Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company’s effective income tax rates for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was a benefit of 26.8% and 146.3%, respectively, resulting from increased discrete tax benefits combined with increased pretax losses, and benefit of 20.3% and provision of 8.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, resulting from more discrete tax benefits combined with year to date pretax losses.

The differences between the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21.0% and the Company’s effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 were impacted by a variety of factors, primarily resulting from the geographic mix of where the income was earned, as well as certain taxable income inclusion items in the U.S. based on foreign earnings.

The three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 were impacted by certain discrete items. Income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2023 included discrete tax benefits of $71 million due to the release of a deferred tax liability related to a U.S. legal entity reorganization, $10 million due to the filing of tax returns in various jurisdictions, $16 million associated with impairment charges and $18 million due to the settlement of the U.K. pension plan. The nine months ended September 30, 2023 also included certain discrete items totaling $10 million of additional income tax expense.

The three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 were also impacted by certain discrete items. Income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2022 included a discrete benefit of $58 million associated with a change in the Company's indefinite reinvestment assertion regarding certain earnings within its Irish operations, $6 million associated with tradename impairments, $4 million associated with the reduction of a valuation allowance related to operations in the state of Georgia and $2 million associated with the approval of certain state tax credits. The nine months ended September 30, 2022 also included a discrete benefit of $11 million associated with the reduction in valuation allowance related to the integration of certain Brazilian operations and $4 million associated with the approval of certain state tax credits, offset by $16 million of tax expense related to the divestiture of the CH&S business.

The Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for 2011 to 2015 and 2017 to 2020, as well as certain state and non-U.S. income tax returns for various years, are under examination.