Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of the Exchange Notes
Subject to the discussion below concerning backup withholding, a non-United States Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on any gain recognized on the sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other disposition of an exchange note unless:
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• | such holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other conditions are met, in which case such holder will be subject to a 30% tax (or a lower applicable treaty rate) with respect to such gain (offset by certain U.S. source capital losses), or |
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• | such gain is effectively connected with such holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States, in which case such holder will be subject to tax as described below under “Effectively Connected Income.” |
Any amounts in respect of accrued interest recognized on the sale or exchange of an exchange note will not be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax, unless the sale or exchange is part of a plan the principal purpose of which is to avoid tax and the withholding agent has actual knowledge or reason to know of such plan.
Effectively Connected Income
If interest or gain from a disposition of the exchange notes is effectively connected with a non-United States Holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, such holder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the interest or gain on a net income basis in the same manner as if such holder were a United States Holder, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. The interest or gain in respect of the exchange notes would be exempt from U.S. withholding tax if such holder claims the exemption by providing a properly completed IRS Form W-8ECI. In addition, if such holder is a foreign corporation, such holder may also be subject to a branch profits tax on its effectively connected earnings and profits for the taxable year, subject to certain adjustments, at a rate of 30% unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable tax treaty.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Unless certain exceptions apply, we or another withholding agent must report to the IRS and to a non-United States Holder any payments to such holder in respect of interest during the taxable year. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, backup withholding tax will not apply to payments of interest by us or our paying agent on an exchange note to a non-United States Holder, if such holder provides us with a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, provided that we or our paying agent, as the case may be, do not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a U.S. person.
Payments pursuant to the sale, exchange or other disposition of exchange notes, made to or through a foreign office of a foreign broker, other than payments in respect of interest, will not be subject to information reporting and backup withholding; provided that information reporting may apply if the foreign broker has certain connections to the United States, unless the beneficial owner of the exchange note certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it is not a U.S. person, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Payments made to or through a foreign office of a U.S. broker will not be subject to backup withholding, but are subject to information reporting, unless the beneficial owner of the exchange note certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it is not a U.S. person, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Payments to or through a U.S. office of a broker, however, are subject to information reporting and backup withholding, unless the beneficial owner of the exchange notes certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it is not a U.S. person, or otherwise establishes an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax; any amounts withheld from a payment to a non-United States Holder under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. Non-United States Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding application of withholding and backup withholding in their particular circumstances and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from withholding and backup withholding under current Treasury Regulations.
FATCA Withholding
Pursuant to Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, applicable Treasury Regulations, other official guidance and intergovernmental agreements entered into with respect to the foregoing, (together, commonly referred to as “FATCA”), foreign financial institutions (which include most foreign hedge funds, private equity funds, mutual funds, securitization vehicles and any other investment vehicles) and certain other foreign entities must comply with information reporting rules with respect to their U.S. account holders and investors or confront a withholding tax on U.S. source payments made to them (whether received as a beneficial owner or as an intermediary for another party). More specifically, a foreign financial institution or other foreign entity that does not comply with the FATCA reporting requirements will generally be subject to a 30% withholding tax with respect to any “withholdable payments.” For this purpose, withholdable payments generally include U.S. source payments otherwise subject to nonresident withholding tax (including U.S. source interest) and will also include the gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of any debt instruments of U.S. issuers. The FATCA withholding tax will apply even if the payment would otherwise not be subject to U.S. nonresident withholding tax (e.g., because it qualifies as portfolio interest or is capital gain). Administrative guidance from the IRS defers the withholding obligation for gross proceeds of U.S. debt instruments until January 1, 2019. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of the FATCA provisions on them given their particular circumstances.
