Foreign Account Tax Compliance Withholding
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, the U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and other administrative guidance with respect thereto (collectively “FATCA”) impose a withholding tax of 30% (“FATCA Withholding”) on interest income (including any amount treated as interest for U.S. federal income tax purposes) paid to you or any non-U.S. person or entity that receives such income on your behalf (a “non-U.S. payee”), unless you and each non-U.S. payee in the payment chain comply with the applicable information reporting, account identification, withholding, certification and other FATCA-related requirements (including any requirements pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement entered into by the United States and another applicable jurisdiction to facilitate the application and implementation of FATCA (an “IGA”)). In the case of a payee that is a non-U.S. financial institution (for example, a clearing system, custodian, nominee or broker), withholding generally will not be imposed if the financial institution complies with the requirements imposed by FATCA to collect and report (to the United States or another relevant taxing authority) substantial information regarding such institution’s U.S. account holders (which would include some account holders that are non-U.S. entities but have U.S. owners). In the case of a non-financial foreign entity, withholding generally will not be imposed if the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner. Other payees, including individuals, may be required to provide proof of tax residence.
FATCA Withholding may be imposed at any point in a payment chain if a non-U.S. payee does not comply with the applicable FATCA requirements. A payment chain may consist of a number of parties, including a paying agent, a clearing system, each of the clearing system’s participants and a non-U.S. bank or broker through which you hold the notes. Accordingly, if you receive payments through a payment chain that includes one or more non-U.S. payees, the payment could be subject to FATCA Withholding if any non-U.S. payee in the payment chain fails to comply with the FATCA requirements and is subject to withholding. This would be the case even if you would not otherwise have been directly subject to FATCA Withholding.
A number of countries have entered into, and other countries are expected to enter into, IGAs. While the existence of an IGA will not eliminate the risk that notes will be subject to FATCA Withholding, these agreements are expected to facilitate compliance with the FATCA requirements, thereby reducing the likelihood that FATCA Withholding will occur for investors in (or investors that indirectly hold notes through financial institutions in) those countries.
FATCA Withholding could apply to all interest paid on the notes. Under the terms of the notes, we are not obligated to and we will not pay any additional amounts if FATCA Withholding applies. Consequently, if FATCA Withholding applies, you will receive less than the amount that you would have otherwise received.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a refund or credit in respect of some or all of any FATCA Withholding. However, even if you are entitled to have any such withholding refunded, the required procedures could be cumbersome and significantly delay your receipt of any withheld amounts.
You are strongly urged to consult your tax advisors regarding FATCA. You should also consult your bank or broker through which you would hold the notes about the likelihood that payments to it (for credit to you) may become subject to FATCA Withholding at some point in the payment chain.
In addition, your notes may also be subject to other U.S. withholding tax as described above in “—Non-U.S. Holders—Interest.”
The preceding discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations is for general information only and is not tax advice. Accordingly, you should consult your tax advisors as to particular tax consequences to you of holding and disposing of the notes, including the applicability and effect of any foreign, state, local or other tax laws, and of any pending or subsequent changes in applicable laws.
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