Note 6: Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Note 6: Income Taxes

Note 6: Income Taxes

We conduct business globally and, as a result, UTC or one or more of our subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions. In the normal course of business we are subject to examination by taxing authorities throughout the world, including such major jurisdictions as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations for years before 1998.

In the ordinary course of business, there is inherent uncertainty in quantifying our income tax positions. We assess our income tax positions and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon management's evaluation of the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting date. For those tax positions where it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, we have recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the financial statements. Where applicable, associated interest has also been recognized;interest accrued in relation to unrecognized tax benefits is recorded in interest expense. Penalties, if incurred, would be recognized as a component of income tax expense.

It is reasonably possible that over the next twelve months the amount of unrecognized tax benefits may change within a range of a net increase of $10 million to a net decrease of $120 million as a result of additional worldwide uncertain tax positions, the revaluation of current uncertain tax positions arising from developments in examinations, in appeals or in the courts, or the closure of tax statutes. A portion of this net reduction may impact the Company's 2012 or 2013 income tax expense. Not included in the range is €198 million (approximately $263million) of tax benefits that we have claimed related to a 1998 German reorganization. These tax benefits are currently being reviewed by the German Tax Office in the course of an audit of tax years 1999 to 2000. In 2008 the German Federal Tax Court denied benefits to another taxpayer in a case involving a German tax law relevant to our reorganization. The determination of the German Federal Tax Court on this other matter was appealed to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to determine if the underlying German tax law is violative of European Union (EU) principles. On September 17, 2009 the ECJ issued an opinion in this case that is generally favorable to the other taxpayer and referred the case back to the German Federal Tax Court for further consideration of certain related issues. In May 2010, the German Federal Tax Court released its decision, in which it resolved certain tax issues that may be relevant to our audit and remanded the case to a lower court for further development. After consideration of the ECJ decision and the latest German Federal Tax Court decision, we continue to believe that it is more likely than not that the relevant German tax law is violative of EU principles and we have not accrued tax expense for this matter. As we continue to monitor developments related to this matter, it may become necessary for us to accrue tax expense and related interest.

Tax years 2004 through 2008 are currently before the Appeals Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for resolution discussions regarding certain proposed tax adjustments with which the Company does not agree.  The Company expects resolution discussions relating to the 2004 and 2005 tax years to be completed within the next 12 months. During the quarter, the Company recognized a non-cash gain of approximately $218 million, including a pre-tax interest adjustment of $15 million, as a result of the Examination Division of the IRS completingaudit fieldwork for tax years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The IRS also commenced audit fieldwork for the 2009 and 2010 tax years.