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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

NOTE 5. INCOME TAXES

For the first quarter of 2020, we recorded tax expense of $249 million on a loss before income taxes of $368 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 includes net discrete charges of $290 million, primarily related to the establishment of a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets for foreign tax credits.

In the first quarter of 2019, we recorded tax expense of $6 million on a loss before income taxes of $38 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 includes net discrete charges of $7 million.

We record taxes based on overall estimated annual effective tax rates. The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $182 million, and forecasted losses for the full year in foreign jurisdictions in which no tax benefits are recorded, which have been accentuated during 2020 by business interruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above and the overall higher effective tax rate in the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, partially offset by a benefit from our foreign derived intangible income deduction.  For further information regarding the non-cash goodwill impairment charge, refer to Note to the Consolidated Financial Statements No. 8, Goodwill and Intangible Assets.

We consider both positive and negative evidence when measuring the need for a valuation allowance. The weight given to the evidence is commensurate with the extent to which it may be objectively verified. Current and cumulative financial reporting results are a source of objectively verifiable evidence. We give operating results during the most recent three-year period a significant weight in our analysis. We typically only consider forecasts of future profitability when positive cumulative operating results exist in the most recent three-year period. We perform scheduling exercises to determine if sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character exists in the periods required in order to realize our deferred tax assets with limited lives (such as tax loss carryforwards and tax credits) prior to their expiration. We consider tax planning strategies available to accelerate taxable amounts if required to utilize expiring deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is not required to the extent that, in our judgment, positive evidence exists with a magnitude and duration sufficient to result in a conclusion that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will be realized.

At March 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.0 billion of U.S. federal, state and local deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances primarily related to foreign tax credits with limited lives totaling $308 million. In the U.S., we have cumulative positive profitability in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019; however, negative evidence of reduced profitability as a result of the business disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic must be considered in our assessment of our ability to realize our net deferred tax assets. While the disruption to our business is currently expected to be temporary, there is considerable uncertainty around the extent and duration of that disruption. If our profitability deteriorates enough that our future results for a three-year period are no longer positive, a valuation allowance may be required against all of our U.S. net deferred tax assets.

At December 31, 2019, our U.S. deferred tax assets included $403 million of foreign tax credits, net of valuation allowances of $3 million, generated primarily from the receipt of foreign dividends. During the first quarter of 2020, we established an additional valuation allowance of $295 million against substantially all of these foreign tax credits with expiration dates through 2025.  Due to the sudden and sharp decline in industry demand and the suspension of production at our U.S. manufacturing facilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are expecting to incur a significant U.S. tax loss for 2020.  As loss carry-forwards must be utilized prior to foreign tax credits in offsetting future income for tax purposes, we have now concluded that it is no longer more likely than not that we will be able to utilize these foreign tax credits prior to their expiration. Our earnings and forecasts of future profitability along with three significant sources of foreign income provide us sufficient positive evidence that we will be able to utilize our remaining foreign tax credits of $108 million that expire between 2025 and 2028.  Our sources of foreign income are (1) 100% of our domestic profitability can be re-characterized as foreign source income under current U.S. tax law to the extent domestic losses have offset foreign source income in prior years, (2) annual net foreign source income, exclusive of dividends, primarily from royalties, and (3) tax planning strategies, including capitalizing research and development costs, accelerating income on cross border sales of inventory or raw materials to our subsidiaries and reducing U.S. interest expense by, for example, reducing intercompany loans through repatriating current year earnings of foreign subsidiaries, all of which would increase our domestic profitability.

We consider our current forecasts of future profitability in assessing our ability to realize our deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits.  These forecasts include the impact of recent trends, including various macroeconomic factors such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on our profitability, as well as the impact of tax planning strategies.  Macroeconomic factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, possess a high degree of volatility and can significantly impact our profitability.  As such, there is a risk that future earnings will not be sufficient to fully utilize our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our remaining foreign tax credits.  However, we believe our forecasts of future profitability along with the three significant sources of foreign income described above provide us sufficient positive evidence to conclude that it is more likely

than not that, at March 31, 2020, our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits, net of valuation allowances, will be fully utilized.

At March 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.2 billion of foreign deferred tax assets and a valuation allowance of $939 million. Our losses in various foreign taxing jurisdictions in recent periods represented sufficient negative evidence to require us to maintain a full valuation allowance against certain of our net deferred tax assets.  In Luxembourg, we maintain a valuation allowance of approximately $850 million on all net deferred tax assets.  Each reporting period, we assess available positive and negative evidence and estimate if sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize these existing deferred tax assets. We do not believe that sufficient positive evidence required to release valuation allowances having a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations will exist within the next twelve months.

For the three months ending March 31, 2020, changes to our unrecognized tax benefits did not, and for the full year of 2020 are not expected to, have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), a substantial tax and spending package intended to provide economic stimulus to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act allows corporations with net operating losses generated in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to elect to carryback those losses for a period of five years and relaxes the limitation for business interest deductions for 2019 and 2020.  We do not anticipate that these provisions will have a material impact on our operating results.  We will, however, benefit from a CARES Act provision that accelerates the ability of corporations to claim a refund of alternative minimum tax credit carryforwards.  Under this provision, we anticipate receiving a refund of approximately $5 million during the second quarter of 2020 that would otherwise have been received in two equal annual installments in 2021 and 2022.

We are open to examination in the United States for 2019 and in Germany from 2016 onward. Generally, for our remaining tax jurisdictions, years from 2014 onward are still open to examination.