Conditions (1) through (4), inclusive, must be met during the entire taxable year, and condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of twelve months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than twelve months. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be satisfied during a corporation’s initial tax year as a REIT. Our declaration of trust provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfers of our shares, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above. For purposes of determining share ownership under condition (6) above, a supplemental unemployment compensation benefit plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes generally is considered an individual. However, a trust that is a qualified trust under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code generally is not considered an individual, and beneficiaries of a qualified trust are treated as holding shares of a REIT in proportion to their actual interests in the trust for purposes of condition (6) above.
To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we are generally required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of significant percentages of our shares pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include in gross income the dividends paid by us). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. A shareholder that fails or refuses to comply with the demand is required by Treasury regulations to submit a statement with its tax return disclosing the actual ownership of our shares and other information.
We believe that we have been organized, have operated and have issued sufficient shares of stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to allow us to satisfy conditions (1) through (9).
If we were to fail to satisfy the share ownership requirements and could not avail ourselves of any statutory relief provisions, we would not qualify as a REIT. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Failure to qualify as a REIT” below.
Effect of subsidiary entities.
Ownership of qualified REIT subsidiaries.
If a REIT owns a corporate subsidiary that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” or QRS, the separate existence of that subsidiary will be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the subsidiary will be treated as assets, liabilities and tax items of the REIT itself. Generally, a QRS is a corporation all of the capital stock of which is owned by one REIT and that is not a TRS. These entities are not subject to U.S. federal income taxation, although they may be subject to state and local taxation in certain jurisdictions.
Ownership of subsidiary REITs.
We own two subsidiary REITs. We believe that each subsidiary REIT has been organized and has operated and will continue to operate in a manner to permit it to qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes from and after the effective date of its REIT election. However, if either subsidiary REIT, or any other subsidiary REIT we may form or acquire in the future, fails to qualify as a REIT, then (i) such subsidiary REIT would become subject to regular U.S. federal income tax, as described herein, see “—Failure to qualify as a REIT” below, and (ii) our equity interest in such subsidiary REIT would cease to be a qualifying real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test and would become subject to the 5% asset test, the 10% voting stock asset test, and the 10% value asset test generally applicable to our ownership in corporations other than REITs, QRSs and TRSs. See “—Asset tests applicable to REITs” below. If any subsidiary REIT fails to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that we would not meet the 10% voting stock test and the 10% value test with respect to our indirect interest in such entity, in which event we would fail to qualify as a REIT, unless we could avail our self of certain relief provisions.
Ownership of TRSs.
A TRS is an entity that is taxable as a corporation in which the REIT owns, directly or indirectly, an equity interest, including stock, and that elects, together with the REIT, to be treated as a TRS under the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, if a TRS of a REIT owns, directly or indirectly, securities representing more than 35% of the vote or value of a subsidiary corporation, that subsidiary will also be treated as a TRS. A TRS is a regular corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax, and state, local or foreign income tax where applicable, at applicable corporate rates. If dividends are paid to us by a TRS then a portion of the dividends from us to our shareholders who are taxed at individual rates will generally be eligible for taxation at lower capital gain rates, rather than at ordinary income rates. See “—Taxation of U.S. shareholders—Qualified dividend income.” The income and assets of each TRS we own and its subsidiaries are not attributable to us for purposes of satisfying the income and asset ownership requirements applicable to REIT qualification.
A TRS must not directly or indirectly operate or manage a lodging or health care facility or, generally, provide to another person, under a franchise, license or otherwise, rights to any brand name under which any lodging facility or health care facility is operated. Although a TRS may not operate or manage a lodging facility, it may lease or own such a facility so long as the facility is a “qualified lodging facility” and is operated on behalf of the TRS by an “eligible independent contractor.” A “qualified lodging facility” is, generally, a hotel at which no authorized gambling activities are conducted, and includes the customary amenities and facilities
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