±«ÓãÖ±²¥

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

INCOME TAXES

v3.19.1
INCOME TAXES
12 Months Ended
Mar. 30, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] Ìý
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES
The provision for income taxes was computed based on the following amounts of income from continuing operations before income taxes:
Ìý
Ìý
Year Ended March
Ìý
Ìý
Three Months
Ended March
(Transition Period)
Ìý
Year Ended December
(In thousands)
Ìý
2019
Ìý
Ìý
2018
Ìý
2017
Ìý
2016
Domestic
Ìý
$
337,066

Ìý
Ìý
$
4,163

Ìý
$
364,846

Ìý
$
301,760

Foreign
Ìý
1,190,338

Ìý
Ìý
289,970

Ìý
1,051,649

Ìý
982,956

Income before income taxes
Ìý
$
1,527,404

Ìý
Ìý
$
294,133

Ìý
$
1,416,495

Ìý
$
1,284,716


The provision for income taxes consisted of:
Ìý
Ìý
Year Ended March
Ìý
Ìý
Three Months
Ended March
(Transition Period)
Ìý
Year Ended December
(In thousands)
Ìý
2019
Ìý
Ìý
2018
Ìý
2017
Ìý
2016
Current:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Federal
Ìý
$
143,872

Ìý
Ìý
$
(4,864
)
Ìý
$
618,611

Ìý
$
115,570

Foreign
Ìý
164,974

Ìý
Ìý
36,634

Ìý
135,007

Ìý
123,960

State
Ìý
22,455

Ìý
Ìý
896

Ìý
21,506

Ìý
37,957

Ìý
Ìý
331,301

Ìý
Ìý
32,666

Ìý
775,124

Ìý
277,487

Deferred:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Federal and state
Ìý
(53,715
)
Ìý
Ìý
(13,656
)
Ìý
(76,039
)
Ìý
(63,610
)
Foreign
Ìý
(9,186
)
Ìý
Ìý
13,959

Ìý
(3,799
)
Ìý
(8,015
)
Ìý
Ìý
(62,901
)
Ìý
Ìý
303

Ìý
(79,838
)
Ìý
(71,625
)
Income taxes
Ìý
$
268,400

Ìý
Ìý
$
32,969

Ìý
$
695,286

Ìý
$
205,862



On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Act. The Tax Act included a broad range of complex provisions impacting the taxation of multi-national companies. Generally, accounting for the impacts of newly enacted tax legislation is required to be completed in the period of enactment, however in response to the complexities and ambiguity surrounding the Tax Act, the SEC released SAB 118 to provide companies with relief around the initial accounting for the Tax Act. Pursuant to SAB 118, the SEC provided a one-year measurement period for companies to analyze and finalize accounting for the Tax Act. During the one-year measurement period, SAB 118 allowed companies to recognize provisional amounts when reasonable estimates could be made for the impacts resulting from the Tax Act.
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ finalized its accounting for the Tax Act during the one-year measurement period under SAB 118, and recognized additional net charges of $18.2 million, primarily comprised of $14.3 million tax expense related to the transition tax, additional tax benefits of $0.3 million related to revaluing U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities using the new U.S. corporate tax rate of 21%, and $4.2 million tax expense related to establishing a deferred tax liability for foreign withholding taxes, resulting in a cumulative net charge of $483.7 million. The measurement period adjustments include $5.1 million of net tax benefit recognized in the three months ended March 2018 and $23.3 million of net tax expense recognized during the year ended March 2019.
On January 15, 2019 final regulations under Section 965 related to the transition tax were released. After analyzing these regulations, the Company recorded an additional net charge of $13.9 million, primarily comprised of $20.7 million tax expense related to transition tax and a net tax benefit of $6.8 million related to a reduction in unrecognized tax benefits as a result of the final regulations.
The income tax payable attributable to the transition tax is due over an 8-year period beginning in 2018. AtÌýMarch 30, 2019, a noncurrent income tax payable of approximately $416.1 million attributable to the transition tax is reflected in the other liabilities line item of the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
The Tax Act created a new tax on certain GILTI from foreign operations. Under GAAP, companies may make an accounting policy election to either treat taxes resulting from GILTI as a current-period expense when they are incurred or factor such amounts into the measurement of deferred taxes. The Company completed its analysis of the effects of the GILTI provisions and determined it will treat the taxes resulting from GILTI as a current-period expense, which is consistent with the treatment prior to the accounting policy election.
The differences between income taxes computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate and income tax expense reported in the consolidated financial statements are as follows:
Ìý
Ìý
Year Ended March
Ìý
Ìý
Three Months
Ended March
(Transition Period)
Ìý
Year Ended December
(In thousands)
Ìý
2019
Ìý
Ìý
2018
Ìý
2017
Ìý
2016
Tax at federal statutory rate
Ìý
$
320,755

Ìý
Ìý
$
61,768

Ìý
$
495,772

Ìý
$
449,650

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit
Ìý
32,954

Ìý
Ìý
(4,745
)
Ìý
23,684

Ìý
24,426

Foreign rate differences
Ìý
(84,702
)
Ìý
Ìý
(9,227
)
Ìý
(217,131
)
Ìý
(262,392
)
Tax reform
Ìý
37,262

Ìý
Ìý
(5,107
)
Ìý
465,501

Ìý
—

Capital losses
Ìý
—

Ìý
Ìý
—

Ìý
(67,032
)
Ìý
—

Valuation allowances (federal)
Ìý
—

Ìý
Ìý
977

Ìý
37,296

Ìý
—

Stock compensation (federal)
Ìý
(26,398
)
Ìý
Ìý
(10,060
)
Ìý
(22,826
)
Ìý
(25,135
)
Other
Ìý
(11,471
)
Ìý
Ìý
(637
)
Ìý
(19,978
)
Ìý
19,313

Income taxes
Ìý
$
268,400

Ìý
Ìý
$
32,969

Ìý
$
695,286

Ìý
$
205,862



Income tax expense includes tax benefits of $6.3 million, $9.8 million, $10.1 million and $19.4 million in the year ended March 2019, the three months ended March 2018 and the years ended December 2017 and 2016, respectively, from favorable audit outcomes on certain tax matters and from expiration of statutes of limitations.
On January 4, 2016, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ sold certain intellectual property rights among various subsidiaries, which more closely aligns the intellectual property rights for certain foreign operations with the respective business activities of those operations, consistent with how the intellectual property is used and developed within the business. The sale of these intellectual property rights was classified as an intra-entity transaction under GAAP, and as such, the corresponding gain was eliminated from the 2016 consolidated financial statements, and the tax impact of the gain was established at the transaction date as a deferred charge of $291.1 million within the other assets line item on the 2016 Consolidated Balance Sheet. In October 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for intra-entity asset transfers. The new guidance requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The Company early adopted this guidance in the first quarter of 2017 using the modified retrospective method, which requires a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The cumulative adjustment to the January 1, 2017 Consolidated Balance Sheet was a reduction in both the other assets and retained earnings line items of $237.8 million.
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ was granted a ruling which lowered the effective income tax rate on taxable earnings for years 2010 through 2014 under Belgium’s excess profit tax regime. In February 2015, the European Union Commission (“EUâ€) opened a state aid investigation into Belgium’s rulings. On JanuaryÌý11, 2016, the EU announced its decision that these rulings were illegal and ordered that tax benefits granted under these rulings should be collected from the affected companies, including ±«ÓãÖ±²¥.
On March 22, 2016, the Belgium government filed an appeal seeking annulment of the EU decision. Additionally, on June 21, 2016, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Europe BVBA filed its own application for annulment of the EU decision.
On December 22, 2016, Belgium adopted a law which entitled the Belgium tax authorities to issue tax assessments, and demand timely payments from companies which benefited from the excess profits regime. On January 10, 2017, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Europe BVBA received an assessment for €31.9 million tax and interest related to excess profits benefits received in prior years. ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Europe BVBA remitted €31.9 million ($33.9 million) on January 13, 2017, which was recorded as an income tax receivable in 2017 based on the expected success of the aforementioned requests for annulment. An additional assessment of €3.1 million ($3.8 million) was received and paid in January 2018. On February 14, 2019 the General Court annulled the EU decision and on April 26, 2019 the EU appealed the General Court's annulment. Both listed requests for annulment remain open and unresolved. If this matter is adversely resolved, these amounts will not be collected by ±«ÓãÖ±²¥.
In addition, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ has been granted a lower effective income tax rate on taxable earnings in another foreign jurisdiction for the years 2010 through 2019. This lower rate, when compared with the country’s statutory rate, resulted in income tax reductions of $15.7 million ($0.04 per diluted share) in the year ended March 2019, $7.5 million ($0.02 per diluted share) in the three months ended March 2018, $17.8 million ($0.04 per diluted share) in the year ended December 2017 and $12.0 million ($0.03 per diluted share) in the year ended December 2016.
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following:
(In thousands)
Ìý
March 2019
Ìý
Ìý
March 2018
Ìý
December 2017
Deferred income tax assets:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Inventories
Ìý
$
32,647

Ìý
Ìý
$
24,797

Ìý
$
21,146

Deferred compensation
Ìý
51,913

Ìý
Ìý
53,843

Ìý
55,326

Other employee benefits
Ìý
69,594

Ìý
Ìý
52,456

Ìý
45,464

Stock compensation
Ìý
37,317

Ìý
Ìý
38,244

Ìý
45,960

Other accrued expenses
Ìý
127,684

Ìý
Ìý
155,635

Ìý
158,632

Capital loss carryforwards
Ìý
19,423

Ìý
Ìý
46,069

Ìý
34,705

Operating loss carryforwards
Ìý
229,955

Ìý
Ìý
252,695

Ìý
251,236

Gross deferred income tax assets
Ìý
568,533

Ìý
Ìý
623,739

Ìý
612,469

Valuation allowances
Ìý
(188,258
)
Ìý
Ìý
(226,269
)
Ìý
(225,141
)
Net deferred income tax assets
Ìý
380,275

Ìý
Ìý
397,470

Ìý
387,328

Deferred income tax liabilities:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Depreciation
Ìý
25,355

Ìý
Ìý
27,023

Ìý
25,272

Intangible assets
Ìý
222,769

Ìý
Ìý
223,435

Ìý
237,667

Other deferred tax liabilities
Ìý
91,464

Ìý
Ìý
82,406

Ìý
78,824

Deferred income tax liabilities
Ìý
339,588

Ìý
Ìý
332,864

Ìý
341,763

Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)
Ìý
$
40,687

Ìý
Ìý
$
64,606

Ìý
$
45,565

Amounts included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Other assets (Note 10)
Ìý
$
109,551

Ìý
Ìý
$
105,493

Ìý
$
103,601

Other liabilities (Note 14)
Ìý
(68,864
)
Ìý
Ìý
(40,887
)
Ìý
(58,036
)
Ìý
Ìý
$
40,687

Ìý
Ìý
$
64,606

Ìý
$
45,565



At the end of Fiscal 2019, the Company is not asserting indefinite reinvestment with regards to short-term liquid assets of certain foreign subsidiaries. All other foreign earnings, including basis differences of certain foreign subsidiaries, continue to be considered indefinitely reinvested. The Company has not determined the deferred tax liability associated with these undistributed earnings and basis differences, as such determination is not practicable.
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ has potential tax benefits totaling $199.3 million for foreign operating loss carryforwards, of which $171.3 million have an unlimited carryforward life. In addition, there are $0.1 million of potential tax benefits for federal operating loss carryforwards that expire in 2020, $19.4 million of potential tax benefits for federal and state capital loss carryforwards that begin to expire in 2022 and $30.5 million of potential tax benefits for state operating loss and credit carryforwards that expire between 2020 and 2039.
A valuation allowance has been provided where it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets related to those operating loss carryforwards will not be realized. Valuation allowances totaled $150.5 million for available foreign operating loss carryforwards, $5.1 million for available capital loss carryforwards, $22.7 million for available state operating loss and credit carryforwards, and $10.0 million for other foreign deferred income tax assets. During Fiscal 2019, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ had a net decrease in valuation allowances of $25.5 million related to capital loss carryforwards,a net increase of $1.7 million related to state operating loss and credit carryforwards and a decrease of $17.1 million related to foreign operating loss carryforwards and other foreign deferred tax assets, inclusive of foreign currency effects.
A reconciliation of the change in the accrual for unrecognized income tax benefits is as follows:
(In thousands)
Unrecognized
Income Tax
Benefits
Ìý
Accrued
Interest
andÌýPenalties
Ìý
Unrecognized
Income Tax
Benefits
IncludingÌýInterest
and Penalties
Ìý
Balance, December 2015
$
75,677

Ìý
$
9,369

Ìý
$
85,046

Ìý
Additions for current year tax positions
121,025

Ìý
—

Ìý
121,025

Ìý
Additions for prior year tax positions
6,164

Ìý
2,880

Ìý
9,044

Ìý
Reductions for prior year tax positions
(4,798
)
Ìý
(1,362
)
Ìý
(6,160
)
Ìý
Reductions due to statute expirations
(14,985
)
Ìý
(1,335
)
Ìý
(16,320
)
Ìý
Payments in settlement
(6,108
)
Ìý
(829
)
Ìý
(6,937
)
Ìý
Currency translation
(9
)
Ìý
(14
)
Ìý
(23
)
Ìý
Balance, December 2016
176,966

Ìý
8,709

Ìý
185,675

Ìý
Additions for current year tax positions
28,049

Ìý
—

Ìý
28,049

Ìý
Additions for prior year tax positions
22,968

Ìý
6,808

Ìý
29,776

Ìý
Reductions for prior year tax positions
(22,163
)
Ìý
(279
)
Ìý
(22,442
)
Ìý
Reductions due to statute expirations
(9,028
)
Ìý
(915
)
Ìý
(9,943
)
Ìý
Payments in settlement
(855
)
Ìý
(248
)
Ìý
(1,103
)
Ìý
Currency translation
55

Ìý
11

Ìý
66

Ìý
Balance, December 2017
195,992

Ìý
14,086

Ìý
210,078

Ìý
Additions for current year tax positions
2,012

Ìý
—

Ìý
2,012

Ìý
Additions for prior year tax positions
477

Ìý
2,340

Ìý
2,817

Ìý
Reductions for prior year tax positions
(201
)
Ìý
(3
)
Ìý
(204
)
Ìý
Reductions due to statute expirations
(9,222
)
Ìý
(985
)
Ìý
(10,207
)
Ìý
Payments in settlement
—

Ìý
—

Ìý
—

Ìý
Currency translation
17

Ìý
2

Ìý
19

Ìý
Balance, March 2018
189,075

Ìý
15,440

Ìý
204,515

Ìý
Additions for current year tax positions
8,511

Ìý
—

Ìý
8,511

Ìý
Additions for prior year tax positions
16,211

Ìý
12,521

Ìý
28,732

Ìý
Reductions for prior year tax positions
(18,753
)
Ìý
(467
)
Ìý
(19,220
)
Ìý
Reductions due to statute expirations
(30
)
Ìý
(7
)
Ìý
(37
)
Ìý
Payments in settlement
(6,754
)
Ìý
(919
)
Ìý
(7,673
)
Ìý
Currency translation
(35
)
Ìý
(3
)
Ìý
(38
)
Ìý
Balance, March 2019
$
188,225

Ìý
$
26,565

Ìý
$
214,790

Ìý

(In thousands)
Ìý
March 2019
Ìý
Ìý
March 2018
Ìý
December 2017
Amounts included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Unrecognized income tax benefits, including interest and penalties
Ìý
$
214,790

Ìý
Ìý
$
204,515

Ìý
$
210,078

Less deferred tax benefits
Ìý
40,862

Ìý
Ìý
35,474

Ìý
31,197

Total unrecognized tax benefits
Ìý
$
173,928

Ìý
Ìý
$
169,041

Ìý
$
178,881



The unrecognized tax benefits of $173.9 million at the end of Fiscal 2019, if recognized, would reduce the annual effective tax rate.
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ files a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return, as well as separate and combined income tax returns in numerous state and international jurisdictions. In the U.S., the IRS examinations for tax years through 2014 have been effectively settled. The examination of Timberland’s 2011 tax return is ongoing.
In addition, ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ is currently subject to examination by various state and international tax authorities. Management regularly assesses the potential outcomes of both ongoing and future examinations for the current and prior years and has concluded that ±«ÓãÖ±²¥â€™s provision for income taxes is adequate. The outcome of any one examination is not expected to have a material impact on ±«ÓãÖ±²¥â€™s consolidated financial statements. Management believes that some of these audits and negotiations will conclude during the next 12 months. Management also believes that it is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized income tax benefits may decrease by $28.5 million within the next 12 months due to settlement of audits and expiration of statutes of limitations, $27.1 million of which would reduce income tax expense.