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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
The effective tax rate was 21.3 percent and 22.6 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and 30.4 percent and 21.4 percent for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decline in the effective tax rate for the three month period primarily reflected changes in the level and geographic mix of pretax income. The increase in the effective tax rate for the nine month period primarily reflected the impact of discrete tax charges in the current period related to the realizability of certain foreign deferred tax assets.
We are under continuous examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tax authorities in other countries and states in which we have significant business operations. The tax years under examination and open for examination vary by jurisdiction. We are currently under examination by the IRS for the 2017 and 2018 tax years.
We believe it is reasonably possible that our unrecognized tax benefits could decrease within the next 12 months by as much as $106 million, principally as a result of potential resolutions of prior years’ tax items with various taxing authorities. The prior years’ tax items include unrecognized tax benefits relating to the deductibility of certain expenses or losses and the attribution of taxable income to a particular jurisdiction or jurisdictions. Of the $106 million of unrecognized tax benefits, approximately $90 million relates to amounts that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate in a future period.