INCOME TAXES	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAXES	INCOME TAXES Income tax expense consists of U.S. and international income taxes, determined using an estimate of the Company's annual effective tax rate, which is based upon the applicable tax rates and tax laws of the countries in which the income is generated. A deferred tax liability is recognized for all taxable temporary differences, and a deferred tax asset is recognized for all deductible temporary differences and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company considers many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of the deferred tax assets, including its recent cumulative earnings experience by taxing jurisdiction, expectations of future income, tax planning strategies, the carryforward periods available for tax reporting purposes, and other relevant factors. The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 were 16.8% and 16.2%, respectively, compared to 36.6% and 25.1% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively. The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 differ from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35%, primarily due to lower international tax rates and current year excess tax benefits of $1.3 million and $13.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, recognized from the vesting of equity awards pursuant to the adoption of an accounting update effective January 1, 2017 (see Note 1), partially offset by certain non-deductible expenses. The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 differ from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35%, primarily due to the non-deductible impairment charge for goodwill of $940.7 million related to OpenTable recognized in the third quarter of 2016 (see Note 6) and the impairment of the Company's cost-method investment in Hotel Urbano of $60 million recognized in the first half of 2016 (see Note 4), partially offset by lower international tax rates and U.S. state tax law changes in the second quarter of 2016 that resulted in a net decrease to deferred tax liabilities associated with acquired intangible assets. The Company's effective tax rate was lower for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, primarily as a result of the non-deductible impairment charges in 2016 referred to above, an increased proportion of the Company's income being taxed at lower international tax rates due to the growth of the Company's international businesses and current year excess tax benefits recognized from vesting of equity awards. The decrease in the Company's effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016, was partially offset by tax benefits recorded in the second quarter of 2016 arising from U.S. state tax law changes that resulted in a net decrease to deferred tax liabilities associated with acquired intangible assets. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, a substantial majority of the Company's income was generated in the Netherlands. According to Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 5% ("Innovation Box Tax") rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 qualifies for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on the Company's effective tax rate for those periods.

INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense consists of U.S. and international income taxes, determined using an estimate of the Company's annual effective tax rate, which is based upon the applicable tax rates and tax laws of the countries in which the income is generated. A deferred tax liability is recognized for all taxable temporary differences, and a deferred tax asset is recognized for all deductible temporary differences and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company considers many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of the deferred tax assets, including its recent cumulative earnings experience by taxing jurisdiction, expectations of future income, tax planning strategies, the carryforward periods available for tax reporting purposes, and other relevant factors.

The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 were 16.8% and 16.2%, respectively, compared to 36.6% and 25.1% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively. The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 differ from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35%, primarily due to lower international tax rates and current year excess tax benefits of $1.3 million and $13.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, recognized from the vesting of equity awards pursuant to the adoption of an accounting update effective January 1, 2017 (see Note 1), partially offset by certain non-deductible expenses. The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 differ from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35%, primarily due to the non-deductible impairment charge for goodwill of $940.7 million related to OpenTable recognized in the third quarter of 2016 (see Note 6) and the impairment of the Company's cost-method investment in Hotel Urbano of $60 million recognized in the first half of 2016 (see Note 4), partially offset by lower international tax rates and U.S. state tax law changes in the second quarter of 2016 that resulted in a net decrease to deferred tax liabilities associated with acquired intangible assets.

The Company's effective tax rate was lower for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, primarily as a result of the non-deductible impairment charges in 2016 referred to above, an increased proportion of the Company's income being taxed at lower international tax rates due to the growth of the Company's international businesses and current year excess tax benefits recognized from vesting of equity awards. The decrease in the Company's effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016, was partially offset by tax benefits recorded in the second quarter of 2016 arising from U.S. state tax law changes that resulted in a net decrease to deferred tax liabilities associated with acquired intangible assets.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, a substantial majority of the Company's income was generated in the Netherlands. According to Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 5% ("Innovation Box Tax") rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 qualifies for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on the Company's effective tax rate for those periods.