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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022202120222021
(In percentages)
Effective income tax rate40 16 24 18 
The effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, was higher compared to the same periods in 2021, primarily due to increases in valuation allowances on U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards due to revised forecasts of foreign sourced income and expenses during the carryforward period and increases in tax reserves related to ongoing income tax examinations, each during the three months ended September 30, 2022, and increased year to date earnings in high taxed jurisdictions for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.
In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "TCJA") was enacted and was effective January 1, 2018. The U.S. Treasury has issued various final and proposed regulatory packages supplementing the TCJA provisions since 2018, which the Company does not expect to have a material impact on current or future income tax expense.
In December 2021, the U.S. Treasury and the IRS released final regulations addressing various aspects of the foreign tax credit regime. The regulation was published in the federal register on January 4, 2022, and became effective in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The final regulations included guidance with respect to the definition of foreign income taxes, the eligibility of foreign taxes for the foreign tax credit, and the allocation and apportionment of interest expense. The impact of the retroactive effect of the interest expense apportionment rules for the 2020 and 2021 tax years was not material to the Company's results of operations.
In August of 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (the "IRA") was enacted and included a 1% excise tax on share repurchases in excess of $1 million, and a corporate minimum tax of 15% on adjusted book earnings. The corporate minimum tax paid is creditable in future years to the extent that regular tax liability exceeds the minimum tax in any given year. The Company does not expect these provisions will have a material impact to future income tax expense. The IRA also provides various beneficial credits for energy efficient related manufacturing, transportation and fuels, hydrogen/carbon recapture, and renewable energy, which the Company is evaluating in regard to planned projects.
The Company will continue to monitor the expected impacts of any new guidance on the Company's filing positions and will record the impacts as discrete income tax expense adjustments in the period the guidance is finalized or becomes effective.
Due to the TCJA and uncertainty as to future foreign source income, the Company previously recorded a valuation allowance on a substantial portion of its foreign tax credits. The Company is currently evaluating tax planning strategies that would allow utilization of the Company's foreign tax credit carryforwards. Implementation of these strategies in future periods could reduce the level of valuation allowance that is needed, thereby decreasing the Company's effective tax rate.
The Company's tax returns are under joint audit for the years 2013 through 2015 by the United States, Netherlands and Germany (the "Authorities"). In September 2021, the Company received a draft joint audit report proposing adjustments to transfer pricing and the reallocation of income between the related jurisdictions. The Authorities also propose to apply these adjustments to open tax years through 2019. The Company is engaged in discussions with the Authorities to evaluate the proposals. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded additional tax reserves of $25 million for years prior to 2022 based on unilateral discussions with one of the relevant authorities. The Company is currently evaluating all additional potential remedies.
As of September 30, 2022, the Company believes that an adequate provision for income taxes has been made for all open tax years related to the joint examination. However, the outcome of tax audits cannot be predicted with certainty. If any issues raised by the Authorities are resolved in a manner inconsistent with the Company's expectations or the Company is unsuccessful in defending its position, the Company could be required to adjust its provision for income taxes in the period such resolution occurs. If required, any such adjustments could be material to the statements of operations and cash flows in the period(s) recorded.
In addition, the Company's income tax returns in Mexico are under audit for the years 2017 and 2018, and in Canada for the years 2016 through 2018. On January 14, 2022, the Mexico tax authorities issued preliminary findings for disallowance of operating expenses on several of the applicable tax returns. The Company has analyzed the preliminary findings and does not
expect any material impact to income tax expense. Related to Canada, the Company is discussing preliminary findings with the Canadian authorities and does not expect a material impact to income tax expense.