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Income Taxes
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

Note 8: Income Taxes

We are organized in conformity with, and operate in a manner that will allow us to elect to be taxed as a REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our tax year ending December 31, 2017 and we expect to continue to be organized and operate so as to qualify as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy requirements related to, among other things, the real estate qualification of sources of our income, the real estate composition and values of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders annually and the diversity of ownership of our stock. To the extent we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on taxable income generated by our REIT activities that we distribute to our stockholders. Accordingly, no provision for U.S. federal income taxes has been included in our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 related to our REIT activities other than taxes associated with built-in gains related to our assets owned at the date of our spin-off.

We are and will continue to be subject to U.S. federal income tax on taxable sales of built-in gain property (representing property with an excess of fair value over tax basis held by us on January 4, 2017) during the five-year period following our election to be taxed as a REIT. In addition, we are subject to non-U.S. income tax on foreign held REIT activities. Further, our taxable REIT subsidiaries are generally subject to U.S. federal, state and local, and foreign income taxes (as applicable).

H.R. 1, commonly referred to as The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, (the “Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Act, which amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, was the most significant tax legislative development in decades. Major elements of the Act from our perspective include reducing the corporate tax rate; restricting the eligibility for tax deferred like-kind exchange treatment solely to real property; limiting the deductibility of interest expense; the one-time transition tax on foreign cash and unremitted earnings; and the treatment of global intangible low-taxed income for REIT gross income purposes. We have not completed the internal assessment for the tax effects of enactment of the Act; specifically, the analysis to determine the potential tax liability and deferred tax related to a potential sale of ancillary hotel furniture, fixtures, and equipment that may be sold in a like-kind exchange transaction was not able to be completed. Accordingly, Staff Accounting Bulletin 118, issued by the SEC, states that companies that are unable to calculate a reasonable estimate are able to record the adjustment to the tax provision as the information becomes available, but no later than one year from the enactment date. We intend to continue our analysis and recognize the effects of the provision through deferred taxes when the information is available and an assessment is made.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, we recognized $13 million of income tax expense, which includes $4 million of built-in gain tax recognized on assets sold during the period. We recognized an income tax benefit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 of approximately $24 million and $2,312 million, respectively, primarily as a result of the derecognition of deferred tax liabilities associated with our intention to be taxed as a REIT.