XML 32 R89.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
Income Taxes From Continuing Operations (Narrative) (Details)
12 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 36 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2012
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2011
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Investments In Foreign Subsidiaries And Foreign Corporate Joint Ventures That Are Essentially Permanent In Duration
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
Investments In Foreign Subsidiaries And Foreign Corporate Joint Ventures That Are Essentially Permanent In Duration
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
General Business And Foreign Tax Credit
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
U.S. Entities
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
U.S. Entities
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Non U.S. Entities
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
Non U.S. Entities
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Outside The U.S.
USD ($)
Dec. 10, 2013
Denmark, Kroner
Foreign Tax Authority
DKK
Dec. 31, 2012
Denmark, Kroner
Foreign Tax Authority
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
United States of America, Dollars
Foreign Tax Authority
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Euro Member Countries, Euro
Foreign Tax Authority
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2012
Discontinued Operations
USD ($)
Deferred Tax Liability Not Recognized1 [Line Items]                                  
Income tax provision $ 883,400,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ 871,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ 711,500,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit                           $ 55,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentDiscontinuedOperationsMember
Net deferred tax liabilities               1,800,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dhr_USEntitiesMember
1,700,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dhr_USEntitiesMember
76,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dhr_NonUSEntitiesMember
57,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dhr_NonUSEntitiesMember
           
Valuation allowance, deferred tax asset, change in amount (68,000,000)us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount                                
Statutory federal income tax rate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate                            
Effective income tax rate 25.40%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 24.40%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 23.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations                            
Income tax payments 569,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid 529,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid 355,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid                           55,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid
/ us-gaap_StatementOperatingActivitiesSegmentAxis
= us-gaap_SegmentDiscontinuedOperationsMember
Tax deductions attributable to stock-based compensation 82,000,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation 80,000,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation 106,000,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation                            
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation, financing activities 50,000,000us-gaap_ExcessTaxBenefitFromShareBasedCompensationFinancingActivities 49,000,000us-gaap_ExcessTaxBenefitFromShareBasedCompensationFinancingActivities 70,000,000us-gaap_ExcessTaxBenefitFromShareBasedCompensationFinancingActivities                            
Net operating loss carryforwards 380,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards                                
Operating loss carryforwards, valuation allowances 319,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwardsValuationAllowance                                
Tax credit carryforwards             159,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= dhr_GeneralBusinessAndForeignTaxCreditMember
                   
Tax credit carryforward, valuation allowance             12,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= dhr_GeneralBusinessAndForeignTaxCreditMember
                   
Gross unrecognized tax benefits 728,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 689,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 613,200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 518,300,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits                          
Unrecognized tax benefits, net of offsetting indirect tax benefits 687,000,000dhr_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsNetOfOffsettingIndirectTaxBenefits 634,000,000dhr_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsNetOfOffsettingIndirectTaxBenefits                              
Unrecognized tax benefits, indirect tax benefits 172,000,000dhr_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIndirectTaxBenefits 179,000,000dhr_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIndirectTaxBenefits                              
Potential interest and penalties 131,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 124,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued                              
Recognized potential interest and penalties 44,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 43,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 34,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense                            
Income tax examination, amount of tax assessments                         1,200,000,000dhr_IncomeTaxExaminationAmountofTaxAssessments
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_DKK
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
  190,000,000dhr_IncomeTaxExaminationAmountofTaxAssessments
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_USD
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
   
Income tax examination, amount of potential additional tax assessments                           650,000,000dhr_IncomeTaxExaminationAmountofPotentialAdditionalTaxAssessments
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_DKK
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
106,000,000dhr_IncomeTaxExaminationAmountofPotentialAdditionalTaxAssessments
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_USD
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
   
Tax adjustments, settlements, and unusual provisions                             60,000,000us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_USD
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
49,000,000us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions
/ us-gaap_CurrencyAxis
= currency_EUR
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
 
Estimated reduction in unrecognized tax benefits within twelve months 75,000,000us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit                                
Cash and equivalents 3,005,600,000us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue 3,115,200,000us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue 1,678,700,000us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue 537,000,000us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue               2,200,000,000us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dhr_OutsideUSMember
         
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries         $ 11,800,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries
/ dhr_DeferredTaxLiabilityNotRecognized1Axis
= dhr_InvestmentsInForeignSubsidiariesAndForeignCorporateJointVenturesThatAreEssentiallyPermanentInDuration1Member
$ 10,600,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries
/ dhr_DeferredTaxLiabilityNotRecognized1Axis
= dhr_InvestmentsInForeignSubsidiariesAndForeignCorporateJointVenturesThatAreEssentiallyPermanentInDuration1Member
                     
Net discrete tax benefits basis points 1.65%dhr_NetDiscreteTaxBenefitsBasisPoints 0.20%dhr_NetDiscreteTaxBenefitsBasisPoints 0.30%dhr_NetDiscreteTaxBenefitsBasisPoints