Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	NOTE 5. INCOME TAXES For the first quarter of 2021, we recorded income tax expense of $15 million on income before income taxes of $33 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 includes net discrete charges of $3 million. For the first quarter of 2020, we recorded income tax expense of $249 million on a loss before income taxes of $368 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 includes net discrete charges of $290 million, primarily related to the establishment of a $295 million valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets for foreign tax credits. We record taxes based on overall estimated annual effective tax rates. The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above. The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $182 million, and forecasted losses for the full year in foreign jurisdictions in which no tax benefits are recorded, which were accentuated during 2020 by business interruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We consider both positive and negative evidence when measuring the need for a valuation allowance. The weight given to the evidence is commensurate with the extent to which it may be objectively verified. Current and cumulative financial reporting results are a source of objectively verifiable evidence. We give operating results during the most recent three-year period a significant weight in our analysis. We typically only consider forecasts of future profitability when positive cumulative operating results exist in the most recent three-year period. We perform scheduling exercises to determine if sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character exists in the periods required in order to realize our deferred tax assets with limited lives (such as tax loss carryforwards and tax credits) prior to their expiration. We consider tax planning strategies available to accelerate taxable amounts if required to utilize expiring deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is not required to the extent that, in our judgment, positive evidence exists with a magnitude and duration sufficient to result in a conclusion that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will be realized. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.2 billion of U.S. federal, state and local deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances totaling $368 million primarily for foreign tax credits with limited lives. Approximately $900 million of these U.S. net deferred tax assets have unlimited lives and approximately $300 million have limited lives and expire between 2025 and 2041. In the U.S., we have a cumulative loss for the three-year period ending March 31, 2021. However, as the three-year cumulative loss in the U.S. is driven by business disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, in assessing our ability to utilize our deferred tax assets, we also considered objectively verifiable information including recent favorable recovery trends in the tire industry and our tire volume as well as expected continued improvement. While the COVID-19 related disruptions to our business are ultimately expected to be temporary, there is still considerable uncertainty around the extent and duration of these disruptions as well as what additional actions federal, state or local governments may take to contain the pandemic. As such, an additional valuation allowance may be required against all, or a portion of, our U.S. net deferred tax assets in a future period. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, our U.S. deferred tax assets included $140 million and $133 million, respectively, of foreign tax credits with limited lives, net of valuation allowances of $328 million, generated primarily from the receipt of foreign dividends. Our earnings and forecasts of future profitability, taking into consideration recent trends, along with three significant sources of foreign income provide us sufficient positive evidence that we will be able to utilize our remaining foreign tax credits that expire between 2025 and 2031. Our sources of foreign income are (1) 100% of our domestic profitability can be re-characterized as foreign source income under current U.S. tax law to the extent domestic losses have offset foreign source income in prior years, (2) annual net foreign source income, exclusive of dividends, primarily from royalties, and (3) tax planning strategies, including capitalizing research and development costs, accelerating income on cross border transactions, including sales of inventory or raw materials to our subsidiaries, and reducing U.S. interest expense by, for example, reducing intercompany loans through repatriating current year earnings of foreign subsidiaries, all of which would increase our domestic profitability. We consider our current forecasts of future profitability in assessing our ability to realize our deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits. As noted above, these forecasts include the impact of recent trends, including various macroeconomic factors such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on our profitability, as well as the impact of tax planning strategies. Macroeconomic factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, possess a high degree of volatility and can significantly impact our profitability. As such, there is a risk that future earnings will not be sufficient to fully utilize our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our remaining foreign tax credits. However, we believe our forecasts of future profitability along with the three significant sources of foreign income described above provide us sufficient positive, objectively verifiable evidence to conclude that it is more likely than not that, at March 31, 2021, our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits, net of valuation allowances, will be fully utilized. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion of foreign deferred tax assets, respectively, and valuation allowances of $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively. Our losses in various foreign taxing jurisdictions in recent periods represented sufficient negative evidence to require us to maintain a full valuation allowance against certain of these net foreign deferred tax assets. Most notably, in Luxembourg, we maintain a valuation allowance of approximately $923 million on all of our net deferred tax assets. Each reporting period, we assess available positive and negative evidence and estimate if sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize these existing deferred tax assets. We do not believe that sufficient positive evidence required to release valuation allowances having a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations will exist within the next twelve months. For the three months ending March 31, 2021, changes to our unrecognized tax benefits did not, and for the full year of 2021 are not expected to, have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations. We are open to examination in the United States for 2020 and in Germany from 2018 onward. Generally, for our remaining tax jurisdictions, years from 2016 onward are still open to examination.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

NOTE 5. INCOME TAXES

For the first quarter of 2021, we recorded income tax expense of $15 million on income before income taxes of $33 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 includes net discrete charges of $3 million.

For the first quarter of 2020, we recorded income tax expense of $249 million on a loss before income taxes of $368 million. Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 includes net discrete charges of $290 million, primarily related to the establishment of a $295 million valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets for foreign tax credits.

We record taxes based on overall estimated annual effective tax rates. The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above. The difference between our effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 21% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily relates to the discrete items noted above, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $182 million, and forecasted losses for the full year in foreign jurisdictions in which no tax benefits are recorded, which were accentuated during 2020 by business interruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We consider both positive and negative evidence when measuring the need for a valuation allowance. The weight given to the evidence is commensurate with the extent to which it may be objectively verified. Current and cumulative financial reporting results are a source of objectively verifiable evidence. We give operating results during the most recent three-year period a significant weight in our analysis. We typically only consider forecasts of future profitability when positive cumulative operating results exist in the most recent three-year period. We perform scheduling exercises to determine if sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character exists in the periods required in order to realize our deferred tax assets with limited lives (such as tax loss carryforwards and tax credits) prior to their expiration. We consider tax planning strategies available to accelerate taxable amounts if required to utilize expiring deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is not required to the extent that, in our judgment, positive evidence exists with a magnitude and duration sufficient to result in a conclusion that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will be realized.

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.2 billion of U.S. federal, state and local deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances totaling $368 million primarily for foreign tax credits with limited lives. Approximately $900 million of these U.S. net deferred tax assets have unlimited lives and approximately $300 million have limited lives and expire between 2025 and 2041. In the U.S., we have a cumulative loss for the three-year period ending March 31, 2021. However, as the three-year cumulative loss in the U.S. is driven by business disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, in assessing our ability to utilize our deferred tax assets, we also considered objectively verifiable information including recent favorable recovery trends in the tire industry and our tire volume as well as expected continued improvement. While the COVID-19 related disruptions to our business are ultimately expected to be temporary, there is still considerable uncertainty around the extent and duration of these disruptions as well as what additional actions federal, state or local governments may take to contain the pandemic. As such, an additional valuation allowance may be required against all, or a portion of, our U.S. net deferred tax assets in a future period.

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, our U.S. deferred tax assets included $140 million and $133 million, respectively, of foreign tax credits with limited lives, net of valuation allowances of $328 million, generated primarily from the receipt of foreign dividends. Our earnings and forecasts of future profitability, taking into consideration recent trends, along with three significant sources of foreign income provide us sufficient positive evidence that we will be able to utilize our remaining foreign tax credits that expire between 2025 and 2031. Our sources of foreign income are (1) 100% of our domestic profitability can be re-characterized as foreign source income under current U.S. tax law to the extent domestic losses have offset foreign source income in prior years, (2) annual net foreign source income, exclusive of dividends, primarily from royalties, and (3) tax planning strategies, including capitalizing research and development costs, accelerating income on cross border transactions, including sales of inventory or raw materials to our subsidiaries, and reducing U.S. interest expense by, for example, reducing intercompany loans through repatriating current year earnings of foreign subsidiaries, all of which would increase our domestic profitability.

We consider our current forecasts of future profitability in assessing our ability to realize our deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits. As noted above, these forecasts include the impact of recent trends, including various macroeconomic factors such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on our profitability, as well as the impact of tax planning strategies. Macroeconomic factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, possess a high degree of volatility and can significantly impact our profitability. As such, there is a risk that future earnings will not be sufficient to fully utilize our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our remaining foreign tax credits. However, we believe our forecasts of future profitability along with the three significant sources of foreign income described above provide us sufficient positive, objectively verifiable evidence to conclude that it is more likely than not that, at March 31, 2021, our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our foreign tax credits, net of valuation allowances, will be fully utilized.

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion of foreign deferred tax assets, respectively, and valuation allowances of $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively. Our losses in various foreign taxing jurisdictions in recent periods represented sufficient negative evidence to require us to maintain a full valuation allowance against certain of these net foreign deferred tax assets. Most notably, in Luxembourg, we maintain a valuation allowance of approximately $923 million on all of our net deferred tax assets. Each reporting period, we assess available positive and negative evidence and estimate if sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize these existing deferred tax assets. We do not believe that sufficient positive evidence required to release valuation allowances having a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations will exist within the next twelve months.

For the three months ending March 31, 2021, changes to our unrecognized tax benefits did not, and for the full year of 2021 are not expected to, have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.

We are open to examination in the United States for 2020 and in Germany from 2018 onward. Generally, for our remaining tax jurisdictions, years from 2016 onward are still open to examination.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

+ References + Details