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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate was 27% for both the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 and 21% and 27% for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The effective tax rates for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 were lower than the federal statutory rate primarily due to favorable tax law changes and favorable foreign income tax rate differentials, partially offset by state income taxes. The favorable foreign income tax rate differential results primarily from lower tax rates in the U.K.
During the third quarter of 2016, the U.K. reduced their corporate income tax rate from 18% to 17% effective April 1, 2020, which resulted in a deferred tax benefit. The impact of the deferred tax benefit for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2016 lowered the effective tax rates by 2 percentage points and 8 percentage points, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2016, from the comparable period in 2015, is primarily due to the deferred tax benefit associated with the future U.K. income tax rate reduction. However, the effective tax rates for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 remained consistent due to favorable tax law changes in both periods.
Our non-U.S. subsidiaries had $3.5 billion in cumulative undistributed earnings as of September 30, 2016. This amount represents the post-income tax earnings under GAAP adjusted for previously taxed income. The earnings from our non-U.S. subsidiaries are considered to be indefinitely reinvested. Accordingly, no provision for U.S. federal and state income taxes has been made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. Further, a determination of the unrecognized deferred tax liability is not practicable. Any future distribution by way of dividend of these non-U.S. earnings may subject us to both U.S. federal and state income taxes, as adjusted for non-U.S. tax credits, and withholding taxes payable to various non-U.S. countries.