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INCOME TAXES
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3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 29, 2015
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| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| INCOME TAXES |
NOTE 5. INCOME TAXES
Our effective tax rate for the year is expected to approximate 29.5 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, 2014 and has not yet been renewed by Congress. If the research credit is reinstated during 2015, we would anticipate the 2015 effective tax rate to be reduced to 28.5 percent. 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 rate for the three month period ended March 29, 2015, was 26.3 percent. This tax rate included an $18 million discrete tax benefit to reflect the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions related to a favorable federal audit settlement.
Our effective tax rate for the three month period ended March 30, 2014, was 29.9 percent. This tax rate included a $12 million discrete tax expense attributable primarily to state deferred tax adjustments, as well as a $5 million discrete net tax benefit resulting from a $70 million dividend paid from China earnings generated prior to 2012.
The decrease in the three month effective tax rate from 2014 to 2015 is primarily due to the 2015 favorable discrete tax item.
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