Income taxes

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code including but not limited to, reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, requiring a one-time transition tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries that may be electively paid over eight years, and accelerating first year expensing of certain capital expenditures.

The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (SAB 118), which provides guidance on accounting for the Tax Act’s impact. SAB 118 provides a measurement period, which in no case should extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date, during which a company may complete the accounting for the impacts of the Tax Act under ASC Topic 740. Per SAB 118, the Company must reflect the income tax effects of the Tax Act in the reporting period in which the accounting under ASC Topic 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete, the Company can determine a reasonable estimate for those effects and record a provisional estimate in the financial statements in the first reporting period in which a reasonable estimate can be determined. If a Company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, the Company should continue to apply ASC 740 based on the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately prior to the Tax Act being enacted. If a Company is unable to provide a reasonable estimate of the impacts of the Tax Act in a reporting period, a provisional amount must be recorded in the first reporting period in which a reasonable estimate can be determined.

The transition tax is on previously untaxed accumulated and current earnings and profits of certain of our foreign subsidiaries. In order to determine the amount of the transition tax, the Company must determine, in addition to other factors, the amount of post-1986 earnings and profits (E&P) of the relevant subsidiaries, as well as the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid on such earnings. E&P is similar to retained earnings of the subsidiary, but requires other adjustments to conform to U.S. tax rules. The Company's estimate was unchanged during the first quarter of 2018. The Company is awaiting further interpretative guidance, continuing to assess available tax methods and elections, and continuing to gather additional information in order to finalize calculations and complete the accounting for the transition tax liability.

In addition to the transition tax, the Tax Act introduced a territorial tax system, which was effective beginning in 2018. The territorial tax system will impact the Company’s overall global capital and legal entity structure, working capital, and repatriation plan on a go-forward basis. In light of the territorial tax system, and other new international provisions within the Tax Act effective beginning in 2018, the Company is currently analyzing its global capital and legal entity structure, working capital requirements, and repatriation plans. Based on the Company's analysis of the territorial tax system and other new international tax provisions as of March 31, 2018, the Company continues to support the assertion to indefinitely reinvest $2.6 billion of accumulated foreign earnings and profits in Europe and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. As a result, as a reasonable provisional estimate, the Company did not record any new deferred tax liabilities associated with the territorial tax system or any changes to the indefinite reinvestment assertion. Further, it is impracticable for the Company to estimate any future tax costs for any unrecognized deferred tax liabilities associated with its indefinite reinvestment assertion as of March 31, 2018, because the actual tax liability, if any, would be dependent on complex analysis and calculations considering various tax laws, exchange rates, circumstances existing when a repatriation, sale, or liquidation occurs, or other factors. If there are any changes to our indefinite reinvestment assertion as a result of finalizing our assessment of the new Tax Act, the Company will adjust its provisional estimates, record, and disclose any tax impacts in the appropriate period, pursuant to SAB 118.

The consolidated effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was 13% as compared to 14% in the same quarter of the prior year. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 benefited from a $44 million discrete tax benefit as a result of the remeasurement of deferred taxes following a legal entity restructuring as well as the reduction in the U.S. corporate tax rate effective at the beginning of 2018. These impacts were mitigated somewhat by an increased weighting of taxable income in higher tax rate jurisdictions versus the prior year. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended April 1, 2017 benefited from a deferred tax benefit of $38 million resulting from intercompany transfers of intellectual property.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company classified $10 million of unrecognized tax benefits as a net current liability. Management’s estimate of reasonably possible changes in unrecognized tax benefits during the next twelve months consists of the current liability balance expected to be settled within one year, offset by approximately $6 million of projected additions related primarily to ongoing intercompany transfer pricing activity. Management is currently unaware of any issues under review that could result in significant additional payments, accruals or other material deviation in this estimate.

Following is a reconciliation of the Company’s total gross unrecognized tax benefits for the quarter ended March 31, 2018; $50 million of this total represents the amount that, if recognized, would affect the Company’s effective income tax rate in future periods.



(millions)
December 30, 2017	$	60
Tax positions related to current year:
Additions	2
Reductions	—
Tax positions related to prior years:
Additions	1
Reductions	—
Settlements	—
Lapse in statute of limitations	—
March 31, 2018	$	63

The accrual balance for tax-related interest was approximately $24 million at March 31, 2018.