Income taxes	3 Months Ended
Income taxes	Nov. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income taxes	Income taxes The effective tax rate for the three months ended November 30, 2020 was a benefit of 38.2%, primarily due to the discrete tax effect of equity losses in AmerisourceBergen. The effective tax rate for the three months ended November 30, 2019 was an expense of 3.6%, primarily due to discrete tax benefits recorded from the reduction of a valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets related to anticipated capital gains. Income taxes paid for the three months ended November 30, 2020 were $16 million, compared to $92 million for the three months ended November 30, 2019. During the next twelve months, based on current knowledge, it is reasonably possible the amount of unrecognized tax benefits could decrease by up to $110 million due to anticipated U.S. federal income tax audit settlements.

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.