INCOME TAXES |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2024 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| INCOME TAXES | INCOME TAXES Each year the Company files hundreds of tax returns in the various national, state, and local income taxing jurisdictions in which it operates. These tax returns are subject to examination and possible challenge by the tax authorities. The Company has ongoing federal, state, and international income tax audits in various jurisdictions and evaluates uncertain tax positions that may be challenged by local tax authorities. As a result, there is an uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the Company’s financial statements in accordance with accounting for income taxes and accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. The ultimate resolution of such uncertainties is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's interim results of operations. The Company's effective tax rate fluctuates based on, among other factors, where income is earned and the level of income relative to tax attributes. The effective tax rate on continuing operations for the third quarter of 2024 was 18.1 percent, compared with an effective tax rate of 28.7 percent for the third quarter of 2023. The decrease of the effective tax rate for the third quarter of 2024 compared to the third quarter of 2023 was primarily driven by certain discrete tax benefits, including the settlement of an international tax audit in the quarter. For the first nine months of 2024, the effective tax rate on continuing operations was 27.0 percent, compared with 25.6 percent for the first nine months of 2023. The higher effective tax rate in 2024 thus far was driven by the geographic mix of earnings offset by the U.S. taxation of foreign operations as well as certain discrete tax expenses, including the settlement in the second quarter of an international tax audit for which the Company is partially indemnified. Effective from 2024, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s ("OECD") Global Anti-Base Erosion ("GloBE") rules under Pillar Two have been enacted by the European Union and other countries in which the Company operates. The Company does not expect a resulting material change to the income tax provision for the current year ending December 31, 2024. However, the Company expects the effective tax rate and cash tax payments could increase in future years.
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