Income Taxes



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2012		2011		2012		2011
Effective income tax rate	31	%	17	%	6	%	23	%

For the three months ended September 30, 2012, the higher effective tax rate is primarily due to changes in uncertain tax positions and increases in losses in jurisdictions not providing tax benefits. The lower effective rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 is primarily due to foreign tax credit carryforwards partially offset by deferred tax charges related to changes in assessment regarding permanent reinvestment of certain foreign earnings.

During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company determined that it was beneficial to amend certain prior year income tax returns to recognize the benefit of available foreign tax credit carryforwards. As a result, the Company recognized a tax benefit of $142 million. The available foreign tax credits are subject to a ten year carryforward period and expire beginning 2014 through 2021. The Company expects to fully utilize the credits within the prescribed carryforward period.

On February 15, 2012, the Company amended its existing joint venture and other related agreements with its venture partner in Polyplastics Co., Ltd ("Polyplastics"). The amended agreements ("Agreements"), among other items, modified certain dividend rights, resulting in a cash dividend payment to the Company of $72 million during the three months ended March 31, 2012. In addition, as a result of the Agreements, Polyplastics is required to pay certain annual dividends to the venture partners. Consequently, Polyplastics' undistributed earnings will no longer be invested indefinitely. Accordingly, the Company recognized a deferred tax liability of $38 million that was recorded to Income tax provision (benefit) in the unaudited interim consolidated statement of operations during the three months ended March 31, 2012, related to the taxable outside basis difference of its investment in Polyplastics.

The Company's US tax returns for the years 2009 and 2010 are currently under audit by the US Internal Revenue Service and certain of the Company's subsidiaries are under audit in jurisdictions outside of the US. In addition, certain statutes of limitations are scheduled to expire in the near future. It is reasonably possible that a further change in the unrecognized tax benefits may occur within the next twelve months related to the settlement of any of these audits or the lapse of applicable statutes of limitations. Such amounts have been reflected as the current portion of uncertain tax positions (Note 7).