Shareholders may be required to demonstrate that they are exempt from tax on their capital gains in order to avoid withholding at source at the time of sale. In transactions involving a sale of all of the shares of an Israeli resident company, such as a merger or other transaction, the Israel Tax Authority may, among other things, require from shareholders who are not liable for Israeli tax the execution of a declaration in the form specified by that authority or a specific exemption from the Israeli Tax Authority to confirm their status as non-Israeli residents may be required to be presented, and, in the absence of such declaration or exemption, may require the purchaser of the shares to withhold taxes.
In addition, with respect to mergers involving an exchange of shares, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances, but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of a number of conditions, including, in some cases, a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are subject to certain restrictions. Moreover, with respect to certain share swap transactions in which the sellers receive shares in the acquiring entity that are publicly traded on a stock exchange, the tax deferral is limited in time, and when such time expires, the tax becomes payable even if no disposition of such shares has occurred.
Taxation of non-Israeli shareholders on receipt of dividends. Non-Israeli residents are generally subject to Israeli withholding tax on the receipt of dividends paid on our ordinary shares at the rate of 25%, unless relief is provided in a treaty between Israel and the shareholder’s country of residence (subject to the receipt of a valid certificate from the Israel Tax Authority, allowing for such reduced withholding tax rate). With respect to a person who is considered a substantial shareholder at the time of receiving the dividend or at any time during the preceding 12 months, subject to the terms of an applicable tax treaty, the applicable withholding tax rate is 30%. A person is considered to be a “substantial shareholder” if it holds, directly or indirectly, alone or together with another affiliated party, 10% or more of a company’s means of control, which include, among other things, voting rights, the right to receive profits of the company, the right to receive proceeds upon liquidation and the right to appoint a director.
Under the Convention between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the State of Israel with respect to Taxes on Income, or the U.S.-Israel Tax Treaty, the maximum rate of tax withheld at source in Israel on dividends paid to a holder of our ordinary shares who is a
U.S. resident (for the purposes of the U.S.-Israel Tax Treaty) is 25%. However, with regard to dividends paid to a U.S. resident corporation which held 10% or more of our outstanding voting rights throughout the taxable year in which the dividend was distributed and which maintained its shareholdings at or above such threshold during the entire previous taxable year, the maximum rate of withholding tax is generally 12.5%, provided that no more than 25% of our gross income for such preceding year consists of certain types of dividends and interest.
U.S. residents who are subject to Israeli withholding tax on a dividend may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the amount of the taxes withheld, subject to detailed limitations under U.S. laws applicable to foreign tax credits.
Excess Tax. Individuals who are subject to tax in Israel, whether an Israeli resident or a non-Israeli resident, are also subject to an additional tax on annual income exceeding NIS 663,240 in 2022 and thereafter (linked to the Israeli consumer price index) at a rate of 3%, including, but not limited to, dividends, interest and capital gain, subject to the provisions of an applicable tax treaty.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders
The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders (as defined below) under present law of an investment in our ordinary shares sold pursuant to this offering. The effects of any applicable state or local laws, or other U.S. federal tax laws such as estate and gift tax laws are not discussed. This summary applies only to investors who hold the ordinary shares as capital assets (generally,
S-12