Income Taxes

We reported income tax expenses of $47 million and $21 million in the three month periods ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and $59 million and $39 million in the six month periods ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The tax expense recorded in the first six months of 2013 includes a net tax benefit of $13 million for tax adjustments primarily related to recognizing a U.S. tax benefit for foreign taxes.

The U.S. tax benefit for foreign taxes is driven by our ability to claim a U.S. foreign tax credit beginning in 2013. The U.S. foreign tax credit regime provides for a credit against U.S. taxes otherwise payable for foreign taxes paid with regard to dividends, interest and royalties paid to us in the U.S.

In 2008, given our historical losses in the U.S., we concluded that our ability to fully utilize our federal and state net operating loss ("NOL") carryforward was limited. As a result, we recorded a valuation allowance against all of our U.S. deferred tax assets except for our tax planning strategies which had not yet been implemented and which did not depend upon generating future taxable income. Prior to the reversal of the valuation allowance in the third quarter of 2012, we carried a deferred tax asset in the U.S. of $90 million relating to the expected utilization of the federal and state NOL. The recording of a valuation allowance did not impact the amount of the NOL that would be available for federal and state income tax purposes in future periods.

In the third quarter of 2012, we reversed the tax valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets in the U.S. based on operating improvements we had made, the outlook for light and commercial vehicle production in the U.S. and the positive impact this should have on our U.S. operations. The net income impact of the tax valuation allowance release in the U.S was a tax benefit of approximately $81 million. Our federal NOL at December 31, 2012 totaled $190 million and expires beginning in tax years ending in 2022 through 2030. The state NOLs expire in various tax years through 2032.

Valuation allowances are established in certain foreign jurisdictions for deferred tax assets based on a “more likely than not” standard. The ability to realize deferred tax assets depends on our ability to generate sufficient taxable income within the carryforward periods provided for in the tax law for each tax jurisdiction. We have considered the following possible sources of taxable income when assessing the realization of our deferred tax assets:


•	Future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences;


•	Taxable income or loss, based on recent results, exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards;


•	Tax-planning strategies; and


•	Taxable income in prior carryback years if carryback is permitted under the relevant tax law.

The valuation allowances recorded against deferred tax assets generated by taxable losses in Spain and certain other foreign jurisdictions will impact our provision for income taxes until the valuation allowances are released. Our provision for income taxes will include no tax benefit for losses incurred and no tax expense with respect to income generated in these jurisdictions until the respective valuation allowance is eliminated.