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INCOME TAXES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES

The Company's effective income tax rates were 10.2% and 21.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The effective rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is lower than the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the tax benefit from employee share-based compensation and foreign earnings taxed at lower rates. The effective rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 included expense of $24.0 million related to the adjustment of the estimated provisional amounts recorded at December 31, 2017 in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The effective rates for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 include a tax benefit from employee share-based compensation of $19.0 million and $14.2 million, respectively.

The Company strives to resolve open matters with each tax authority at the examination level and could reach agreement with a tax authority at any time. While the Company has accrued for matters it believes are more likely than not to require settlement, the final outcome with a tax authority may result in a tax liability that is more or less than that reflected in the consolidated condensed financial statements. Furthermore, the Company may later decide to challenge any assessments, if made, and may exercise its right to appeal. The uncertain tax positions are reviewed quarterly and adjusted as events occur that affect potential liabilities for additional taxes, such as lapsing of applicable statutes of limitations, proposed assessments by tax authorities, negotiations between tax authorities, identification of new issues, and issuance of new legislation, regulations, or case law.

As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the liability for income taxes associated with uncertain tax positions was $161.9 million and $150.7 million, respectively. The Company estimates that these liabilities would be reduced by $47.4 million and $42.7 million, respectively, from offsetting tax benefits associated with the correlative effects of potential transfer pricing adjustments, state income taxes, and timing adjustments. The net amounts of $114.5 million and $108.0 million, respectively, if not required, would favorably affect the Company's effective tax rate.

At March 31, 2019, all material state, local, and foreign income tax matters have been concluded for years through 2008. The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") began its examination of the 2015 and 2016 tax years during the fourth quarter of 2018 and its examination of the 2017 tax year during the first quarter of 2019.

During 2018, the Company executed an Advance Pricing Agreement between the United States and Switzerland governments for tax years 2009 through 2020 covering various transfer pricing matters and the Company has updated its transfer pricing policies accordingly. Certain intercompany transactions covering tax years 2015 through 2018 were not resolved and those related tax positions remain uncertain. These transfer pricing matters may be significant to the Company's consolidated condensed financial statements.