INCOME TAXES |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 27, 2015 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| INCOME TAXES |
NOTE 6. 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 anticipate the 2015 effective tax rate will 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 and nine month periods ended September 27, 2015, was 30.1 percent and 28.7 percent, respectively. The tax rate for the nine month period ended September 27, 2015, included a net $14 million discrete tax benefit primarily to reflect the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions related to a favorable federal audit settlement.
Our effective tax rate for the three and nine month periods ended September 28, 2014, was 34.4 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively. The tax rate for the three months ended September 28, 2014, included a $19 million discrete tax expense to reflect the reduction in value of state tax credits as a result of a favorable state tax rate change that will lower future taxes. Additionally, the tax rate for the nine month period included a $2 million discrete tax benefit for the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions related to multiple state audit settlements, 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.
The decrease in the effective tax rate for the three months ended September 27, 2015, versus the comparable period in 2014 was primarily due to favorable changes in the jurisdictional mix of pre-tax income and the 2014 unfavorable discrete tax items.
It is reasonably possible that our existing liabilities for uncertain tax benefits may decrease in an amount ranging from $0 to $70 million within the next twelve months for U.S. and non-U.S. audits that are in process.
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