Income taxes	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income taxes	Note 7. Income taxes Our consolidated effective income tax rates for the first quarter of 2018 and 2017 were 29.7% and 27.2%, respectively. Our effective income tax rate normally reflects recurring benefits from: (a) dividends received deductions applicable to certain investments in equity securities and (b) income production tax credits related to wind-powered electricity generation placed in service in the U.S. In 2018, our effective income tax rate reflects the U.S. statutory rate of 21%, while the rate for 2017 reflects the U.S. statutory rate of 35%. Our periodic effective income tax rate is also affected by the relative mix of pre-tax earnings or losses and underlying income tax rates applicable to the various taxing jurisdictions. In December 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”) to provide clarification in implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) when registrants do not have the necessary information available to complete the accounting for an element of the TCJA in the period of its enactment. SAB 118 provides for tax amounts to be classified as provisional and subject to remeasurement for up to one year from the enactment date for such elements when the accounting effect is not complete, but can be reasonably estimated. We consider our estimate of the tax on accumulated undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries to be provisional and subject to remeasurement when we obtain the necessary additional information to complete the accounting. While we believe our estimate is reasonable, it will take additional time to validate the inputs to the foreign earnings and profits calculations, the basis on which the repatriation tax is determined, and how the applicable states will address the U.S. repatriation tax. We currently expect that our accounting for the repatriation tax under the TCJA will be completed by the end of 2018.

Note 7. Income taxes

Our consolidated effective income tax rates for the first quarter of 2018 and 2017 were 29.7% and 27.2%, respectively. Our effective income tax rate normally reflects recurring benefits from: (a) dividends received deductions applicable to certain investments in equity securities and (b) income production tax credits related to wind-powered electricity generation placed in service in the U.S. In 2018, our effective income tax rate reflects the U.S. statutory rate of 21%, while the rate for 2017 reflects the U.S. statutory rate of 35%. Our periodic effective income tax rate is also affected by the relative mix of pre-tax earnings or losses and underlying income tax rates applicable to the various taxing jurisdictions.

In December 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”) to provide clarification in implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) when registrants do not have the necessary information available to complete the accounting for an element of the TCJA in the period of its enactment. SAB 118 provides for tax amounts to be classified as provisional and subject to remeasurement for up to one year from the enactment date for such elements when the accounting effect is not complete, but can be reasonably estimated. We consider our estimate of the tax on accumulated undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries to be provisional and subject to remeasurement when we obtain the necessary additional information to complete the accounting. While we believe our estimate is reasonable, it will take additional time to validate the inputs to the foreign earnings and profits calculations, the basis on which the repatriation tax is determined, and how the applicable states will address the U.S. repatriation tax. We currently expect that our accounting for the repatriation tax under the TCJA will be completed by the end of 2018.