UNITED STATES FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income and certain estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the notes. It applies to you only if you purchase a note for cash in the initial offering at the “issue price,” which is the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold to the public, and hold the note as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). It does not address all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances or if you are an investor subject to special rules, such as:
●a financial institution;
●a “regulated investment company”;
●a “real estate investment trust”;
●a tax-exempt entity, including an “individual retirement account” or “Roth IRA”;
●a dealer or trader subject to a mark-to-market method of tax accounting with respect to the notes;
●a person holding a note as part of a “straddle” or conversion transaction or who has entered into a “constructive sale” with respect to a note;
●a U.S. holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; or
●an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds the notes, 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 notes 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 notes 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 hereof, changes to any of which subsequent to the date hereof 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, any alternative minimum tax consequences, the potential application of the Medicare tax on net investment income or the consequences to taxpayers subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code. You should consult your tax adviser concerning the application of U.S. federal income and estate tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction.
General
In the opinion of our counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, the notes will be treated as debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based on representations provided by us, the issue price of the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes should be equal to their stated principal amount. The remaining discussion is based on this treatment.
Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders
This section applies only to U.S. holders. You are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a note that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
●a citizen or individual resident of the United States;
●a corporation created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia; or
●an estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source.
Interest on the Notes. Stated interest on the notes will generally be taxable to you as ordinary interest income at the time it accrues or is received in accordance with your method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.