(a) The Company’s obligation to deliver Shares to the Participant upon the vesting and settlement of RSUs shall be subject to the satisfaction of all income tax (including federal, state and local taxes), social insurance, payroll tax, payment on account or other tax related withholding requirements (“Withholding Taxes”). In order to satisfy all Withholding Taxes of the Participant’s RSUs, the Participant agrees to the following:
(b) The Participant hereby elects to satisfy all Withholding Taxes obligation that may arise through the retention by the Company of Shares. Accordingly, the Participant hereby instructs the Company, with no further action by the Participant, to deduct and retain from the number of Shares to which the Participant is entitled from the RSUs then vested or scheduled to vest such number of Shares as is equal to the value of the Withholding Taxes. The fair market value of such surrendered Shares will be based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the respective Vesting Date, provided, however, that if such date is not a trading day, the Company shall use the closing price on the first trading day following such date. The Participant agrees that in the event the Company withholds RSUs with a value in excess of the maximum amount of social insurance that can be imposed in any particular year, the Company will refund the excess amount in cash to the Participant.
(c) Participant has reviewed with the Participant’s own tax advisors the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of this equity award and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Participant is relying solely on such advisors and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents. The Participant understands that the Participant (and not the Company) shall be responsible for the Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a result of this equity award or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) The Participant represents to the Company that, as of the date hereof, he/she is not aware of any material nonpublic information about the Company or the Common Stock. The Participant and the Company have structured this Agreement to constitute a “binding contract” relating to the retention by the Company of Common Stock pursuant to this Section 6, consistent with the affirmative defense to liability under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 under Rule 10b5-1(c) promulgated under such Act.
7. Nature of the Grant. In signing this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges that:
(a) The Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, except to the extent otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement.
(b) The grant of RSUs is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future awards of RSUs, or benefits in lieu of RSUs even if RSUs have been awarded repeatedly in the past.
(c) All decisions with respect to future grants of RSUs, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company.
(d) The Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary.
(e) RSUs are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purpose, including, but not limited to, calculation of any wage payment, severance, redundancy, or other end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or the Participant’s employer or arising under any employment agreement.
(f) No voting or dividend or distribution rights apply with respect to the RSUs.
(g) The future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty.
(h) If the Participant receives Shares upon vesting and settlement, the value of such Shares acquired on vesting and settlement of RSUs may increase or decrease in value.
6