Note 5 - Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]

5.      Income Taxes

Our provision for income taxes and the related effective income tax rates were as follows (in millions):

	Three months ended March 31,
	2016		2015
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	$	304	$	(86)
Effective (benefit) tax rate		(45.2)%		17.4%

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, the effective income tax rate differed from the U.S. statutory rate of 35% primarily due to the following benefits:

·   Rate differences on income (loss) of consolidated foreign companies, including the benefit of excess foreign tax credits resulting from the inclusion of high-taxed foreign earnings in U.S. income; and

·   The impact of equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates reported in the financial statements, net of tax.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the effective income tax rate differed from the U.S. statutory rate of 35% primarily due to the following benefits:

·   Rate differences on income (loss) of consolidated foreign companies, including the benefit of excess foreign tax credits resulting from the inclusion of high-taxed foreign earnings in U.S. income; and

·   The impact of equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates reported in the financial statements, net of tax.

These benefits were partially offset by a discrete tax charge of $11 million to restate deferred tax assets due to a law change enacted in Japan.

Corning’s subsidiary in Taiwan is operating under tax holiday arrangements.  The benefit of the arrangement phases out through 2018.  The impact of the tax holiday on our effective tax rate is a reduction in the rate of .03 percentage points for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and March 31, 2015.

Corning continues to indefinitely reinvest substantially all of its foreign earnings, with the exception of an immaterial amount of current earnings that have very low or no tax cost associated with their repatriation.  Our current analysis indicates that we have sufficient U.S. liquidity, including borrowing capacity, to fund foreseeable U.S. cash needs without requiring the repatriation of foreign cash.  Significant one time or unusual items that may impact our ability or intent to keep our foreign earnings and cash indefinitely reinvested include significant U.S. acquisitions, stock repurchases, shareholder dividends, changes in tax laws, derivative contract settlements or the development of tax planning ideas that allow us to repatriate earnings at minimal or no tax cost, and/or a change in our circumstances or economic conditions that negatively impact our ability to borrow or otherwise fund U.S. needs from existing U.S. sources.  While it remains impracticable to calculate the tax cost of repatriating our total unremitted foreign earnings, such cost could be material to the results of operations of Corning in a particular period.

While we expect the amount of unrecognized tax benefits to change in the next 12 months, we do not expect the change to have a significant impact on the results of operations or our financial position.