Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

(10) INCOME TAXES

The provision for income taxes for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2020 is based on our projected annual effective tax rate for fiscal year 2021, adjusted for specific items that are required to be recognized in the period in which they are incurred.

Our effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2020 were 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively, as compared to 8 percent and negative 140 percent, respectively, for the same periods in fiscal year 2020.

During the three months ended June 30, 2019, we completed an intra-entity sale of some of our intellectual property rights to our Swiss subsidiary, where our international business is headquartered (the “Swiss intra-entity sale”), resulting in the recognition of a $1.17 billion net Swiss deferred tax asset, which will reverse over a 20-year period. Separately, during the three months ended September 30, 2019, Switzerland enacted a new statutory tax rate. As a result of the enactment, we remeasured our Swiss deferred tax asset and recognized an additional net tax benefit of $630 million through continuing operations (“Swiss rate change benefit”). In addition, the opinion of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Altera Corp. v Commissioner (the “Altera opinion”) resulted in the recognition of $90 million of unrecognized tax benefits related to U.S. uncertain tax positions during the three months ended June 30, 2019. Excluding the Swiss intra-entity sale, Swiss rate change benefit and Altera opinion, the effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2019 would have been 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

When compared to the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21 percent, the effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2020 were lower primarily due to the decreases in unrecognized tax benefits related to prior year tax positions, net of a partial valuation allowance, and excess tax benefits on stock-based compensation.

We are subject to income tax examinations in various jurisdictions with respect to fiscal years after 2010. The timing and potential resolution of income tax examinations is highly uncertain. The total unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020 were $563 million:


Balance as of March 31, 2020	$	983
Increases in unrecognized tax benefits related to prior year tax positions	5
Decreases in unrecognized tax benefits related to prior year tax positions	(441)
Increases in unrecognized tax benefits related to current year tax positions	35
Decreases in unrecognized tax benefits related to settlements with taxing authorities	(2)
Reductions in unrecognized tax benefits due to lapse of applicable statute of limitations	(24)
Changes in unrecognized tax benefits due to foreign currency translation	7
Balance as of December 31, 2020	$	563

While we continue to measure our uncertain tax positions, the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ materially from the amounts accrued. In the period ended June 30, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States denied Altera’s appeal of the Altera opinion, resulting in a partial decrease of our unrecognized tax benefits, as well as a reclassification of approximately $80 million of non-current payable to current payable. A complete resolution and settlement of the matters underlying the Altera opinion is reasonably possible within the next 12 months, which would result in an additional reduction of our gross unrecognized tax benefits. However, it is uncertain whether a complete resolution and settlement of such matters would also result in resolution of all related and unrelated U.S. positions for all applicable years. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a range of potential outcomes associated with a reversal of our gross unrecognized tax benefits.

Every quarter, we perform a realizability analysis to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that all or a portion of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. During the nine months ended December 31, 2020, we recognized an additional $41 million of valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets primarily due to the recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits related to prior year tax positions and a change in current year estimated ordinary income.

- 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.

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