TAXATION
The following discussion supplements, and to the extent inconsistent supersedes, the disclosure provided under the heading “Taxation” in the accompanying prospectus.
Chilean Taxation
The following is a general summary of the material consequences under Chilean tax law, as currently in effect, of an investment in the debt securities made by a “foreign holder.” For this purpose, foreign holder means either: (i) in the case of an individual, a person who is neither a resident nor domiciled in Chile (for purposes of Chilean taxation, an individual is (a) deemed a resident of Chile if he or she has remained in Chile for more than six months in one calendar year, or for more than six months in two consecutive fiscal years and (b) domiciled in Chile if he or she resides in Chile with the actual or presumptive intent of staying in Chile); or (ii) in the case of a legal entity, a legal entity that is not domiciled in Chile even if organized under the laws of Chile, unless the debt securities are assigned to a branch, agent, representative or permanent establishment of an entity in Chile.
Under Chilean income tax law, payments of interest made by Chile to a foreign holder of the debt securities will be subject to a Chilean interest withholding tax currently assessed at a rate of 4.0%. Chile is required to withhold, declare and pay such withholding tax. As described above, Chile has agreed, subject to specific exceptions and limitations, to pay to the holders Additional Amounts in respect of the Chilean tax in order for the interest the foreign holder receives, net of the Chilean tax on interest income, to equal the amount which would have been received by the foreign holder in the absence of the withholding. See “Description of the Securities—Additional Amounts.” A foreign holder will not be subject to any Chilean withholding taxes in respect of payments of principal made by Chile with respect to the debt securities.
Chilean income tax law establishes that a foreign holder is subject to income tax on income from Chilean sources. For this purpose, income from Chilean sources means earnings from activities performed in Chile or from the operation, sale or disposition of, or other transactions in connection with, assets or goods located in Chile. Capital gains realized on the sale or other disposition by a foreign holder of the debt securities generally will not be subject to any Chilean taxes. The debt securities will be issued outside of Chile and, according to applicable law, held as not located in Chile. Accordingly, any capital gains from a sale or disposition thereof shall not constitute income from Chilean sources subject to Chilean taxes.
A foreign holder will not be liable for estate, gift, inheritance or similar taxes with respect to its holdings unless the debt securities held by a foreign holder are either (i) located in Chile at the time of foreign holder’s death or gift, or (ii) if the bonds are not located in Chile at the time of a foreign holder’s death, if the debt securities were purchased or acquired with income obtained from Chilean sources.
The issuance of the debt securities by Chile is exempt from Chilean stamp, registration or similar taxes.
United States Federal Taxation
The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences resulting from the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes and does not purport to be a comprehensive discussion of all the possible United States federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership or disposition of the notes. Except as otherwise noted below, this summary replaces, and should be read to supersede, the discussion of tax matters in the section entitled “Taxation—United States Federal Taxation” in the accompanying prospectus. This summary is based on the United States federal income tax laws, including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing, temporary and proposed regulations (“Treasury Regulations”) promulgated thereunder, rulings, official pronouncements and judicial decisions, all as of the date of this prospectus supplement and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or to different interpretations. It deals only with notes that are purchased as part of the initial offering and are held as capital assets by purchasers and does not deal with special classes of holders, such as brokers or dealers in securities or currencies, banks, tax exempt organizations, insurance companies, persons holding notes as a hedge or hedged against currency risk or as a part of a straddle or conversion transaction, entities taxed as partnerships or the partners therein, or United States persons (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. Further, it does not address the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on net investment income or other aspects of United States federal income or state and local taxation that may be relevant to a holder in light of such holder’s particular circumstances. Prospective purchasers of notes should consult their own tax advisors concerning the consequences, in their particular circumstances, under the Code and the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes.
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