Income:

3M uses operating income as one of its primary business segment performance measurement tools. Operating income in 2005 was 23.7% of sales, up from 22.9% of sales in 2004 and 20.4% of sales in 2003. Operating income in 2005 grew by $431 million, or 9.4 percent, following 2004 operating income growth of $865 million, or 23.3 percent. The LePage’s Inc. lawsuit negatively impacted operating income in 2003 by $93 million, or 0.5% of sales.

 

Interest Expense and Income:

  

Interest Expense: Interest expense increased in 2005 compared to 2004, primarily due to higher interest rates. The decrease in 2004 interest expense was primarily the result of lower average debt balances, partially offset by higher interest rates in the United States.

Interest Income: Interest income was higher in 2005, benefiting primarily from higher interest rates. Interest income increased in 2004 due to substantially higher cash balances.

 

Provision for Income Taxes:

  

The tax rate for 2005 was 34.0%, compared with 33.0% in 2004. During 2005, 3M completed its evaluation of the repatriation provision of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Jobs Act) and repatriated approximately $1.8 billion of foreign earnings into the U.S. pursuant to its provisions. The Jobs Act provides 3M the opportunity to tax effectively repatriate foreign earnings for U.S. qualifying investments specified by 3M’s domestic reinvestment plan.  As a consequence, in the second quarter of 2005, 3M recorded a tax expense of $75 million, net of available foreign tax credits, which negatively impacted the 2005 effective worldwide tax rate by 1.5%. A half-point tax rate reduction compared to the same periods last year is primarily attributable to the combination of the effects of the Medicare Modernization Act and the domestic manufacturer’s deduction, which was a part of the Jobs Act.

 

The tax rate of 33.0% for 2004 was comparable to the 2003 rate of 32.9%. Income taxes associated with repatriating certain cash from outside the United States negatively impacted the 2004 and 2003 income tax rates.

 

Minority Interest:

  

Minority interest expense eliminates the income or loss attributable to non-3M ownership interests in 3M consolidated entities. 3M’s most significant consolidated entity with non-3M ownership interests is Sumitomo 3M Limited in Japan (3M owns 75% of Sumitomo 3M Limited).  The decrease in 2005 related primarily to lower net income in Sumitomo 3M, while the increase in 2004 related primarily to higher net income in Sumitomo 3M.

 

Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change:

As of December 31, 2005, the Company adopted FASB Interpretation No. 47, “Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations” (FIN 47). This accounting standard applies to the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and where the liability can be reasonably estimated. Conditional asset retirement obligations exist for certain of the Company’s long-term assets. The fair value of these obligations is recorded as liabilities on a discounted basis.  Over time the liabilities are accreted for the change in the