v2.4.0.6

Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes |
Schedule of tax treatment of distributions per common share |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Tax treatment of distributions: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ordinary income |  | $ | 2.28131 |  | $ | 1.99928 |  | $ | 1.8356 |
Long-term capital gain |  |  | 0.01869 |  |  | 0.07644 |  |  | 0.1510 |
Unrecaptured Section 1250 gain |  |  | — |  |  | 0.06428 |  |  | 0.0634 |
Distribution reported for 1099-DIV purposes |  |  | 2.30000 |  |  | 2.14000 |  |  | 2.0500 |
Less: Dividend declared in prior year and taxable in current year |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Distributions declared per common share outstanding |  | $ | 2.30000 |  | $ | 2.14000 |  | $ | 2.0500 |
Schedule of provision (benefit) for income taxes |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
|  | (In thousands) |
Current |  | $ | (4,080 | ) | $ | 2,459 |  | $ | 2,166 |
Deferred |  |  | (27,057 | ) |  | 2,742 |  |  | (3,885 | )
Total |  | $ | (31,137 | ) | $ | 5,201 |  | $ | (1,719 | )
Schedule of reconciliation of income tax expense |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
|  | (In thousands) |
Tax at statutory rate on earnings from continuing operations before unconsolidated entities, noncontrolling interest and income taxes |  | $ | 115,673 |  | $ | 78,663 |  | $ | 67,049 |
State income taxes, net of federal benefit |  |  | (2,396 | ) |  | 700 |  |  | (126 | )
Increase in valuation allowance |  |  | 9,408 |  |  | 5,705 |  |  | 7,713 |
(Decrease) increase in ASC 740 income tax liability |  |  | (4,084 | ) |  | 2,420 |  |  | 2,166 |
Tax at statutory rate on earnings not subject to federal income taxes |  |  | (151,429 | ) |  | (82,490 | ) |  | (78,176 | )
Other differences |  |  | 1,691 |  |  | 203 |  |  | (345 | )
Income tax (benefit) expense |  | $ | (31,137 | ) | $ | 5,201 |  | $ | (1,719 | )
Summary of tax effects of temporary differences and carryforwards included in the net deferred tax liabilities |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
|  | (In thousands) |
Property, primarily differences in depreciation and amortization, the tax basis of land assets and the treatment of interests and certain costs |  | $ | (332,111 | ) | $ | (287,165 | ) | $ | (293,800 | )
Operating loss and interest deduction carryforwards |  |  | 343,843 |  |  | 103,733 |  |  | 86,014 |
Expense accruals and other |  |  | 11,511 |  |  | 3,093 |  |  | (58 | )
Valuation allowance |  |  | (281,954 | ) |  | (60,994 | ) |  | (45,821 | )
Net deferred tax liabilities(1) |  | $ | (258,711 | ) | $ | (241,333 | ) | $ | (253,665 | )
(1) 2011 includes approximately $2 million of deferred tax assets included in other assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Summary of activity related to unrecognized tax benefits |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
|  | (In thousands) |
Balance as of January 1 |  | $ | 17,868 |  | $ | 15,444 |
Additions to tax positions related to the current year |  |  | 2,961 |  |  | 2,424 |
Additions to tax positions related to prior years |  |  | 490 |  |  | — |
Subtractions to tax positions related to prior years |  |  | (6,425 | ) |  | — |
Balance as of December 31 |  | $ | 14,894 |  | $ | 17,868 |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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 -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 9 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfComponentsOfIncomeTaxExpenseBenefitTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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 -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 2 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32537-109319 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfDeferredTaxAssetsAndLiabilitiesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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 -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Publisher FASB -Number -Article -Subparagraph -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Paragraph 12 -Section 50 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfEffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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 FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 48 -Paragraph 21 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: 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
Name: | us-gaap_SummaryOfIncomeTaxContingenciesTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of entity's tax treatment of distributions per common share. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | vtr_ScheduleOfTaxTreatmentOfDistributionsPerCommonShareTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | vtr_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration