XML 22 R11.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.10.0.1
Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and Provisional Estimates
On December 22, 2017, the U.S. enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”), which significantly changed U.S. tax law. The Act lowered the Company’s U.S. statutory federal income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, while also imposing a deemed repatriation tax on previously deferred foreign income. The Act also created a new minimum tax on certain future foreign earnings. During the first quarter of 2018, the Company’s income tax expense included a provisional estimate of $2.6 billion in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118. This $2.6 billion provisional estimate included $1.8 billion related to the impact of remeasuring the Company’s deferred tax balances to reflect the new lower tax rate, and approximately $800 million associated with the net impact of the deemed repatriation tax. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company reduced its estimate of the deemed repatriation tax by $1.0 billion and adjusted the estimated impact of the deemed repatriation tax on unrecognized tax benefits by $700 million, resulting in the reduction of the Company’s provisional estimate from $2.6 billion to $900 million. The adjustments to the provisional estimate for the deemed repatriation tax and unrecognized tax benefits are discussed below and their impact was included in the Company’s income tax expense during the third quarter of 2018.
Deferred Tax Balances
As a result of the Act, the Company remeasured certain deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the revised rates at which they are expected to reverse, including items for which the related income tax effects were originally recognized in OCI. In addition, the Company elected to record certain deferred tax assets and liabilities related to the new minimum tax on certain future foreign earnings. The provisional estimate of $1.8 billion noted above incorporates assumptions based upon the best available interpretation of the Act and may change as the Company receives additional clarification and implementation guidance.
During the second quarter of 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2018-02”). ASU 2018-02 allows an entity to elect to reclassify the income tax effects of the Act on items within AOCI to retained earnings. The Company elected to apply the provision of ASU 2018-02 at the beginning of the second quarter of 2018 with a reclassification of net tax benefits related to cumulative foreign currency translation and unrealized gains/losses on derivative instruments and marketable securities, resulting in a $278 million decrease in AOCI and a corresponding increase in retained earnings in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Deemed Repatriation Tax
As of September 30, 2017, the Company had a U.S. deferred tax liability of $36.4 billion for deferred foreign income. During the first quarter of 2018 the Company replaced $36.1 billion of its U.S. deferred tax liability with a provisional deemed repatriation tax payable of $38.0 billion, which was based on the Company’s cumulative post-1986 deferred foreign income. The Company’s estimate of the deemed repatriation tax is based, in part, on the amount of cash and other specified assets anticipated to be held by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries as of September 29, 2018. Therefore, the provisional tax payable is subject to change as the asset amounts are finalized. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company reduced its provisional tax payable by $1.0 billion to $37.0 billion due, in part, to revised estimates of the amount of cash and other specified assets anticipated to be held by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries as of September 29, 2018. The Company plans to pay the tax in installments in accordance with the Act.
Unrecognized Tax Benefits
As of June 30, 2018, the Company had gross unrecognized tax benefits of $9.4 billion. These gross unrecognized tax benefits have been offset by certain tax deposits and reduced by the estimated impact of the deemed repatriation tax. As of December 30, 2017, the estimated impact of the deemed repatriation tax on unrecognized tax benefits was $1.1 billion. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company increased the estimated impact of the deemed repatriation tax on unrecognized tax benefits by $700 million, resulting in a revised total estimated impact of $1.8 billion. Upon recognition, $7.3 billion of the unrecognized tax benefits would impact the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company had accrued $1.3 billion of gross interest and penalties as of June 30, 2018. Both the net unrecognized tax benefits and the interest and penalties are classified as other non-current liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.
The Company is subject to taxation and files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and in many state and foreign jurisdictions. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service concluded its review of the years 2013 through 2015 during the third quarter of 2018. All years prior to 2016 are now closed. The Company is also subject to audits by state, local and foreign tax authorities. In major states and major foreign jurisdictions, the years subsequent to 2003 generally remain open and could be subject to examination by the taxing authorities. The Company believes that an adequate provision has been made for any adjustments that may result from tax examinations. However, the outcome of tax audits cannot be predicted with certainty. If any issues addressed in the Company’s tax audits are resolved in a manner inconsistent with its expectations, the Company could be required to adjust its provision for income taxes in the period such resolution occurs. Although timing of resolution and/or closure of audits is not certain, the Company believes it is reasonably possible that its gross unrecognized tax benefits could decrease (either by payment, release or a combination of both) in the next 12 months by as much as $500 million.
European Commission State Aid Decision
On August 30, 2016, the European Commission announced its decision that Ireland granted state aid to the Company by providing tax opinions in 1991 and 2007 concerning the tax allocation of profits of the Irish branches of two subsidiaries of the Company (the “State Aid Decision”). The State Aid Decision ordered Ireland to calculate and recover additional taxes from the Company for the period June 2003 through December 2014. The recovery amount was calculated to be €13 billion, plus interest of €1 billion. Irish legislative changes, effective as of January 2015, eliminated the application of the tax opinions from that date forward. The Company believes the State Aid Decision to be without merit and appealed to the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Ireland has also appealed the State Aid Decision. The Company believes that any incremental Irish corporate income taxes potentially due related to the State Aid Decision would be creditable against U.S. taxes, subject to any foreign tax credit limitations in the Act. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company began funding amounts into escrow, where they will remain pending conclusion of all appeals. As of June 30, 2018, €4.5 billion of the recovery amount was funded into escrow and was restricted from general use. Refer to Note 2, “Financial Instruments” for more information. Subsequent to June 30, 2018, the Company has funded an additional €4.5 billion of the recovery amount into escrow.