April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. auto parts maker Johnson Controls Inc reported a quarterly loss, compared with a year-earlier profit, hurt by higher costs.
Johnson Controls also said on Thursday it would go ahead with its merger with Ireland-based Tyco International Plc .
Such "inversion deals", which help a company lower its taxes, are under heavy scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Temporary and Proposed Tax Regulations.
Johnson Controls reported a net loss of $530 million, or 82 cents per share, attributable to the company for the second quarter ended March 31. The company had a profit of $529 million, or 80 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, Johnson Controls earned 86 cents per share.
Net sales fell 1.8 percent to $9.03 billion.
(Reporting by Radhika Rukmangadhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey)