benefit of $4.2 million due to a partial release of valuation allowance. The net change in the total valuation allowance for the year ended September 30, 2017 was an increase of approximately $21.9 million.

 

At September 30, 2017, the Company has federal and California net operating loss carry-forwards of approximately $191.3 million and $45.2 million, respectively. The federal and California net operating losses will begin expiring in 2021 and 2018, respectively. At September 30, 2017, the Company also had other state net operating loss carry-forwards of approximately $5.2 million which will begin expiring in 2018. At September 30, 2017, the Company had federal and state research credit carry forwards of approximately $5.3 million and $6.5 million, respectively. The federal research and development credit carry-forwards will begin expiring in 2020. The California tax credit can be carried forward indefinitely.

The Company is tracking its deferred tax assets attributable to stock option benefits in a separate memo account pursuant to ASC 718.  Therefore, these amounts are not included in the Company's gross or net deferred tax assets. As of September 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015, the Company had stock option benefits of approximately $4.7 million, $3.9 million and $3.7 million, respectively. Pursuant to ASC 718-740-25-10, the stock option benefits will be recorded to equity when they reduce cash taxes payable.

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $3.1 million. It is unlikely that the amount of liability for unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change over the next twelve months. The Company's policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. As of September 30, 2017, there was a liability of $0.2 million related to uncertain tax positions recorded on the financial statements.

Internal Revenue Code section 382 places a limitation (the "Section 382 Limitation") on the amount of taxable income can be offset by net operating ("NOL") carry-forwards after a change in control (generally greater than 50% change in ownership) of a loss corporation. California has similar rules. The Company's capitalization described herein may have resulted in such a change. Generally, after a control change, a loss corporation cannot deduct NOL carry-forwards in excess of the Section 382 limitation. An IRC Section 382 analysis has been performed as of September 30, 2017 and determined there would be no effect on the NOL Deferred Tax Asset if ownership changes occurred.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

 

 

 

Fiscal Years Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2015

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning of the period

 

$

3,310

 

 

$

3,119

 

 

$

2,513

 

Gross decrease based on tax positions during the prior period

 

 

(584

)

 

 

(147

)

 

 

 

Gross increase based on tax positions during the prior period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

58

 

Gross increase based on tax positions during the

   current period

 

 

417

 

 

 

338

 

 

548

 

Unrecognized tax benefits at the end of the period

 

$

3,143

 

 

$

3,310

 

 

$

3,119