Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

INCOME TAXES

The following table summarizes the Company’s effective tax rate:

	Three-Month Period Ended
	March 31, 2023		April 1, 2022
Effective tax rate	19.4	%	17.8	%

The Company operates globally, including in certain jurisdictions with lower tax rates than the United States (“U.S.”) federal statutory rate. Therefore, the impact of operating in such jurisdictions contributes to a lower effective tax rate compared to the U.S. federal statutory tax rate.

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% principally due the geographic mix of earnings described above and net discrete benefits of $5 million related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions due to the expiration of statutes of limitation, partially offset by tax costs related to the planned separation of the Environmental & Applied Solutions business and changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions. The net discrete benefits reduced the effective tax rate by 0.3% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023.

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended April 1, 2022 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% principally due to net discrete benefits of $41 million related primarily to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and changes in estimates associated with prior period uncertain tax positions. These factors reduced the effective tax rate by 2.0% for the three-month period ended April 1, 2022.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the IRS proposed significant adjustments to the Company’s taxable income for the years 2016 through 2018 with respect to the deferral of tax on certain premium income related to the Company’s self-insurance programs. For income tax purposes, the recognition of premium income has been deferred in accordance with U.S. tax laws related to insurance. The IRS challenged the deferral of premium income for certain types of the Company’s self-insurance policies. The proposed adjustments would have increased the Company’s taxable income over the 2016 through 2018 periods by approximately $2.5 billion. In the first quarter of 2023, the Company settled these proposed adjustments with the IRS, although the audit is still open with respect to other matters for the 2016 through 2018 period. The impact of the settlement with respect to the Company’s self-insurance policies was not material to the Company’s financial statements, including cash flows and the effective tax rate. As the settlement with the IRS was specific to the audit period, the settlement does not preclude the IRS from proposing similar adjustments to the Company’s self-insurance programs with respect to periods subsequent to 2018. Management believes the positions the Company has taken in its U.S. tax returns are in accordance with the relevant tax laws.

For a description of the Company’s significant tax matters, reference is made to the financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022 and Note 7 thereto included in the Company’s 2022 Annual Report.