Income taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income taxes

Income taxes

The effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, were 10.4% and 11.8%, respectively, compared with 12.6% for both of the corresponding periods of the prior year.

The decrease in our effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2022, was primarily due to the prior year nondeductible IPR&D expense arising from the acquisition of Five Prime and net favorable items, partially offset by a nondeductible loss from a nonstrategic divestiture. The decrease in our effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was primarily due to the prior year nondeductible IPR&D expense arising from the acquisition of Five Prime, partially offset by current year net unfavorable items compared to last year and a nondeductible loss from a nonstrategic divestiture. The effective tax rates differ from the federal statutory rate primarily as a result of foreign earnings from the Company’s operations conducted in Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States treated as a foreign jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes, that are currently subject to a tax incentive grant through 2035. In addition, the Company’s operations conducted in Singapore are subject to a tax incentive grant through 2034. These foreign earnings are also subject to U.S. tax at a reduced rate of 10.5%. See Note 2, Acquisitions and divestitures.

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico imposes a 4% excise tax on the gross intercompany purchase price of goods and services from our manufacturer in Puerto Rico. We account for the excise tax as a manufacturing cost that is capitalized in Inventories and expensed in Cost of sales when the related products are sold. For U.S. income tax purposes, in 2022, the excise tax results in foreign tax credits that are generally recognized in our provision for income taxes when the excise tax is incurred.

One or more of our legal entities file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state jurisdictions and certain foreign jurisdictions. Our income tax returns are routinely examined by tax authorities in those jurisdictions. Significant disputes can and have arisen with tax authorities involving issues regarding the timing and amount of deductions, the use of tax credits and allocations of income and expenses among various tax jurisdictions because of differing interpretations of tax laws, regulations and relevant facts. Tax authorities, including the IRS, are becoming more aggressive and are particularly focused on such matters.

In 2017, we received an RAR and a modified RAR from the IRS for the years 2010–2012, proposing significant adjustments that primarily relate to the allocation of profits between certain of our entities in the United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. We disagreed with the proposed adjustments and calculations and pursued resolution with the IRS appeals office but were unable to reach resolution. In July 2021, we filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court to contest two duplicate Statutory Notices of Deficiency (Notices) for the years 2010–2012 that we received in May and July 2021, which seek to increase our U.S. taxable income for the years 2010–2012 by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $3.6 billion plus interest. Any additional tax that could be imposed for the years 2010–2012 would be reduced by up to approximately $900 million of repatriation tax previously accrued on our foreign earnings.

In 2020, we received an RAR and a modified RAR from the IRS for the years 2013–2015, also proposing significant adjustments that primarily relate to the allocation of profits between certain of our entities in the United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico similar to those proposed for the years 2010–2012. We disagreed with the proposed adjustments and calculations and pursued resolution with the IRS appeals office but were unable to reach resolution. In July 2022, we filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court to contest a Notice for the years 2013–2015 that we previously reported receiving in April 2022 that seeks to increase our U.S. taxable income for the years 2013–2015 by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $5.1 billion, plus interest. In addition, the Notice asserts penalties of approximately $2.0 billion. Any additional tax that could be imposed for the years 2013–2015 would be reduced by up to approximately $2.2 billion of repatriation tax previously accrued on our foreign earnings.

We firmly believe that the IRS positions set forth in the 2010–2012 and 2013–2015 Notices are without merit. We are contesting the 2010–2012 and 2013–2015 Notices through the judicial process, and we filed a motion to consolidate the two periods into one case in the U.S. Tax Court.

We are currently under examination by the IRS for the years 2016–2018 with respect to issues similar to those for the 2010 through 2015 period. In addition, we have examinations by a number of state and foreign tax jurisdictions.

Final resolution of these complex matters is not likely within the next 12 months. We believe our accrual for income tax liabilities is appropriate based on past experience, interpretations of tax law, application of the tax law to our facts and judgments about potential actions by tax authorities; however, due to the complexity of the provision for income taxes and uncertain resolution of these matters, the ultimate outcome of any tax matters may result in payments substantially greater than amounts accrued and could have a material adverse impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

We are no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations for years ended on or before December 31, 2009.

See Part II, Item 1A, Risk Factors—The adoption and interpretation of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities could affect our profitability in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2022, for further discussion.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the gross amounts of our UTBs increased by $25 million and $120 million, respectively, as a result of tax positions taken during the current year. Substantially all of the UTBs as of September 30, 2022, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate.