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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
Our effective income tax rates were 33.9% and 23.1% for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2014 is higher than the comparable prior year period primarily due to the U.S. research and development tax credit (research tax credit). The research tax credit was effective for 2013, but due to the expiration at the end of 2013, no tax benefit is recorded in 2014. Furthermore, in the first quarter of 2013, Congress retroactively reinstated the research tax credit for 2012, which reduced income tax expense by $145. If Congress extends the research tax credit there will be a favorable impact on our 2014 effective income tax rate.
Federal income tax audits have been settled for all years prior to 2007, as of March 31, 2014. On April 8, 2014, the Joint Committee on Taxation completed its review of the 2007-2008 tax years and as a result, a tax benefit of approximately $115 will be recorded in the second quarter of 2014. The years 2009-2010 are currently being examined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We are also subject to examination in major state and international jurisdictions for the 2001-2013 tax years. We believe appropriate provisions for all outstanding tax issues have been made for all jurisdictions and all open years.
Audit outcomes and the timing of audit settlements are subject to significant uncertainty. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we will resolve the matters presently under consideration for the 2009-2010 tax years with the IRS. Depending on the timing and outcome of the audit settlement, unrecognized tax benefits that affect the effective tax rate could increase earnings by up to $130 based on current estimates.