Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Income Taxes

v3.3.0.814
Income Taxes
12 Months Ended
Sep. 27, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Note 3. Income Taxes
The components of the income tax provision for continuing operations were as follows (in millions):
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Current (benefit) provision:
 
 
 
 
 
Federal
$
(67
)
 
$
172

 
$
324

State
4

 
10

 
15

Foreign
1,307

 
1,116

 
1,068

 
1,244

 
1,298

 
1,407

Deferred (benefit) provision:
 
 
 
 
 
Federal
(9
)
 
(30
)
 
(32
)
State
1

 
(10
)
 
6

Foreign
(17
)
 
(14
)
 
(32
)
 
(25
)
 
(54
)
 
(58
)
 
$
1,219

 
$
1,244

 
$
1,349


The foreign component of the income tax provision consists primarily of foreign withholding taxes on royalty fees included in United States earnings.
The components of income from continuing operations before income taxes by United States and foreign jurisdictions were as follows (in millions):
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
United States
$
2,993

 
$
3,213

 
$
3,798

Foreign
3,494

 
5,565

 
4,396

 
$
6,487

 
$
8,778

 
$
8,194


The following is a reconciliation of the expected statutory federal income tax provision to the Company’s actual income tax provision for continuing operations (in millions):
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Expected income tax provision at federal statutory tax rate
$
2,270

 
$
3,072

 
$
2,868

State income tax provision, net of federal benefit
18

 
24

 
26

Foreign income taxed at other than U.S. rates
(937
)
 
(1,750
)
 
(1,362
)
Research and development tax credits
(148
)
 
(61
)
 
(195
)
Other
16

 
(41
)
 
12

 
$
1,219

 
$
1,244

 
$
1,349


During fiscal 2015, the NDRC imposed a fine of $975 million, which was not deductible for tax purposes and was substantially attributable to a foreign jurisdiction. Additionally, during fiscal 2015, the Company recorded a tax benefit of $101 million related to fiscal 2014 resulting from the United States government reinstating the federal research and development tax credit retroactively to January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2015 also reflected the United States federal research and development tax credit generated through December 31, 2014, the date on which the credit expired, and a $61 million tax benefit as a result of a favorable tax audit settlement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The Company’s QCT segments non-United States headquarters is located in Singapore. The Company has obtained tax incentives in Singapore that commenced in March 2012, which are effective through March 2027, that result in a tax exemption for the first five years provided that the Company meets specified employment and investment criteria. The Company’s Singapore tax rate will increase in fiscal 2017 and again in fiscal 2027 as a result of the expiration of these incentives. Had the Company established QCT’s non-United States headquarters in Singapore without these tax incentives, the Company’s income tax expense would have been higher and impacted earnings per share attributable to Qualcomm as follows (in millions, except per share amounts):
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Additional income tax expense
$
656

 
$
690

 
$
758

Reduction to diluted earnings per share
$
0.40

 
$
0.40

 
$
0.43


The Company considers the operating earnings of certain non-United States subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested outside the United States based on the Company’s plans for use and/or investment outside the United States and the Company’s belief that its sources of cash and liquidity in the United States will be sufficient to meet future domestic cash needs. The Company has not recorded a deferred tax liability of approximately $10.2 billion related to the United States federal and state income taxes and foreign withholding taxes on approximately $28.8 billion of undistributed earnings of certain non-United States subsidiaries indefinitely reinvested outside the United States. Should the Company decide to no longer indefinitely reinvest such earnings outside the United States, the Company would have to adjust the income tax provision in the period management makes such determination.
The Company files income tax returns in the United States federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is currently a participant in the IRS Compliance Assurance Process, whereby the IRS and the Company endeavor to agree on the treatment of all tax issues prior to the tax return being filed. The IRS completed its examination of the Company’s tax return for fiscal 2013 and issued a no change letter in October 2014, resulting in no change to the income tax provision. The Company is no longer subject to United States federal income tax examinations for years prior to fiscal 2014. The Company is subject to examination by the California Franchise Tax Board for fiscal years after 2011. The Company is also subject to income taxes in other taxing jurisdictions in the United States and around the world, many of which are open to tax examinations for periods after fiscal 2000. The outcome of any state or foreign income tax examination is not expected to be material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
The Company had deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as follows (in millions):
 
September 27, 2015
 
September 28, 2014
Unearned revenues
$
1,029

 
$
1,189

Unused tax credits
897

 
388

Unrealized losses on marketable securities
441

 
370

Share-based compensation
331

 
404

Accrued liabilities and reserves
317

 
529

Unused net operating losses
265

 
120

Other
95

 
93

Total gross deferred tax assets
3,375

 
3,093

Valuation allowance
(635
)
 
(414
)
Total net deferred tax assets
2,740

 
2,679

Intangible assets
(548
)
 
(315
)
Unrealized gains on marketable securities
(273
)
 
(484
)
Other
(105
)
 
(135
)
Total deferred tax liabilities
(926
)
 
(934
)
Net deferred tax assets
$
1,814

 
$
1,745

Reported as:
 
 
 
Current deferred tax assets
$
635

 
$
577

Non-current deferred tax assets
1,453

 
1,174

Current deferred tax liabilities (1)
(4
)
 

Non-current deferred tax liabilities (1)
(270
)
 
(6
)
 
$
1,814

 
$
1,745

(1)
Current deferred tax liabilities and non-current deferred tax liabilities were included in other current liabilities and other liabilities, respectively, in the consolidated balance sheets.
At September 27, 2015, the Company had unused federal net operating loss carryforwards of $366 million expiring from 2021 through 2033, unused state net operating loss carryforwards of $696 million expiring from 2016 through 2035 and unused foreign net operating loss carryforwards of $413 million expiring from 2019 through 2024. At September 27, 2015, the Company had unused state tax credits of $522 million, of which substantially all may be carried forward indefinitely, unused federal tax credits of $353 million expiring from 2025 through 2034 and unused tax credits of $22 million in foreign jurisdictions expiring from 2032 through 2035. The Company does not expect its federal net operating loss carryforwards to expire unused.
The Company believes, more likely than not, that it will have sufficient taxable income after deductions related to share-based awards to utilize the majority of its deferred tax assets. At September 27, 2015, the Company has provided a valuation allowance on certain state tax credits, foreign deferred tax assets, state net operating losses and state net capital losses of $513 million, $102 million, $19 million and $1 million, respectively. The valuation allowances reflect the uncertainties surrounding the Company’s ability to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain foreign and state tax jurisdictions to utilize its net operating losses and the Company’s ability to generate sufficient capital gains to utilize all capital losses.
A summary of the changes in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits for fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013 follows (in millions):
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Beginning balance of unrecognized tax benefits
$
87

 
$
221

 
$
86

Additions based on prior year tax positions
31

 
1

 
1

Reductions for prior year tax positions and lapse in statute of limitations
(70
)
 
(67
)
 

Additions for current year tax positions
5

 
5

 
145

Settlements with taxing authorities
(13
)
 
(73
)
 
(11
)
Ending balance of unrecognized tax benefits
$
40

 
$
87

 
$
221


The Company does not expect any unrecognized tax benefits recorded at September 27, 2015 to result in a significant cash payment in fiscal 2016. Unrecognized tax benefits at September 27, 2015 included $38 million for tax positions that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate. The unrecognized tax benefits differ from the amount that would affect the Company’s effective tax rate primarily because the unrecognized tax benefits were included on a gross basis and did not reflect secondary impacts such as the federal deduction for state taxes, adjustments to deferred tax assets and the valuation allowance that might be required if the Company’s tax positions are sustained. The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits in fiscal 2015 primarily resulted from a favorable tax audit settlement with the IRS related to Qualcomm Atheros, Inc.’s pre-acquisition 2010 and 2011 tax returns, which was partially offset by an increase related to the CSR acquisition (Note 9). The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits in fiscal 2014 was primarily due to an agreement reached with the IRS on components of the Company’s fiscal 2013 tax returns. The increase in unrecognized tax benefits in fiscal 2013 was primarily due to tax positions related to transfer pricing. The Company does not believe that it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at September 27, 2015 will significantly increase or decrease in fiscal 2016.
Cash amounts paid for income taxes, net of refunds received, were $1.2 billion, $1.2 billion and $1.1 billion for fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.