Company: CL
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000021665-25-000008
Chunk: 90

Company: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 90
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 availability or further increase the cost of funding. Reduced access to credit or increased costs could adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources or significantly increase our cost of capital. In addition, if any financial institutions that hold our cash or other investments or that are parties to our undrawn revolving credit facility supporting our commercial paper programs or other financing arrangements, such as interest rate, foreign exchange or commodity hedging instruments, were to declare bankruptcy or become insolvent, they may be unable to perform under their agreements with us. This could leave us with reduced borrowing capacity or unhedged against certain interest rate, foreign currency or commodity price exposures. In addition, tighter or more volatile credit markets may lead to business disruptions for certain of our suppliers, contract manufacturers or trade customers which could, in turn, adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Tax matters, including changes in tax rates, disagreements with taxing authorities and imposition of new taxes could negatively impact our business.

We are subject to taxes in the U.S. and in the foreign jurisdictions where we do business. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions have been and may be subject to significant change. Changes in the mix of our earnings between countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities related to changes in tax rates, changes in tax laws, including how existing tax laws are interpreted or enforced, or contemplated changes in long-standing tax principles, if finalized and adopted, could adversely impact our future effective tax rate and business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. For example, long-standing international tax norms that determine each country’s jurisdiction to tax cross-border international trade are evolving as a result of a multilateral project, the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project (the “BEPS Project”), that has established new principles and reporting requirements recommended by the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the “OECD”). In connection with the BEPS Project, companies are required to disclose more information to tax authorities and the public on operations around the world, which may lead to greater audit scrutiny of profits earned in countries outside of the U.S. Many jurisdictions have already enacted legislation and adopted policies resulting from the BEPS Project. The OECD is also addressing the challenges of the digitization of the global economy with plans to redefine jurisdictional taxation rights in market countries and establish a global minimum tax. The European Union has established the Minimum Tax Directive (“Pillar II”) that provides for