Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The effective tax rate was 25.5 percent and 21.3 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and 24.4 percent and 30.4 percent for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate for the three month period primarily reflected changes in the level and geographic mix of pretax income and discrete tax charges in the current period. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the nine month period primarily reflected discrete tax charges in the prior period related to the realizability of certain foreign deferred tax assets. The current period effective tax rates also reflect the implementation of PAM. Refer to Note 1 for further information.

We are under continuous examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tax authorities in other countries and states in which we have significant business operations. The tax years under examination and open for examination vary by jurisdiction. We are currently under examination by the IRS for the 2017 and 2018 tax years.

We believe it is reasonably possible that our unrecognized tax benefits could decrease within the next twelve months by as much as $144 million, principally as a result of potential resolutions of prior years’ tax items with various taxing authorities. The prior years’ tax items include unrecognized tax benefits relating to the deductibility of certain expenses or losses and the attribution of taxable income to a particular jurisdiction or jurisdictions. Of the $144 million of unrecognized tax benefits, approximately $114 million relates to amounts that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate in a future period.