Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Income Taxes

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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
In December 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Reform Act. The legislation significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a modified territorial tax system and imposing a transition tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Reform Act reduces the U.S. corporate income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018. ASC 740: Income Taxes, requires companies to recognize the effect of the tax law changes in the period of enactment. However, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 which allows companies to record provisional amounts during a measurement period that is similar to the measurement period used when accounting for business combinations. During the nine months ended September 29, 2018, the Company did not recognize any adjustment to the provisional amounts recorded as of December 30, 2017. The Company will continue to assess the Tax Reform Act’s impact for the rest of 2018, including its interpretation by regulatory authorities and the courts, and will adjust its disclosures and financial presentation as necessary. Given the complexity of the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) provisions, the Company is still evaluating the effects of the GILTI provisions and has not yet determined its accounting policy. As of September 29, 2018, because the Company is still evaluating the GILTI provisions and its analysis of future taxable income that is subject to GILTI, the Company has considered GILTI related to current-year operations only in its estimated annualized effective tax rate and has not provided additional GILTI on deferred items.
In the third quarter of 2018, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $12 million, consisting primarily of $5 million for federal base erosion and anti-abuse tax, which is a new tax under the Tax Reform Act, and $7 million for withholding taxes applicable to IP-related revenue from foreign locations.
For the nine months ended September 29, 2018, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $26 million, consisting primarily of $15 million for federal base erosion and anti-abuse tax, $7 million for withholding taxes applicable to IP-related revenue from foreign locations, and $4 million of foreign taxes in profitable locations.
In the third quarter of 2017, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $22 million, consisting primarily of withholding taxes applicable to IP-related revenue from foreign locations.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $30 million, consisting primarily of withholding taxes applicable to IP-related revenue and licensing gain from foreign locations.
As of September 29, 2018, substantially all of the Company’s U.S. and Canadian deferred tax assets, net of deferred tax liabilities, continue to be subject to a valuation allowance. The realization of these assets is dependent on substantial future taxable income which, as of September 29, 2018, in management’s estimate, is not more likely than not to be achieved.
The Company’s total gross unrecognized tax benefits were $51 million as of September 29, 2018. The Company does not believe it is reasonably possible that unrecognized tax benefits will materially change in the next 12 months. However, the settlement, resolution or closure of tax audits are highly uncertain.