Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

INCOME TAXES

v2.4.0.8
INCOME TAXES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES
NOTE 6. INCOME TAXES
 
Our effective tax rate for the year is expected to approximate 28.5 percent, excluding any one-time items that may arise.  The research tax credit 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 rate for the three months ended March 30, 2014, was 29.9 percent.  This tax rate includes 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.
Our effective tax rate for the three months ended March 30, 2014, was 27.6 percent. This tax rate 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 increase in the three month effective tax rate from 2013 to 2014 is attributable primarily to one-time discrete tax benefits in 2013 that did not repeat in 2014 and changes in U.S. state tax legislation that unfavorably impacted our 2014 effective tax rate.
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 March 30, 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 twelve months due to the resolution of these issues. We do not expect this resolution to have a material impact on our results of operations.