Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

Tax Examinations

The Company is subject to income taxes and tax audits in many jurisdictions. A certain degree of estimation is thus required in recording the assets and liabilities related to income taxes. Tax audits and examinations can involve complex issues, interpretations, and judgments and the resolution of matters that may span multiple years, particularly if subject to litigation or negotiation.

Although the Company believes that adequate provisions have been made for these uncertain tax positions, the Company’s assessment of uncertain tax positions, including those arising from legal entity restructuring transactions in connection with the Combination, is based on estimates and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable but the estimates for unrecognized tax benefits and potential tax benefits may not be representative of actual outcomes, and variations from such estimates could materially affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in the period of resolution, settlement or when the statutes of limitations expire.

The Company is subject to ongoing IRS examinations. The years 2015 through 2019 are open years under examination. The years 2012, 2013 and 2014 have one matter open, and a Tax Court petition was filed regarding the matter and a trial was held in December 2018 and is discussed further below.

Several international audits are currently in progress. In some cases, the tax auditors have proposed adjustments or issued assessments to our tax positions, including with respect to intercompany transactions, and we are in ongoing discussions with some of the auditors regarding the validity of their positions.

In instances where assessments have been issued, we disagree with these assessments and believe they are without merit and incorrect as a matter of law. As a result, we anticipate that certain of these matters may become the subject of litigation before tax courts where we intend to vigorously defend our position.

In Australia, the tax authorities have issued notices of assessments to the Company for the years ended December 2009 to December 2020, subject to additional interest and penalties, concerning our tax position with respect to certain intercompany transactions. The tax authorities denied our objections to the assessments for the years ended December 2009 to December 2019 and we have commenced litigation in the Australian Federal Court challenging that decision. A decision on our objection to the assessment for the year ended December 2020 is pending. The Company made a partial payment of $56.0 million in 2021 and $5.2 million in 2022 in order to stay potential interest and penalties resulting from this litigation.

In France, the tax authorities have issued notices of assessments to the Company for the years ended December 2013 to December 2015 concerning our tax position with respect to whether income earned by a Company entity not domiciled in France should be subject to French tax. We have commenced litigation before the French tax courts where the tax authorities will seek unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest.

In India, the tax authorities have issued notices of assessments to the Company seeking unpaid taxes and interest for the financial years covering 2013 to 2018 concerning our tax position with respect to certain corporate tax deductions and certain intercompany transactions. Some of these assessments remain in the audit phase where we are challenging them before the tax authorities while we are challenging some of the other assessments in the Indian tax courts.

The Company has recorded a net reserve for uncertain tax positions of $317.0 million and $315.6 million, including interest and penalties, in connection with its international audits at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. In connection with our international tax audits, it is possible that we will incur material losses above the amounts reserved.

The Company’s major U.S. state taxing jurisdictions remain open from fiscal year 2013 through 2020, with several state audits currently in progress. The Company’s major international taxing jurisdictions remain open from 2012 through 2020.    

Tax Court Proceedings

The Company's U.S. federal income tax returns for 2012 through 2014 had been subject to proceedings in U.S. Tax Court involving a dispute with the IRS regarding whether certain costs related to ANDAs were eligible to be expensed and deducted immediately or required to be amortized over longer periods. A trial was held in U.S. Tax Court in December 2018 and on April 27, 2021, the Court affirmed Mylan’s position and held that patent litigation expenses related to ANDAs are immediately deductible. The IRS has appealed this decision.

Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes

The impact of an uncertain tax position that is more likely than not of being sustained upon audit by the relevant taxing authority must be recognized at the largest amount that is more likely than not to be sustained. No portion of an uncertain tax position will be recognized if the position has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained.