Table:
|  |  | Years Ended December 31, |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Balance at the beginning of the period | $2,720 | $1,342 | $8,531 |
| Current period tax position increases | — | 2,950 | — |
| Decreases from settlements with tax authorities | — | (191) | (10,865) |
| Decreases due to lapse in applicable statute of limitations | — | (1,310) | (466) |
| Foreign currency translation increases (decreases) | (9) | (71) | 4,142 |
| Balance at the end of the period | $2,711 | $2,720 | $1,342 |
Paragraphs:
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company completed a reorganization of certain of its foreign subsidiaries that resulted in the derecognition of the related deferred tax assets for net operating losses which were subject to a valuation allowance. As a result, the Company reduced both its net operating loss deferred tax assets and valuation allowance by approximately $19.7 million.
The Company accrued $2.7 million as of both December 31, 2019 and 2018, excluding penalties and interest, for the liability for unrecognized tax benefits, which was included in “Long-term income tax liabilities” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Had the Company recognized these tax benefits, approximately $2.7 million, along with the related interest and penalties, would have favorably impacted the effective tax rate in both 2019 and 2018. The Company does not anticipate that any of the unrecognized tax benefits will be recognized in the next twelve months.
The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income taxes. The Company had $1.1 million and $0.6 million accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Of the accrued interest and penalties at December 31, 2019 and 2018, $0.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively, relate to statutory penalties. The amount of interest and penalties, net, included in the provision for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $0.4 million, $0.7 million and $(9.5) million, respectively.
The tabular reconciliation of the amounts of unrecognized net tax benefits is presented below (in thousands):
Question:
In which year was the Balance at the end of the period the largest?
Answer: Because 2,720>2,711>1,342, the answer is: 2018.