Income Taxes

The following table provides details of income taxes (in millions, except percentages):



	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	April 28, 2018			April 29, 2017			April 28, 2018			April 29, 2017
Income before provision for income taxes	$	3,253		$	3,191		$	9,447		$	9,107
Provision for income taxes	$	562		$	676		$	13,140		$	1,922
Effective tax rate	17.3		%	21.2		%	139.1		%	21.1		%

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was enacted. The Tax Act significantly revises the U.S. corporate income tax by, among other things, lowering the statutory corporate income tax rate (“federal tax rate”) from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, implementing a modified territorial tax system, and imposing a mandatory one-time transition tax on accumulated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. As a fiscal-year taxpayer, certain provisions of the Tax Act impact the Company in fiscal 2018, including the change in the federal tax rate and the one-time transition tax, while other provisions will be effective at the beginning of fiscal 2019, including the implementation of a modified territorial tax system and other changes to how foreign earnings are subject to U.S. tax, and elimination of the domestic manufacturing deduction.

As a result of the decrease in the federal tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, the Company has computed its income tax expense for the July 28, 2018 fiscal year using a blended federal tax rate of 27%. The 21% federal tax rate will apply to the Company’s fiscal year ending July 27, 2019 and each year thereafter. The Company must remeasure its deferred tax assets and liabilities ("DTA") using the federal tax rate that will apply when the related temporary differences are expected to reverse.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had approximately $75 billion in undistributed earnings for certain foreign subsidiaries. These undistributed earnings were subject to the U.S. mandatory one-time transition tax and are eligible to be repatriated to the U.S. without additional U.S. tax under the Tax Act. The Company has historically asserted its intention to indefinitely reinvest foreign earnings in certain foreign subsidiaries. The Company has reevaluated its historic assertion as a result of enactment of the Tax Act and no longer considers these earnings to be indefinitely reinvested in its foreign subsidiaries. As a result of this change in assertion, the Company recorded a $1.2 billion tax expense for foreign withholding tax in the second quarter of fiscal 2018. In the third quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company repatriated $67 billion of foreign subsidiary earnings to the U.S. and paid foreign withholding tax of $1.2 billion.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company recorded adjustments to the provisional amounts related to the U.S. transition tax on accumulated earnings of foreign subsidiaries and re-measurement of net DTA. During the nine months ended April 28, 2018, the Company recorded a provisional tax expense of $11.1 billion related to the Tax Act, comprised of $8.9 billion of U.S. transition tax, $1.2 billion of foreign withholding tax (discussed above), and $1.0 billion re-measurement of net DTA. The Company plans to pay the transition tax in installments over eight years in accordance with the Tax Act. The $1.2 billion foreign withholding tax was paid in February 2018.

In December 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, which addresses how a company recognizes provisional estimates when a company does not have the necessary information available, prepared or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete its accounting for the effect of the changes in the Tax Act. The measurement period ends when a company has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting, but cannot extend beyond one year. The final impact of the Tax Act may differ from the above provisional estimates due to changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, by changes in accounting standard for income taxes and related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, and any updates or changes to estimates used in the provisional amounts. The Company has determined that the $8.9 billion of tax expense for the U.S. transition tax on accumulated earnings of foreign subsidiaries, the $1.2 billion of foreign withholding tax, and the $1.0 billion of tax expense for DTA re-measurement were each provisional amounts and reasonable estimates as of April 28, 2018. Estimates used in the provisional amounts include: the anticipated reversal pattern of the gross DTAs; and earnings, cash positions, foreign taxes and withholding taxes attributable to foreign subsidiaries.

As of April 28, 2018, the Company had $2.0 billion of unrecognized tax benefit, of which $1.7 billion, if recognized, would favorably impact the effective tax rate. The Company regularly engages in discussions and negotiations with tax authorities regarding tax matters in various jurisdictions. The Company believes it is reasonably possible that certain federal, foreign and state tax matters may be concluded in the next 12 months. Specific positions that may be resolved include issues involving transfer pricing and various other matters. The Company estimates that the unrecognized tax benefits at April 28, 2018 could be reduced by approximately $250 million in the next 12 months.