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Income Taxes
 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
Years Ended March 31,
(In millions)202220212020
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
U.S.$1,944 $(6,019)$216 
Foreign(16)985 928 
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes$1,928 $(5,034)$1,144 
Income tax expense (benefit) related to continuing operations consists of the following:
Years Ended March 31,
(In millions)202220212020
Current
Federal$233 $(15)$170 
State129 47 48 
Foreign240 181 142 
Total current602 213 360 
Deferred
Federal88 (562)(204)
State(16)(204)(105)
Foreign(38)(142)(33)
Total deferred34 (908)(342)
Income tax expense (benefit)$636 $(695)$18 
The Company reported an income tax expense (benefit) rate of 33.0%, (13.8)%, and 1.6% in 2022, 2021, and 2020. Fluctuations in the Company’s reported income tax rates are primarily due to non-cash charges related to remeasuring the value of certain of its European businesses to fair value less costs to sell in 2022, the impact of opioid-related claims, including charges of $8.1 billion ($6.8 billion after-tax) in 2021, the impact of the Change Healthcare joint venture divestiture in 2020, and changes in the mix of earnings between various taxing jurisdictions.
The reconciliation of income tax expense (benefit) and the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate of 21.0% to income before income taxes is as follows:
Years Ended March 31,
(In millions)202220212020
Income tax expense (benefit) at federal statutory rate$405 $(1,057)$240 
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit83 (206)(41)
Tax effect of foreign operations(186)(77)(81)
Unrecognized tax benefits and settlements(26)41 (7)
Opioid-related litigation and claims38 715 — 
Net tax benefit on intellectual property transfer— (105)— 
Tax-free gain on investment exit (1)
— — (87)
E.U. disposal transaction loss345 — — 
Capital loss carryback— — (19)
Other, net (2)
(23)(6)13 
Income tax expense (benefit)$636 $(695)$18 
(1)Refer to Financial Note 4, “Business Acquisitions and Divestitures,” for additional information regarding the separation of the Change Healthcare JV.
(2)The Company’s effective tax rates were impacted by other favorable U.S. federal permanent differences including research and development credits of $4 million, $5 million, and $7 million in 2022, 2021, and 2020.
During the year ended March 31, 2022, the Company recorded non-deductible, non-cash pre-tax charges of $438 million primarily to remeasure the E.U. disposal group to fair value less costs to sell, and $1.2 billion to remeasure the U.K. disposal group, as described in Financial Note 2, “Held for Sale.”
The Company’s reported income tax rates for 2021 and 2020 were unfavorably impacted by non-deductible, non-cash charges of $58 million and $275 million, respectively, primarily to remeasure the carrying value of assets and liabilities held for sale related to the formation of a new German pharmaceutical wholesale joint venture within the Company’s International segment. Refer to Financial Note 2, “Held for Sale,” for more information.
The Company’s reported income tax rates for 2022 and 2021 were impacted by the charge for pending and future opioid-related claims of $274 million ($237 million after-tax) and $8.1 billion ($6.8 billion after-tax), respectively, as described further in Financial Note 18, “Commitments and Contingent Liabilities.”
During 2021, the Company sold intellectual property between wholly-owned legal entities within McKesson that are based in different tax jurisdictions. The transferor entity recognized a gain on the sale of assets which was not subject to income tax in its local jurisdiction; such gains were eliminated upon consolidation. The acquiring entities of the intellectual property were entitled to amortize the purchase price of the assets for tax purposes. In accordance with ASU 2016-16, “Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory,” discrete tax benefits of $105 million was recognized for 2021, with a corresponding increase to a deferred tax assets for the temporary difference arising from the buyer’s excess tax basis.
On March 10, 2020, the Company completed the previously announced separation of its interest in the Change Healthcare JV as described in Financial Note 4, “Business Acquisitions and Divestitures.” The Company’s reported income tax expense rate for 2020 was favorably impacted by this transaction given that it was intended to generally be a tax-free split-off for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company recognized a net gain for financial reporting purposes of $414 million related to the separation transaction.
Deferred tax balances consisted of the following:
March 31,
(In millions)20222021
Assets
Receivable allowances$49 $69 
Opioid-related litigation and claims755 724 
Compensation and benefit related accruals285 305 
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards739 974 
Lease obligations422 539 
Other83 115 
Subtotal2,333 2,726 
Less: valuation allowance(726)(864)
Total assets1,607 1,862 
Liabilities
Inventory valuation and other assets(1,993)(1,939)
Fixed assets and systems development costs(184)(196)
Intangibles(233)(411)
Lease right-of-use assets(401)(505)
Other(17)(37)
Total liabilities(2,828)(3,088)
Net deferred tax liability$(1,221)$(1,226)
Long-term deferred tax asset$197 $185 
Long-term deferred tax liability(1,418)(1,411)
Net deferred tax liability$(1,221)$(1,226)
Excluded from the amounts above were $48 million of net deferred tax liabilities which were classified as held for sale for European divestitures at March 31, 2022, as discussed in Financial Note 2, “Held for Sale.”
The Company assesses the available positive and negative evidence to determine whether deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized. As a result of this assessment, valuation allowances have been recorded on certain deferred tax assets in various tax jurisdictions. The valuation allowances were approximately $726 million and $864 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, and primarily relate to net operating and capital losses incurred in certain tax jurisdictions for which no tax benefit was recognized. The decrease in the valuation allowance of $138 million in the current year relates primarily to classification of deferred tax balances as held for sale for European divestitures, as discussed in Financial Note 2, “Held for Sale,” partially offset by the net operating losses incurred and deferred tax movements in certain tax jurisdictions for which no tax benefit was recognized.
The Company has federal, state, and foreign net operating loss carryforwards of $303 million, $3.9 billion, and $1.5 billion at March 31, 2022, respectively. Federal and state net operating losses will expire at various dates from 2023 through 2042. Substantially all its foreign net operating losses have indefinite lives. In addition, the Company has foreign capital loss carryforwards of $785 million with indefinite lives.
The following table summarizes the activity related to the Company’s gross unrecognized tax benefits for the last three years:
Years Ended March 31,
(In millions)202220212020
Unrecognized tax benefits at beginning of period$1,754 $958 $1,052 
Additions based on tax positions related to prior years14 53 20 
Reductions based on tax positions related to prior years(131)(5)(168)
Additions based on tax positions related to current year14 755 82 
Reductions based on settlements(20)(8)(8)
Reductions based on the lapse of the applicable statutes of limitations(102)(12)(13)
Exchange rate fluctuations(6)13 (7)
Unrecognized tax benefits at end of period$1,523 $1,754 $958 
As of March 31, 2022, the Company had $1.5 billion of unrecognized tax benefits, of which $1.3 billion would reduce income tax expense and the effective tax rate, if recognized. The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits in 2022 compared to 2021 is primarily attributable to statute of limitation expirations in various taxing jurisdictions and the reclassification of $23 million of unrecognized tax benefits as held for sale for European divestitures, as discussed in Financial Note 2, “Held for Sale.” The increase in unrecognized tax benefits in 2021 compared to 2020 is primarily attributable to uncertainty in connection with the deductibility of opioid-related litigation and claims. Because many uncertainties associated with any potential settlement arrangements or other resolutions of opioid claims including provisions related to deductibility have not been finalized, the actual amount of the tax benefit related to uncertain tax positions may differ from these estimates. Refer to Financial Note 18, “Commitments and Contingent Liabilities,” for more information.
During the next twelve months, it is reasonably possible that the Company’s unrecognized tax benefit may decrease by as much as $170 million due to settlements of tax examinations and statute of limitations expirations in the U.S. federal and state jurisdictions and in foreign jurisdictions. However, this amount may change as the Company continues to have ongoing negotiations with various taxing authorities throughout the year.
The Company reports interest and penalties on income taxes as income tax expense. It recognized income tax expense of $8 million, $9 million, and $23 million in 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively, representing interest and penalties, in its Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of March 31, 2022 and 2021, it accrued $108 million and $101 million, cumulatively, in interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits.
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state jurisdictions, and various foreign jurisdictions. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is currently examining the Company’s U.S. corporation income tax returns for 2018 and 2019. The Company is generally subject to audit by taxing authorities in various U.S. states and in foreign jurisdictions for fiscal years 2014 through the current fiscal year.
Undistributed earnings of the Company’s foreign operations of approximately $5.0 billion were considered indefinitely reinvested at March 31, 2022. Following enactment of the 2017 Tax Act, the repatriation of cash to the U.S. is generally no longer taxable for federal income tax purposes. However, the repatriation of cash held outside the U.S. could be subject to applicable foreign withholding taxes and state income taxes. The Company may remit foreign earnings to the U.S. to the extent it is tax efficient to do so. It does not expect the tax impact from remitting these earnings to be material.