INCOME TAXES	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES	NOTE 11 INCOME TAXES Several of our subsidiaries are involved in a dispute with the IRS relating to years in which those subsidiaries were owned by General Growth Properties (“GGP”), and in connection therewith, GGP has provided us with an indemnity against certain potential tax liabilities. Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement, GGP has indemnified us from and against 93.75% of any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and reasonable expenses to which we become subject (the “Tax Indemnity”), in each case solely to the extent directly attributable to certain taxes related to sales of certain assets in our Master Planned Communities segment prior to March 31, 2010 (“MPC Taxes”), in an amount up to $303.8 million, plus interest and penalties related to these amounts (the “Indemnity Cap”) so long as GGP controls the action in the United States Tax Court (the “Tax Court”) related to the dispute with the IRS as described below. We recorded the Tax Indemnity receivable at the Indemnity Cap amount as of the spinoff date. The unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest recorded through September 30, 2014are primarily related to the taxes that are the subject of the Tax Indemnity. We have recorded interest income receivable on the Tax Indemnity receivable in the amounts of $57.5 million and $38.6 million as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. On May 6, 2011, GGP filed Tax Court petitions on behalf of the two former taxable REIT subsidiaries of GGP seeking a redetermination of federal income tax for the years 2007 and 2008. The petitions seek to overturn determinations by the IRS that the taxpayers were liable for combined deficiencies totaling $144.1 million. On October 20, 2011, GGP filed a motion in the Tax Court to consolidate the cases of the two former taxable REIT subsidiaries of GGP subject to litigation with the Internal Revenue Service due to the common nature of the cases’ facts and circumstances and the issues being litigated. The Tax Court granted the motion to consolidate. The case was heard by the Tax Court in November 2012. The Tax Court filed their ruling in favor of the IRS on June 2, 2014. The Tax Court ruling may be appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A decision whether to appeal has not yet been made. The time period to appeal will expire during the fourth quarter of 2014. The timing of the utilization of the tax assets attributable to indemnified and non-indemnified gains results in changes to the Tax Indemnity receivable and is dependent on numerous future events, such as the timing of recognition of indemnified and non-indemnified gains, the amount of each type of gain recognized in each year, the use of specific deductions and the ultimate amount of indemnified gains recognized. These non-cash changes could be material to our financial statements. Resolution of the Tax Court case noted above could also result in material changes to the Master Planned Community deferred gains and the timing of utilization of the tax assets, both of which could result in changes to the Tax Indemnity receivable. We record the Tax Indemnity receivable based on the amounts indemnified which are determined in accordance with the provisions set forth in ASC 740 Income Taxes. Unrecognized tax benefits recorded pursuant to uncertain tax positions were $174.4 million and $90.5 million as of September 30, 2014and December 31, 2013, respectively, excluding interest, of which this entire amount would not impact our effective tax rate. Accrued interest related to these unrecognized tax benefits amounted to $57.5 million and $38.7 million as of September 30, 2014and December 31, 2013, respectively. We recognized a decrease in interest expense related to the unrecognized tax benefits of $1.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014.The decrease to interest expense recorded this quarter is mainly attributable to the statute of limitations expiring on an uncertain tax position. The increase in unrecognized tax benefits recorded this quarter is due to a change in method of accounting whereby the timing and recognition of certain Master Planned Community gains was modified. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, the tax indemnity receivable increased by $13.4 million. This increase was due to the increase in the related interest income of $18.9 million and a loss on remeasurement of $5.5 million. We have significant permanent differences, primarily from warrant liability gains and losses, interest income on the tax indemnity receivable, and changes in valuation allowances that cause our effective tax rates to deviate greatly from statutory rates. The effective tax rates based upon actual operating results were 1.3% and (896.5)% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, compared to 41.4% and (29.5)% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively. The changes in the tax rates were primarily attributable to the changes in the warrant liability, the valuation allowance, unrecognized tax benefits and other permanent items. We file a consolidated corporate tax return which includes all of our subsidiaries with the exception of Victoria Ward, Limited (“Ward”), substantially all of which is owned by us. Ward elected to be taxed as a REIT, commencing with the taxable year beginning January 1, 2002. Ward has satisfied the REIT distribution requirements for 2013. In connection with the planned condominium development of Ward that was approved by the Hawaii Real Estate Commission during the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company now intends to revoke the REIT election during 2015, before future phases of condominium development commence. As a result of our intention to revoke REIT status, we recorded deferred tax liabilities in the fourth quarter 2013 of $48.0 million for book and tax basis differences that we no longer expect to reverse while Ward is a REIT.

NOTE 11 INCOME TAXES

Several of our subsidiaries are involved in a dispute with the IRS relating to years in which those subsidiaries were owned by General Growth Properties (“GGP”), and in connection therewith, GGP has provided us with an indemnity against certain potential tax liabilities. Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement, GGP has indemnified us from and against 93.75% of any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and reasonable expenses to which we become subject (the “Tax Indemnity”), in each case solely to the extent directly attributable to certain taxes related to sales of certain assets in our Master Planned Communities segment prior to March 31, 2010 (“MPC Taxes”), in an amount up to $303.8 million, plus interest and penalties related to these amounts (the “Indemnity Cap”) so long as GGP controls the action in the United States Tax Court (the “Tax Court”) related to the dispute with the IRS as described below. We recorded the Tax Indemnity receivable at the Indemnity Cap amount as of the spinoff date. The unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest recorded through September 30, 2014are primarily related to the taxes that are the subject of the Tax Indemnity. We have recorded interest income receivable on the Tax Indemnity receivable in the amounts of $57.5 million and $38.6 million as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

On May 6, 2011, GGP filed Tax Court petitions on behalf of the two former taxable REIT subsidiaries of GGP seeking a redetermination of federal income tax for the years 2007 and 2008. The petitions seek to overturn determinations by the IRS that the taxpayers were liable for combined deficiencies totaling $144.1 million. On October 20, 2011, GGP filed a motion in the Tax Court to consolidate the cases of the two former taxable REIT subsidiaries of GGP subject to litigation with the Internal Revenue Service due to the common nature of the cases’ facts and circumstances and the issues being litigated. The Tax Court granted the motion to consolidate. The case was heard by the Tax Court in November 2012. The Tax Court filed their ruling in favor of the IRS on June 2, 2014. The Tax Court ruling may be appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A decision whether to appeal has not yet been made. The time period to appeal will expire during the fourth quarter of 2014.

The timing of the utilization of the tax assets attributable to indemnified and non-indemnified gains results in changes to the Tax Indemnity receivable and is dependent on numerous future events, such as the timing of recognition of indemnified and non-indemnified gains, the amount of each type of gain recognized in each year, the use of specific deductions and the ultimate amount of indemnified gains recognized. These non-cash changes could be material to our financial statements. Resolution of the Tax Court case noted above could also result in material changes to the Master Planned Community deferred gains and the timing of utilization of the tax assets, both of which could result in changes to the Tax Indemnity receivable. We record the Tax Indemnity receivable based on the amounts indemnified which are determined in accordance with the provisions set forth in ASC 740 Income Taxes.

Unrecognized tax benefits recorded pursuant to uncertain tax positions were $174.4 million and $90.5 million as of September 30, 2014and December 31, 2013, respectively, excluding interest, of which this entire amount would not impact our effective tax rate. Accrued interest related to these unrecognized tax benefits amounted to $57.5 million and $38.7 million as of September 30, 2014and December 31, 2013, respectively. We recognized a decrease in interest expense related to the unrecognized tax benefits of $1.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014.The decrease to interest expense recorded this quarter is mainly attributable to the statute of limitations expiring on an uncertain tax position. The increase in unrecognized tax benefits recorded this quarter is due to a change in method of accounting whereby the timing and recognition of certain Master Planned Community gains was modified.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, the tax indemnity receivable increased by $13.4 million. This increase was due to the increase in the related interest income of $18.9 million and a loss on remeasurement of $5.5 million.

We have significant permanent differences, primarily from warrant liability gains and losses, interest income on the tax indemnity receivable, and changes in valuation allowances that cause our effective tax rates to deviate greatly from statutory rates. The effective tax rates based upon actual operating results were 1.3% and (896.5)% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, compared to 41.4% and (29.5)% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively. The changes in the tax rates were primarily attributable to the changes in the warrant liability, the valuation allowance, unrecognized tax benefits and other permanent items.

We file a consolidated corporate tax return which includes all of our subsidiaries with the exception of Victoria Ward, Limited (“Ward”), substantially all of which is owned by us. Ward elected to be taxed as a REIT, commencing with the taxable year beginning January 1, 2002. Ward has satisfied the REIT distribution requirements for 2013. In connection with the planned condominium development of Ward that was approved by the Hawaii Real Estate Commission during the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company now intends to revoke the REIT election during 2015, before future phases of condominium development commence. As a result of our intention to revoke REIT status, we recorded deferred tax liabilities in the fourth quarter 2013 of $48.0 million for book and tax basis differences that we no longer expect to reverse while Ward is a REIT.