C Citigroup Inc

United States Federal Tax Considerations

You should note that, other than the discussion under “United States Federal Tax Considerations—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders—Possible Taxable Event” regarding the possible assumption of the securities by Citigroup Inc., the discussion under the section called “United States Federal Tax Considerations” in the accompanying prospectus supplement generally does not apply to the securities issued under this pricing supplement and is superseded by the following discussion. However, the discussion below is subject to the discussion in “United States Federal Tax Considerations—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders—Possible Taxable Event” in the accompanying prospectus supplement, and you should read it in conjunction with that discussion.

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income and certain estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the securities. It applies to you only if you are an initial holder of a security that purchases the security for cash at its stated principal amount, and holds the security as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”).

This discussion does not address all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances or if you are a holder subject to special rules, such as:

· a financial institution;

· a dealer or trader subject to a mark-to-market method of tax accounting with respect to the securities;

· a U.S. Holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

· an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

· a regulated investment company;

· a tax-exempt entity, including an “individual retirement account” or “Roth IRA”; or

· an investor subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code.

If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds the securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partnership holding the securities or a partner in such a partnership, you should consult your tax adviser as to the particular U.S. federal tax consequences of holding and disposing of the securities to you.

This discussion is based on the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, all as of the date of this pricing supplement, changes to any of which may affect the tax consequences described herein, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address the effects of any applicable state, local or non-U.S. tax laws or the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax. You should consult your tax adviser about the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation (including the possibility of alternative treatments of the securities), as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction.

Tax Treatment of the Securities

Due to the absence of statutory, judicial or administrative authorities that directly address the U.S. federal tax treatment of the securities or similar instruments, there is substantial uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the securities. In connection with any information reporting requirements we may have in respect of the securities under applicable law, we intend (in the absence of an administrative determination or judicial ruling to the contrary) to treat each security for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a unit comprising (i) a derivative contract with respect to the underlying rates (a “Derivative Contract”) and (ii) a deposit with us of a fixed amount of cash equal to the stated principal amount of the security to secure your potential obligation under the Derivative Contract (the “Deposit”). Moreover, we intend to treat the Derivative Contract as an option written by you that, if exercised, requires you to pay at maturity an amount equal to the Deposit in exchange for an amount determined by reference to the value of the underlying rates during the observation period (the “Put Option”). In the opinion of our counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, this treatment of the securities is reasonable under current law; however, our counsel has advised us that due to the lack of any controlling legal authority it is unable to conclude affirmatively that this treatment is more likely than not to be upheld, and that alternative treatments are possible. Moreover, our counsel’s opinion is based on market conditions as of the date of this preliminary pricing supplement and is subject to confirmation on the pricing date. Under this treatment:

We will specify in the final pricing supplement the portion of each coupon payment that we will allocate to interest on the Deposit and to Put Premium, respectively.

We do not plan to request a ruling from the IRS, and the IRS or a court might not agree with this treatment. Accordingly, you should consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the securities. Unless otherwise stated, the following discussion is based on the treatment of each security as a Put Option and a Deposit.

Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders

This section applies only to U.S. Holders. You are a “U.S. Holder” if for U.S. federal income tax purposes you are a beneficial owner of a security that is:

Coupon Payments. We intend to treat interest paid with respect to the Deposit as ordinary interest income that is taxable to you at the time it accrues or is received, in accordance with your method of tax accounting. The Put Premium should not be taken into account until retirement or earlier sale or exchange of the security.

Sale or Exchange Prior to Retirement. Upon a sale or exchange of a security prior to retirement, you should apportion the amount realized between the Deposit and the Put Option based on their respective values on the date of sale or exchange. If the value of the Put Option is negative, you should be treated as having made a payment of such negative value to the purchaser in exchange for the purchaser’s assumption of the Put Option, in which case a corresponding amount should be added to the amount realized in respect of the Deposit.

You should recognize gain or loss with respect to the Deposit in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the amount realized that is apportioned to the Deposit (other than any amount attributable to accrued interest on the Deposit, which should be treated as a payment of interest) and (ii) your basis in the Deposit (i.e., the price you paid to acquire the security). Such gain or loss should be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held the security for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss otherwise.

You should recognize gain or loss in respect of the Put Option in an amount equal to the total Put Premium you previously received, decreased by the amount deemed to be paid by you, or increased by the amount deemed to be paid to you, in exchange for the purchaser’s assumption of the Put Option. Even if you have held the security for more than one year at the time of disposition, it is not clear whether such gain or loss should be treated as long-term or short-term capital gain or loss. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the treatment of this gain or loss.

Tax Treatment at Retirement. The coupon payment received upon retirement will be treated as described above under “Coupon Payments.”

If a security is retired for its stated principal amount (without taking into account any coupon payment), the Put Option should be deemed to have expired unexercised, in which case you should recognize gain in an amount equal to the sum of all payments of Put Premium received, including the Put Premium received upon retirement.  

At maturity, if you receive an amount of cash, not counting the final coupon payment, that is different from the stated principal amount, the Put Option should be deemed to have been exercised and you should be deemed to have applied the Deposit toward the cash settlement of the Put Option. In that case, you should recognize gain or loss with respect to the Put Option in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the total Put Premium received (including the Put Premium received at maturity) and the cash you receive at maturity, excluding the final coupon payment, and (ii) the Deposit.

Because of the lack of authority addressing the tax treatment of financial instruments linked to the underlying rates or a similar underlying market measure, there is significant uncertainty regarding whether gain or loss recognized with respect to the Put Option upon the retirement of a security should be treated as capital gain or loss or as ordinary income or loss. This determination could have a significant effect on the tax consequences to you of owning a security. In particular, an ordinary loss recognized by an individual might be treated as a non-deductible “miscellaneous itemized deduction.” While our counsel believes that it would be reasonable to treat any

such gain or loss as capital gain or loss, in light of the significant uncertainty regarding this issue you should consult your tax adviser regarding the character of this gain or loss.

Possible Alternative Tax Treatments of an Investment in the Securities

As discussed above, the tax treatment of the securities is unclear. Alternative U.S. federal income tax treatments of the securities are possible that, if applied, could materially and adversely affect the timing and/or character of income, gain or loss with respect to the securities.

Even if the treatment of a security as a Deposit and a Derivative Contract is respected, the IRS could seek to treat the Derivative Contract as a “notional principal contract” instead of an option. In that event, because there are no currently effective regulations that comprehensively address the treatment of income and deductions on a notional principal contract providing for contingent, nonperiodic payments, the timing and character of income and deductions on the Derivative Contract would be unclear. You would likely be required to recognize income during the term of the securities with respect to the Derivative Contract in an amount that could differ from the portion of the coupon payments that is attributable to the Derivative Contract. In addition, any income or loss you recognized at maturity of the securities would likely be ordinary income or loss (which, if you are an individual, might be treated as a non-deductible “miscellaneous itemized deduction”).

Furthermore, because the payment at maturity of the securities is determined by reference to the value of the underlying rates during the observation period, even assuming the treatment of a security as a Deposit and a Put Option is respected, it is possible that the IRS would seek to treat the Put Option as settling, in part, on each day in the observation period. If this treatment applied, you might be required to recognize income on the securities in advance of their retirement or earlier disposition.

Alternatively, a security could be treated as a debt instrument issued by us, in which case the timing and character of taxable income with respect to coupon payments on the securities would differ from that described herein and all or a portion of any gain you realize would generally be treated as ordinary income. In addition, you could be subject to special reporting requirements if any loss exceeded certain thresholds. Under other possible treatments, the entire coupon on the securities might either be (i) treated as income to you at the time received or accrued or (ii) not accounted for separately as giving rise to income to you until the sale, exchange or retirement of the securities.

Other possible U.S. federal income tax treatments of the securities are possible that could also affect the timing and character of income or loss with respect to the securities. In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS have requested comments on various issues regarding the U.S. federal income tax treatment of “prepaid forward contracts” and similar financial instruments and have indicated that such transactions may be the subject of future regulations or other guidance. In addition, members of Congress have proposed legislative changes to the tax treatment of derivative contracts. Any legislation, Treasury regulations or other guidance promulgated after consideration of these issues could materially and adversely affect the tax consequences of an investment in the securities, possibly with retroactive effect.

There is significant uncertainty regarding the proper U.S. federal tax treatment of the securities. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the securities, including possible alternative treatments.

Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

This section applies only to Non-U.S. Holders. You are a “Non-U.S. Holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a security that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

· an individual who is classified as a nonresident alien;

· a foreign corporation; or

· a foreign trust or estate.

You are not a Non-U.S. Holder for the purposes of this discussion if you are (i) an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition or (ii) a former citizen or resident of the United States. If you are or may become such a person during the period in which you hold a security, you should consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the securities to you.

Subject to the discussion below regarding “FATCA,” under current law, you generally should not be subject to U.S. federal withholding or income tax in respect of payments on the securities or amounts received on the sale, exchange or retirement of the securities, provided that (i) income in respect of the securities is not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States, and (ii) you provide to the applicable withholding agent an appropriate IRS Form W-8 certifying under penalties of perjury that you are not a U.S. person.

If you are engaged in a U.S. trade or business, and if income from the securities is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business, you generally will be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax with respect to that income in the same manner as if you were a U.S. Holder, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. If you are a Non-U.S. Holder to which this paragraph may apply, you should consult your tax adviser regarding other U.S. tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the securities. If you are a corporation, you should also consider the potential application of a 30% (or lower treaty rate) branch profits tax.

As described above under “—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders—Possible Alternative Tax Treatments of an Investment in the Securities” alternative tax treatments could apply to the securities, in which case the tax consequences to you could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, potential legislative or regulatory changes to the tax treatment of the securities could adversely impact your consequences of an investment in the securities.

The proper tax treatment of the securities is uncertain. While we currently do not intend to withhold on payments on the securities to Non-U.S. Holders (subject to the certification requirement described above and the discussion below regarding “FATCA”), in light of the uncertain treatment of the securities other persons having withholding or information reporting responsibility in respect of the securities may treat some or all of each coupon payment on a security as subject to withholding tax at a rate of 30%. Moreover, it is possible that in the future we may determine that we should withhold at a rate of 30% on coupon payments on the securities. We will not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts withheld.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax

If you are an individual Non-U.S. Holder, or an entity the property of which is potentially includible in such an individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes (for example, a trust funded by such an individual and with respect to which the individual has retained certain interests or powers), you should note that, absent an applicable treaty exemption, a security may be treated as U.S.-situs property subject to U.S. federal estate tax. If you are such an individual or entity, you should consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of an investment in the securities.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Amounts paid on the securities, and payment of the proceeds of a sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of the securities, may be subject to information reporting and, if you fail to provide certain identifying information (such as an accurate taxpayer identification number if you are a U.S. Holder) or meet certain other conditions, may also be subject to backup withholding at the rate specified in the Code. If you are a Non-U.S. Holder that provides the applicable withholding agent with an appropriate IRS Form W-8, you will generally establish an exemption from backup withholding. Amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules are not additional taxes and may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the relevant information is timely furnished to the IRS.

FATCA

Legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA” generally imposes a withholding tax of 30% on payments to certain non-U.S. entities (including financial intermediaries) with respect to certain financial instruments, unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements have been satisfied. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the non-U.S. entity’s jurisdiction may modify these requirements. This legislation generally applies to certain financial instruments that are treated as paying U.S.-source interest, dividend equivalents or other U.S.-source “fixed or determinable annual or periodical” income (“FDAP income”). Withholding (if applicable) applies to payments of U.S.-source FDAP income. While existing Treasury regulations would also require withholding on payments of gross proceeds of the disposition (including upon retirement) of certain financial instruments treated as providing for U.S.-source interest or dividends, the U.S. Treasury Department has indicated in subsequent proposed regulations its intent to eliminate this requirement. The U.S. Treasury Department has indicated that taxpayers may rely on these proposed regulations pending their finalization. Although the application of the FATCA rules to the securities is not entirely clear because the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the securities is unclear, it would be prudent to assume that a withholding agent will treat the securities as subject to the withholding rules under FATCA. If withholding applies to the securities, we will not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts withheld. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the potential application of FATCA to the securities.

The preceding discussion, when read in conjunction with “United States Federal Tax Considerations—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders—Possible Taxable Event” in the accompanying prospectus supplement, constitutes the full opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP regarding the material U.S. federal tax consequences of owning and disposing of the securities.

You should consult your tax adviser regarding all aspects of the U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences of an investment in the securities, and any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdiction.

Benefit Plan Investor Considerations

A fiduciary of a pension, profit-sharing or other employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), including entities such as collective investment funds, partnerships and separate accounts whose underlying assets include the assets of such plans (collectively, “ERISA Plans”), should consider the fiduciary standards of ERISA in the context of the ERISA Plan’s particular circumstances before authorizing an investment in the securities. Among other factors, the fiduciary should consider whether the investment would satisfy the prudence and diversification requirements of ERISA and would be consistent with the documents and instruments governing the ERISA Plan.

Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”) prohibit ERISA Plans, as well as plans (including individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans) subject to Section 4975 of the Code (together with ERISA Plans, “Plans”), from engaging in certain transactions involving the “plan assets” with persons who are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under Section 4975 of the Code (in either case, “Parties in Interest”) with respect to such Plans. As a result of our business, we, and our current and future affiliates, may be Parties in Interest with respect to many Plans. Where we (or our affiliate) are a Party in Interest with respect to a Plan (either directly or by reason of our ownership interests in our directly or indirectly owned subsidiaries), the purchase and holding of the securities by or on behalf of the Plan could be a prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code, unless exemptive relief were available under an applicable exemption (as described below).

Certain prohibited transaction class exemptions (“PTCEs”) issued by the U.S. Department of Labor may provide exemptive relief for direct or indirect prohibited transactions resulting from the purchase or holding of the securities. Those class exemptions are PTCE 96-23 (for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), PTCE 95-60 (for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTCE 91-38 (for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds), PTCE 90-1 (for certain transactions involving insurance company separate accounts) and PTCE 84-14 (for certain transactions determined by independent qualified asset managers). In addition, ERISA Section 408(b)(17) and Section 4975(d)(20) of the Code may provide a limited exemption for the purchase and sale of the securities and related lending transactions, provided that neither the issuer of the securities nor any of its affiliates have or exercise any discretionary authority or control or render any investment advice with respect to the assets of the Plan involved in the transaction and provided further that the Plan pays no more, and receives no less, than adequate consideration in connection with the transaction (the so-called “service provider exemption”). There can be no assurance that any of these statutory or class exemptions will be available with respect to transactions involving the securities.

Accordingly, the securities may not be purchased or held by any Plan, any entity whose underlying assets include “plan assets” by reason of any Plan’s investment in the entity (a “Plan Asset Entity”) or any person investing “plan assets” of any Plan, unless such purchaser or holder is eligible for the exemptive relief available under PTCE 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 or 84-14 or the service provider exemption or there is some other basis on which the purchase and holding of the securities will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. Each purchaser or holder of the securities or any interest therein will be deemed to have represented by its purchase or holding of the securities that (a) it is not a Plan and its purchase and holding of the securities is not made on behalf of or with “plan assets” of any Plan or (b) its purchase and holding of the securities will not result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.

Certain governmental plans (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA), church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA) and non-U.S. plans (as described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA) (“Non-ERISA Arrangements”) are not subject to these “prohibited transaction” rules of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, but may be subject to similar rules under other applicable laws or regulations (“Similar Laws”). Accordingly, each such purchaser or holder of the securities shall be required to represent (and deemed to have represented by its purchase of the securities) that such purchase and holding is not prohibited under applicable Similar Laws.

Due to the complexity of these rules, it is particularly important that fiduciaries or other persons considering purchasing the securities on behalf of or with “plan assets” of any Plan consult with their counsel regarding the relevant provisions of ERISA, the Code or any Similar Laws and the availability of exemptive relief under PTCE 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1, 84-14, the service provider exemption or some other basis on which the acquisition and holding will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code or a violation of any applicable Similar Laws.

The securities are contractual financial instruments. The financial exposure provided by the securities is not a substitute or proxy for, and is not intended as a substitute or proxy for, individualized investment management or advice for the benefit of any purchaser or holder of the securities. The securities have not been designed and will not be administered in a manner intended to reflect the individualized needs and objectives of any purchaser or holder of the securities.

Each purchaser or holder of any securities acknowledges and agrees that:

Each purchaser and holder of the securities has exclusive responsibility for ensuring that its purchase, holding and subsequent disposition of the securities does not violate the fiduciary or prohibited transaction rules of ERISA, the Code or any applicable Similar Laws. The sale of any securities to any Plan is in no respect a representation by us or any of our affiliates or representatives that such an investment meets all relevant legal requirements with respect to investments by Plans or Non-ERISA Arrangements generally or any particular Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement, or that such an investment is appropriate for Plans or Non-ERISA Arrangements generally or any particular Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement.

However, individual retirement accounts, individual retirement annuities and Keogh plans, as well as employee benefit plans that permit participants to direct the investment of their accounts, will not be permitted to purchase or hold the securities if the account, plan or annuity is for the benefit of an employee of CGMI or a family member and the employee receives any compensation (such as, for example, an addition to bonus) based on the purchase of securities by the account, plan or annuity.