Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

May 04, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Legislation), enacted in December 2017, contains significant changes to U.S. tax law, including lowering the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21.0%, implementing a territorial tax system, and imposing a one-time tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries.

The Tax Legislation reduced the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%, effective January 1, 2018, which resulted in a blended statutory income tax rate for the Company of 23.4% for fiscal 2018. For fiscal 2019, the Company’s U.S. statutory income tax rate was reduced to the statutory income tax rate of 21.0%.

In fiscal 2018, the Company recorded a provisional tax benefit of $637.0 million for the re-measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the rates to which they are expected to reverse in the future, which is generally 21.0%.

The Tax Legislation also implemented a territorial tax system. As part of transitioning to the territorial tax system, the Tax Legislation included a one-time transition tax based on the Company's total post-1986 undistributed foreign earnings and profits that were previously deferred from U.S. income tax. In fiscal 2018, the Company recorded a provisional tax expense amount for the one-time transition tax of $691.0 million, which is comprised of the $755.0 million transition tax liability less a deferred tax liability of $64.0 million that was recorded in prior years. In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company adjusted its provisional net charge by recording an additional tax benefit of $7.5 million for a change to its estimate for the transition tax due to the finalization of the aggregate foreign cash positions.

The Tax Legislation subjects U.S. corporations to tax on its global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI). Under U.S. GAAP, an accounting policy election can be made to either treat taxes due on the GILTI inclusion as a current period expense or to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years. The Company elected the deferral method and recorded the corresponding GILTI deferred tax assets and liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet.

The Company completed its accounting for the income tax effects of the Tax Legislation during the first quarter of 2019, in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118. As of May 4, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are still in the process of issuing various regulations relating to the Tax Legislation. Furthermore, there is a possibility that Congress could enact technical corrections to the Tax Legislation in the future. Accordingly, future adjustments to the financial statements may be necessary as the regulations are issued and when the Company files its fiscal 2018 tax returns with the IRS and foreign tax authorities.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) (ASU 2016-16). ASU 2016-16 requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset, other than inventory, when the transfer occurs. ASU 2016-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU 2016-16 in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 using the modified retrospective method with a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings. The Company adopted the guidance effective as of November 4, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-16 resulted in a net cumulative-effect adjustment that resulted in an increase in retained earnings of $331.0 million, by recording new deferred tax assets from intra-entity transfers involving assets other than inventory, partially offset by a U.S. deferred tax liability related to GILTI. Adoption of the standard resulted in an increase in long-term deferred tax assets of $1.7 billion and an increase in long-term deferred tax liabilities of $1.3 billion.

The Company has numerous income tax audits ongoing at any time throughout the world, including an Internal Revenue Service audit for Linear’s pre-acquisition fiscal years 2015, 2016 and 2017, various U.S. state and local tax audits, and international audits including the transfer pricing audit in Ireland discussed below.

Except for the Linear pre-acquisition audit, the Company’s U.S. federal tax returns prior to fiscal year 2015 are no longer subject to examination.

The Company’s Ireland tax returns prior to fiscal 2013 are no longer subject to examination. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company’s Irish tax resident subsidiary received an assessment for fiscal 2013 of approximately €43.0 million, or $48.2 million (as of May 4, 2019), from the Irish Revenue Commissioners (Irish Revenue). This assessment excludes any penalties and interest.  The assessment claims that the Company’s Irish entity failed to conform to 2010 OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines. The Company strongly disagrees with the assessment and maintains that its transfer pricing is appropriate. Therefore, the Company has not recorded any additional tax liability related to fiscal 2013 or any other periods.  The Company intends to vigorously defend its originally filed tax return position and is currently preparing for an appeal with the Irish Tax Appeals Commission, which is the normal process for the resolution of differences between Irish Revenue and taxpayers.  If Irish Revenue were ultimately to prevail with respect to its assessment for fiscal 2013, such assessment and any potential impact related to years subsequent to 2013 could have a material unfavorable impact on the Company's income tax expense and net earnings in future periods. Irish Revenue has also commenced a transfer pricing audit of fiscal 2014 through 2017.

Although the Company believes that its estimates of income taxes payable are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the Company will prevail in the matters raised or that the outcome of one or all of these matters will not be different than that which is reflected in the historical income tax provisions and accruals. The Company believes such differences would not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition.