Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

At the end of each interim period, we estimate a base effective tax rate that we expect for the full fiscal year based on our most recent forecast of pre-tax income, permanent book and tax differences and global tax planning strategies. We use this base rate to provide for income taxes on a year-to-date basis, excluding the effect of significant unusual items and items that are reported net of their related tax effects in the period in which they occur.

Our base rate reflects a change in the U.S. federal statutory rate from 35 percent to 21 percent resulting from the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "Tax Act") on December 22, 2017. The statutory tax rate for our fiscal year 2019 is 21 percent.

The effective tax rate was 18.7 percent and 18.6 percent in the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, compared to 21.1 percent and 77.7 percent in the three and nine months ended June 30, 2018. The effective tax rate was lower than the U.S. statutory rate of 21 percent in the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, primarily because we benefited from lower non-U.S. tax rates. The effective tax rate was lower than the U.S. statutory rate of 24.5 percent in the three months ended June 30, 2018, primarily because we benefited from lower non-U.S. tax rates and realized a benefit from discrete tax items, partially offset by the PTC investment adjustments without a corresponding tax benefit. The effective tax rate was higher than the U.S. statutory rate of 24.5 percent in the nine months ended June 30, 2018, due to provisional tax expense ($483.7 million or 57.0 percent) resulting from the Tax Act.

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Company completed its analysis of the impact of the Tax Act in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118") and the amounts are no longer considered provisional. This resulted in no change to the provisional amounts recorded in fiscal year 2018 related to the revaluation of U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities and the one-time transition tax liability on earnings of our foreign subsidiaries that were previously deferred from U.S. income tax.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

The amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $20.1 million at June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, of which the entire amount would reduce our effective tax rate if recognized.

Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits were $3.2 million and $2.5 million at June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the income tax provision.

We believe it is reasonably possible that the amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits could be reduced by up to $6.0 million in the next 12 months as a result of the resolution of tax matters in various global jurisdictions and the lapses of statutes of limitations. If all of the unrecognized tax benefits were recognized, the net reduction to our income tax provision, including the recognition of interest and penalties and offsetting tax assets, could be up to $6.1 million.

We conduct business globally and are routinely audited by the various tax jurisdictions in which we operate. We are no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations for years before 2016 and are no longer subject to state, local and foreign income tax examinations for years before 2009.