Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Nov. 28, 2019

Our income tax (provision) benefit consisted of the following:


Three months ended	November 28, 2019		November 29, 2018

Income tax provision, excluding items below	$	(31)	$	(378)
Utilization of and other changes in net deferred tax assets of MMJ, MMT, and MTTW	(24)		(52)
Repatriation tax, net of adjustments related to uncertain tax positions	—		(47)
	$	(55)	$	(477)

The decrease in our income tax provision in the first quarter of 2020 was due primarily to reductions in profit before tax and the foreign minimum tax.

As of November 28, 2019, gross unrecognized tax benefits were $385 million, substantially all of which would affect our effective tax rate in the future, if recognized. The amount accrued for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions was not significant for any period presented.

We operate in a number of jurisdictions outside the United States, including Singapore, where we have tax incentive arrangements, which expire in whole or in part at various dates through 2034, that are conditional, in part, upon meeting certain business operations and employment thresholds. The effect of tax incentive arrangements were not significant to our tax provision for the first quarter of 2020. These arrangements reduced our tax provision for the first quarter of 2019 by $427 million (benefiting our diluted earnings per share by $0.36).