Legal Proceedings
Legal Proceedings
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Expeditors is involved in claims, lawsuits, government investigations, income, transfer pricing and indirect tax audits and other legal matters that arise in the ordinary course of business and are subject to inherent uncertainties. Currently, in management's opinion and based upon advice from legal and tax advisors, none of these matters are expected to have a material effect on our operations, cash flows or financial position. As of June 30, 2025, the amounts recorded for claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters are not significant to our operations, cash flows or financial position. At this time, we are unable to estimate any additional loss or range of reasonably possible losses, if any, beyond the amounts recorded, that might result from the resolution of these matters.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, careful consideration should be given to the risk factors under Item 1A Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 21, 2025. There have been no material changes in Expeditors' risk factors from those disclosed under Item 1A Risk Factors in our annual report on Form 10-K filed on February 21, 2025, except for the following:
Industry Risks
The current volatile international trade environment as a result of intergovernmental disputes, trade actions, increased tariffs and other geo-political risks may adversely impact our business and operating results.
The United States has undertaken a substantial global tariff rebalancing effort, resulting in higher tariffs on imports, including significantly higher tariffs on goods made in China. These measures led to threatened or actual retaliatory tariffs on goods made in the United States from several countries, including China, the European Union, and Canada. This created an unpredictable trade environment for shippers to determine if and how to adapt their sourcing patterns given these new and fast-changing regulations. If these conditions result in a significant, short-term or longer-term, decrease or redistribution of international trade volumes, it could negatively affect our business volumes and revenues. Expeditors' activity is particularly exposed to trade volume impacts from trade actions and tariff disputes between China and the United States, as we generated 22% of our revenues and 17% of our operating income in 2024, on exports from China and Hong Kong. Uncertainty and changes to trade volumes, could also affect air and ocean freight carriers because they may adjust capacity and transportation schedules, which could result in volatility in available capacity, and average buy and sell rates, all of which could adversely impact our operations and financial results. In the second quarter 2025, our China to U.S. ocean volumes declined sequentially from the first quarter. While some of those volumes are shifting to other lanes, as customers look to mitigate their exposure to China-specific tariffs, it is too early to know what the overall decline in volumes might be. Many of our customers are subject to the increased tariffs and may experience increased costs of conducting business. This could result in a loss of business, bad debt or increased expenses in the future if our customers were to abandon cargo, enter into bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, or their ability to pay deteriorates. Additionally, the increased complexity of trade regulations and customs declaration processes, challenge our ability to be in compliance with such ever-changing regulations and may require us to dedicate additional resources to our customs brokerage operations.
Government Regulation and Tax Risks
We are subject to taxation in multiple jurisdictions, and although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, any adverse determinations in tax audits could negatively impact our financial results.
Expeditors is subject to income and non-income taxation in the United States (Federal, state and local) as well as many foreign jurisdictions including the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and many other jurisdictions. In many of these jurisdictions, the tax laws are very complex and are open to different interpretations and application. Tax authorities frequently implement new taxes, including the 2025 Tax Act enacted in July of 2025 in the U.S, and change their tax rates and rules, including interpretations of those rules. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reached agreement among various countries to implement a minimum 15% tax rate on certain multinational enterprises, commonly referred to as Pillar Two. Many countries continue to announce changes in their tax laws and regulations based on the Pillar Two proposals. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of these proposed and enacted legislative changes as new guidance becomes available. Some of these legislative changes could impact our effective tax rate and tax liabilities. Given the numerous proposed tax law changes and the uncertainty regarding such proposed legislative changes, the impact of Pillar Two cannot be determined at this time.
The timing of the resolution of income and non-income tax examinations can be highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities, may differ significantly from the amounts recorded. It is reasonably possible that within the next twelve months we will undergo further audits and examinations by various tax authorities and possibly may reach resolution related to income tax examinations covering one or more jurisdictions and years. In recent years, the United States and other foreign governments have made significant changes to tax laws, and more changes are anticipated in future periods. Often, those changes are subject to the issuance of new regulations and interpretations, which adds complexity and uncertainty in calculating tax liabilities.