v3.3.1.900

Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Components of Income Tax Expense |
Components of Income Tax Expense
Year ended December 31 (in millions) |  | 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Current Expense (Benefit): |  |  |  |  |  |
| Federal | $ | 3,210 | $ | 2,392 | $ | 3,183
| State |  | 570 |  | 174 |  | 581
| Foreign |  | 221 |  | 142 |  | 200
|  |  | 4,001 |  | 2,708 |  | 3,964
Deferred Expense (Benefit): |  |  |  |  |  |
| Federal |  | 890 |  | 1,000 |  | (76)
| State |  | 66 |  | 173 |  | 108
| Foreign |  | 2 |  | (8) |  | (16)
|  |  | 958 |  | 1,165 |  | 16
Income tax expense | $ | 4,959 | $ | 3,873 | $ | 3,980
Schedule of Items That Effect Income Tax Expense |
Year ended December 31 (in millions) |  | 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Federal tax at statutory rate | $ | 4,680 | $ | 4,363 | $ | 3,890
State income taxes, net of federal benefit |  | 326 |  | 329 |  | 319
Foreign income taxes, net of federal credit |  | 13 |  | - |  | 15
Nontaxable income attributable to noncontrolling interests |  | (69) |  | (62) |  | (103)
Adjustments to uncertain and effectively settled tax positions, net |  | 15 |  | (408) |  | 58
Accrued interest on uncertain and effectively settled tax positions, net |  | 73 |  | (235) |  | 114
Other |  | (79) |  | (114) |  | (313)
Income tax expense | $ | 4,959 | $ | 3,873 | $ | 3,980
Components of Net Deferred Tax Liability |
Components of Net Deferred Tax Liability
December 31 (in millions) |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Deferred Tax Assets: |  |  |  |
| Net operating loss carryforwards | $ | 551 | $ | 448
| Differences between book and tax basis of long-term debt |  | 115 |  | 116
| Differences between book and tax basis of investments |  | 101 |  | -
| Nondeductible accruals and other |  | 3,589 |  | 3,383
| Less: Valuation allowance |  | 342 |  | 375
|  |  |  | 4,014 |  | 3,572
Deferred Tax Liabilities: |  |  |  |
| Differences between book and tax basis of property and equipment and intangible assets |  | 36,392 |  | 35,112
| Differences between book and tax basis of investments |  | - |  | 186
| Differences between book and tax basis of indexed debt securities |  | 457 |  | 534
| Differences between book and tax basis of foreign subsidiaries and undistributed foreign |  |  |  |
|  | earnings |  | 731 |  | 504
|  |  | 37,580 |  | 36,336
Net deferred tax liability | $ | 33,566 | $ | 32,764
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits |
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits
(in millions) |  | 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Balance, January 1 | $ | 1,171 | $ | 1,701 | $ | 1,573
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year |  | 67 |  | 63 |  | 90
Additions based on tax positions related to prior years |  | 98 |  | 111 |  | 201
Additions from acquired subsidiaries |  | - |  | - |  | 268
Reductions for tax positions of prior years |  | (84) |  | (220) |  | (141)
Reductions due to expiration of statutes of limitations |  | (41) |  | (448) |  | (3)
Settlements with tax authorities |  | (75) |  | (36) |  | (287)
Balance, December 31 | $ | 1,136 | $ | 1,171 | $ | 1,701
NBCUniversal Media LLC [Member] |
Components of Income Tax Expense |
Components of Income Tax Expense |  |  |  |  |  |
Year ended December 31 (in millions) | 2015 | 2014 | 2013
Foreign |  |  |  |  |  |
| Current income tax expense | $ | 81 | $ | 33 | $ | 77
| Deferred income tax expense |  | 2 |  | (8) |  | (16)
| Withholding tax expense |  | 139 |  | 108 |  | 123
U.S. domestic tax expense |  | 5 |  | 10 |  | 22
Income tax expense | $ | 227 | $ | 143 | $ | 206

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of net deferred tax asset or liability recognized in an entity's statement of financial position, including the following: the total of all deferred tax liabilities, the total of all deferred tax assets, the total valuation allowance recognized for deferred tax assets. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32537-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the reconciliation using percentage or dollar amounts of the reported amount of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for the year to the amount of income tax expense that would result from applying domestic federal statutory tax rates to pretax income from continuing operations. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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