Income Taxes Income Tax

9 Months Ended

Jun. 27, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

Income Taxes

Interim Period Tax Expense

Because of the implications of COVID-19 on our projections of full-year pre-tax earnings and income tax expense, as well as the projected impact of permanent tax differences and other items that are generally not proportional to full-year earnings (“Permanent Differences”), our normal approach of using an estimated full-year effective income tax rate to determine interim period tax expense produces an income tax provision for the current year-to-date period that is not meaningful. Accordingly, we calculated year-to-date fiscal 2020 tax expense based on year-to-date earnings before tax and using a blended U.S. Federal and state statutory tax rate of approximately 23%, and adjusted for the estimated impact of Permanent Differences. The third quarter tax benefit is the fiscal year-to-date tax expense less tax expense recognized in the first and second quarters.

Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory

At the beginning of fiscal 2019, the Company adopted new FASB accounting guidance that requires recognition of the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset (other than inventory) when the transfer occurs instead of when the asset is ultimately sold to an outside party. In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company recorded a $0.1 billion deferred tax asset with an offsetting increase to retained earnings.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

During the nine months ended June 27, 2020, the Company decreased its gross unrecognized tax benefits by $0.1 billion from $3.0 billion to $2.9 billion (before interest and penalties). In the next twelve months, it is reasonably possible that our unrecognized tax benefits could change due to resolutions of open tax matters. These resolutions would reduce our unrecognized tax benefits by $0.2 billion, of which $0.1 billion would reduce our income tax expense and effective tax rate if recognized.