Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

INCOME TAXES

v2.4.0.8
INCOME TAXES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 29, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES
NOTE 6. INCOME TAXES
 
Our effective tax rate for the year is expected to approximate 28 percent, excluding any one-time items that may arise. The expected tax rate does not include the benefits of the research tax credit which expired December 31, 2013 and has not yet been renewed by Congress. Our tax rate is generally less than the 35 percent U.S. statutory income tax rate primarily due to lower tax rates on foreign income.  The effective tax rates for the three and six month periods ended June 29, 2014, were 26.5 percent and 28 percent, respectively. The tax rate for the three months ended June 29, 2014, included a $2 million discrete tax benefit for the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions related to multiple state audit settlements. Additionally, the tax rate for the six month period included a $12 million discrete tax expense attributable primarily to state deferred tax adjustments, as well as a $6 million discrete net tax benefit resulting from a $70 million dividend paid from China earnings generated prior to 2012.
Our effective tax rates for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2013, were 28.1 percent and 27.9 percent, respectively. These tax rates included a discrete tax benefit of $28 million attributable to the 2012 research credit reinstated in January 2013, as well as a discrete tax expense of $17 million, which primarily related to the write-off of a deferred tax asset deemed unrecoverable. The decrease in the three month effective tax rate from 2013 to 2014 is primarily due to favorable changes in the jurisdictional mix of pre-tax income and the 2014 favorable discrete tax item related to state audit settlements.
We anticipate that we may resolve tax matters related primarily to certain tax credits presently under examination in U.S. federal and state tax jurisdictions. As of June 29, 2014, we estimate that it is reasonably possible that unrecognized tax benefits may decrease in an amount ranging from $0 to $75 million in the next 12 months due to the resolution of these issues. We do not expect this resolution to have a material impact on our results of operations.