On January 1, 2016, Snap Inc. grants 9 million non-qualified stock options to its employees. The stock options have exercise price of $30, which is equal to the grant-date price. All options will vest in three years. The grant date fair value of the options is $20 per option. All 9 million options are expected to vest. On March 1, 2019, all 9 million vested options are exercised when the stock price is $80. The applicable tax rate for all periods is 20%. The company has sufficient taxable income for the stock option tax deductions to reduce income taxes payable in all periods. How much is the excess tax benefit should Snap credit to tax expense for the year of 2019?

Select one:

a. $0

b. $54 million

c. $12 million

d. $36 million