MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
General
The following is a summary of United States material federal income tax considerations associated with an investment in our common stock that may be relevant to you. The statements made in this section of the prospectus are based upon current provisions of the Code and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, as currently applicable, currently published administrative positions of the Internal Revenue Service and judicial decisions, all of which are subject to change, either prospectively or retroactively. We cannot assure you that any changes will not modify the conclusions expressed in counsel’s opinions described herein. This summary does not address all possible tax considerations that may be material to an investor and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Moreover, this summary does not deal with all tax aspects that might be relevant to you, as a stockholder or prospective stockholder, in light of your personal circumstances, nor does it deal with particular types of stockholders that are subject to special treatment under the federal income tax laws, such as insurance companies, holders whose shares are acquired through the exercise of share options or otherwise as compensation, holders whose shares are acquired through the Plan or who intend to sell their shares under the share redemption program, tax-exempt organizations except as provided below, financial institutions or broker-dealers, or foreign corporations or persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States except as provided below. The Code provisions governing the federal income tax treatment of REITs and their stockholders are highly technical and complex, and this summary is qualified in its entirety by the express language of applicable Code provisions, Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof.
DLA Piper LLP (US) has acted as our special U.S. federal income tax counsel, has reviewed this summary and is of the opinion that it fairly summarizes the United States federal income tax considerations that are likely to be material to U.S. stockholders (as defined herein) of our common stock. This opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) is based on various assumptions, is subject to limitations and will not be binding on the Internal Revenue Service or any court.
We urge you, as a stockholder or a prospective stockholder, to consult your tax advisor regarding the specific tax consequences to you of a purchase of shares of common stock, ownership and sale of the shares of common stock and of our election to be taxed as a REIT, including the federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequence of such purchase, ownership, sale and election and of potential changes in applicable tax laws.
REIT Qualification
We are organized and operate in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We first elected REIT status for our taxable year ended December 31, 2006. This section of the prospectus discusses the laws governing the tax treatment of a REIT and its stockholders. These laws are highly technical and complex.
In connection with this offering, DLA Piper LLP (US) has delivered an opinion to us that, commencing with our taxable year ended on December 31, 2006, we were organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a REIT under the Code, and our proposed method of operation will enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
It must be emphasized that the opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, and is conditioned upon representations and covenants made by us regarding our organization, assets and the past, present and future conduct of our business operations. While we intend to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given by DLA Piper LLP (US) or by us that we will so qualify for any particular year. DLA Piper LLP (US) has no obligation to advise us or the holders of our common stock of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed in the opinion, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or any court, and no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions. Other than as specifically described herein, we have not sought and will not seek an advance ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding any matter discussed in this prospectus.
Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of share ownership, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by DLA Piper LLP (US). Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets directly or indirectly owned by us. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. While we intend to continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year satisfy such requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of Black Creek Diversified Property Fund Inc.
If we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal corporate income taxes on that portion of our ordinary income or capital gain that we distribute currently to our stockholders, because the REIT provisions of the Code generally allow a REIT to deduct distributions paid to its stockholders. This substantially eliminates the federal “double taxation” on earnings (taxation at both the corporate level and stockholder level) that usually results from an investment in a corporation. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2012, most domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are taxed on corporate dividends at a maximum rate of 20% (the same as long-term capital gains). With limited exceptions, however, dividends from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are generally not eligible for this rate and will continue to be taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income, which will be as high as 39.6%. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders” below.
Any net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes generally do not pass through to our stockholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders” below.
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, however, we will be subject to federal income taxation as follows:
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We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on our undistributed REIT taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains.
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Under some circumstances, we may be subject to “alternative minimum tax”.
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If we have net income from prohibited transactions (which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business), the income will be subject to a 100% tax. The Internal
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Revenue Service could recharacterize transactions under the Operating Partnership’s intended private placements such that the Operating Partnership could be treated as the bona fide owner, for tax purposes, of properties acquired and resold by the entity established to facilitate the transaction. Such recharacterization could result in the income realized on these transactions by the Operating Partnership being treated as gain on the sale of property that is held as inventory or otherwise held primarily for the sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. In such event, such gain would constitute income from a prohibited transaction and would be subject to a 100% tax.
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If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or certain leasehold terminations as “foreclosure property,” we may avoid the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate (currently 35%).
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If we derive “excess inclusion income” from an interest in certain mortgage loan securitization structures (i.e., a “taxable mortgage pool” or a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit, or “REMIC”), we could be subject to corporate level federal income tax at a 35% rate to the extent that such income is allocable to specified types of tax-exempt stockholders known as “disqualified organizations” that are not subject to unrelated business income tax.
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If we should fail to satisfy the asset tests other than certain de minimis violations or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, yet nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to an excise tax. In that case, the amount of the tax will be at least $50,000 per failure, and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate (currently 35%) if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure.
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If we fail to satisfy either of the 75% or 95% gross income tests (discussed below) but have nonetheless maintained our qualification as a REIT because certain conditions have been met, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount based on the magnitude of the failure, as adjusted to reflect the profit margin associated with our gross income.
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If we fail to distribute during each year at least the sum of (i) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year, (ii) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (iii) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (A) the amounts actually distributed, plus (B) retained amounts on which corporate level tax is paid by us.
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We may elect to retain and pay tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a United States stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain and would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the tax we paid.
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If we fail certain of the REIT asset tests and do not qualify for “de minimis” relief, we may be required to pay a corporate level tax on the income generated by the assets that caused us to violate the asset test. See “Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Operational Requirements—Asset Tests.”
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If we acquire appreciated assets from a C corporation that is not a REIT (i.e., a corporation generally subject to corporate level tax) in a transaction in which the C corporation would not normally be required to recognize any gain or loss on disposition of the asset and we subsequently recognize gain on the disposition of the asset during the 5 year period beginning on the date on which we acquired the asset, then a portion of the gain may be subject to tax at the highest regular corporate rate, unless the C corporation made an election to treat the asset as if it were sold for its fair market value at the time of our acquisition.
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We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the Internal Revenue Service in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REIT’s stockholders, as described below in “—Operational Requirements—Recordkeeping” and “—Failure to Qualify as a REIT.”
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A 100% tax may be imposed on transactions between us and a TRS (as described below) that do not reflect arms-length terms.
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The earnings of our subsidiaries, including any Taxable REIT Subsidiary (“TRS”), are subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent that such subsidiaries are subchapter C corporations.
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In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state, local, and foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
In order for us to qualify as a REIT, we must meet and continue to meet the requirements discussed below relating to our organization, sources of income, nature of assets and distributions of income to our stockholders.
Organizational Requirements
In order to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code, we must meet tests regarding our income and assets described below and:
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be a corporation, trust or association that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the REIT provisions of the Code and that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been terminated or revoked;
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be managed by one or more trustees or directors;
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have our beneficial ownership evidenced by transferable shares;
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not be a financial institution or an insurance company subject to special provisions of the federal income tax laws;
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use a calendar year for federal income tax purposes;
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have at least 100 stockholders for at least 335 days of each taxable year of 12 months or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months; and
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not be closely held as defined for purposes of the REIT provisions of the Code.
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We would be treated as closely held if, during the last half of any taxable year, more than 50% in value of our outstanding capital shares is owned, directly or indirectly through the application of certain attribution rules, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code to include certain entities. Items 6 and 7 above do not apply until after the first taxable year for which we elect to be taxed as a REIT. If we comply with Treasury regulations that provide procedures for ascertaining the actual ownership of our common stock for each taxable year and we did not know, and with the exercise of reasonable diligence could not have known, that we failed to meet item 7 above for a taxable year, we will be treated as having met Item 7 for that year.
We elected to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2006, and we have satisfied and intend to continue to satisfy the other requirements described in Items 1-5 above at all times during each of our taxable years. In addition, our charter contains restrictions regarding ownership and transfer of shares of our common stock that are intended to assist us in continuing to satisfy the share ownership requirements in Items 6 and 7 above.
For purposes of the requirements described herein, any corporation that is a qualified REIT subsidiary of ours will not be treated as a corporation separate from us and all assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit of our qualified REIT subsidiaries will be treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit. A qualified REIT subsidiary is a corporation, other than a taxable REIT subsidiary (as described below under “—Operational Requirements—Asset Tests”), all of the capital shares of which is owned by a REIT.
In the case of a REIT that is a partner in an entity treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership and as earning its allocable share of the gross income of the partnership for purposes of the requirements described herein. In addition, the character of the assets and gross income of the partnership will retain the same character in the hands of the REIT for purposes of the REIT requirements, including the asset and income tests described below. As a result, our proportionate share of the assets, liabilities and items of income of the Operating Partnership and of any other partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes in which we or the Operating Partnership have an interest will be treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income.
The Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements, as described below under “—Operational Requirements—Gross Income Tests,” in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other requirements are met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based upon the magnitude of the violation. In addition, the Code includes provisions that extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset requirements (see “—Operational Requirements—Asset Tests” below) and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax. If we fail to satisfy any of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax could be substantial.
Operational Requirements—Gross Income Tests
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must satisfy annually two gross income requirements:
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At least 75% of our gross income, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, for each taxable year must be derived directly or indirectly from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property or on interests in real property and from other specified sources, including gain from the sale or other disposition of a real estate asset (other than a non-qualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument) which is generally not a prohibited transaction and qualified temporary investment income, as described below. Gross income includes “rents from real property” and, in some circumstances, interest, but excludes gross income from dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. These dispositions are referred to as “prohibited transactions.” This is the 75% Income Test.
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At least 95% of our gross income, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, for each taxable year must be derived from the real property investments described above, gain from the sale or other disposition of a non-qualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument, and generally from dividends and interest and gains from the sale or disposition of shares of our common stock or securities or from any combination of the foregoing. This is the 95% Income Test.
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For purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, certain foreign currency income is disregarded for purposes of determining gross income.
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The rents we will receive or be deemed to receive will qualify as “rents from real property” for purposes of satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT only if the following conditions are met:
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The amount of rent received from a customer must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person; however, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term “rents from real property” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of gross receipts or sales.
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In general, neither we nor an owner of 10% or more shares of our common stock may directly or constructively own 10% or more of a customer, which we refer to as a “Related Party Customer,” or a subtenant of the customer (in which case only rent attributable to the subtenant is disqualified).
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Rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property cannot be greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease, as determined based on the average of the fair market values as of the beginning and end of the taxable year.
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We normally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to customers, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive any income or through a “taxable REIT subsidiary.” However, a REIT may provide services with respect to its properties, and the income derived therefrom will qualify as “rents from real property,” if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space only and are not otherwise considered “rendered to the occupant.” Even if the services provided by us with respect to a
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property are impermissible customer services, the income derived therefrom will qualify as “rents from real property” if such income does not exceed one percent of all amounts received or accrued with respect to that property.
Unless we determine that the resulting nonqualifying income under any of the following situations, taken together with all other nonqualifying income earned by us in the taxable year, will not jeopardize our status as a REIT, we do not intend to:
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charge rent for any property that is based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person, except by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales, as described above;
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rent any property to a related party lessee, including a taxable REIT subsidiary, unless the rent from the lease to the taxable REIT subsidiary would qualify for the special exception from the related party lessee rule applicable to certain leases with a taxable REIT subsidiary;
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derive rental income attributable to personal property other than personal property leased in connection with the lease of real property, the amount of which is less than 15% of the total rent received under the lease; or
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perform services considered to be noncustomary or rendered to the occupant of the property unless the amount we receive or accrue (directly or indirectly) for performing such services for any taxable year will not exceed 1% of all amounts we receive or accrue during such year with respect to the property.
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We may, from time to time, enter into transactions to hedge against interest rate risks or value fluctuations on one or more of our assets or liabilities. Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase these items, futures and forward contracts and other financial instruments. To the extent that we or a pass-through subsidiary enter into a hedging transaction (i) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage the risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to indebtedness incurred or to be incurred by us to acquire or carry real estate assets, (ii) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuation with respect to items of income or gain qualifying under the 75% or 95% income tests, or (iii) manage risk with respect to certain prior transactions described in (i) and/or (ii) above (as described in Section 856(c)(5)(G)(iii) of the Code), income and certain gain from the hedging transaction will be excluded from gross income solely for purposes of 75% and 95% income tests, provided, in each case, that we clearly and timely identify such hedging transaction in the manner required under the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder. A different set of rules applies to hedge transactions occurring on or before July 30, 2008. In all cases, we intend that any hedging transactions were or will be structured in a manner that does not jeopardize our status as a REIT. We may conduct some or all of our hedging activities (including hedging activities relating to currency risk) through a TRS or other corporate entity, the income from which may be subject to federal income tax, rather than by participating in the arrangements directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. No assurance can be given, however, that our hedging activities will not give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT income tests, or that our hedging activities will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Prior to the making of investments in real properties, we may invest the net offering proceeds in liquid assets such as government securities or certificates of deposit. For purposes of the 75% Income Test, income attributable to a stock or debt instrument purchased with the proceeds received by a REIT in
exchange for stock in the REIT (other than amounts received pursuant to a distribution reinvestment plan) constitutes qualified temporary investment income if such income is received or accrued during the one-year period beginning on the date the REIT receives such new capital. To the extent that we hold any proceeds of the offering for longer than one year, we may invest those amounts in less liquid investments such as mortgage backed securities, maturing mortgage loans purchased from mortgage lenders, money market funds or shares of common stock in other REITs in order to satisfy the 75% Income and the 95% Income Tests and the Asset Tests described below. We expect the bulk of the remainder of our income to qualify under the 75% Income and 95% Income Tests as gains from the sale of real property interests, interest on mortgages on real property, and rents from real property in accordance with the requirements described above. With regard to rental income, we anticipate that most of our leases will be for fixed rentals with annual “consumer price index” or similar adjustments and that most of the rentals under our leases will not be based on the income or profits of any person. Rental leases may provide for payments based on gross receipts, which are generally permissible under the REIT income tests. In addition, none of our customers are expected to be Related Party Customers and the portion of the rent attributable to personal property is not expected to exceed 15% of the total rent to be received under any lease. We anticipate that all or most of the services to be performed with respect to our real properties will be performed by our property manager and such services are expected to be those usually or customarily rendered in connection with the rental of real property and not rendered to the occupant of such real property. Finally, we anticipate that any non-customary services will be provided by a taxable REIT subsidiary or, alternatively, by an independent contractor that is adequately compensated and from whom we derive no income. However, we can give no assurance that the actual sources of our gross income will allow us to satisfy the 75% Income and the 95% Income Tests described above.
Further, we and our subsidiaries may hold investments in and pay taxes to foreign countries. Taxes that we pay in foreign jurisdictions may not be passed through to, or used by our stockholders as a foreign tax credit or otherwise. Our foreign investments might also generate foreign currency gains and losses. After July 30, 2008, for purposes of either one or both of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, two categories of foreign currency gain may be excluded from gross income: “real estate foreign exchange gain” and “passive foreign exchange gain.” Real estate foreign exchange gain is not treated as gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Real estate foreign exchange gain includes gain derived from certain qualified business units of the REIT and foreign currency gain attributable to (i) qualifying income under the 75% gross income test, (ii) the acquisition or ownership of obligations secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property, or (iii) being an obligor on an obligation secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property. In addition, passive foreign exchange gain is not treated as gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test only. Passive foreign exchange gain includes real estate foreign exchange gain and foreign currency gain attributable to (i) qualifying income under the 95% gross income test, (ii) the acquisition or ownership of obligations, or (iii) being the obligor on obligations and that, in the case of (ii) and (iii), does not fall within the scope of the real estate foreign exchange definition. A different set of rules applies to foreign currency transactions occurring on or before July 30, 2008. In all cases, we intend that any foreign currency transactions were or will be structured in a manner that does not jeopardize our status as a REIT. No assurance can be given that any foreign currency gains that we recognize directly or through pass-through subsidiaries will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Notwithstanding our failure to satisfy one or both of the 75% Income and the 95% Income Tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for that year if we are eligible for relief under specific provisions of the Code. These relief provisions generally will be available if:
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our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect;
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we attach a schedule of our income sources to our federal income tax return; and
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any incorrect information on the schedule is not due to fraud with intent to evade tax.
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It is not possible, however, to state whether, in all circumstances, we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. In addition, as discussed above in “—REIT Qualification—Taxation of Black Creek Diversified Property Fund Inc.,” even if these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed with respect to the excess net income.
Operational Requirements—Asset Tests
At the close of each quarter of our taxable year, starting with the taxable year ending December 31, 2006, we also must satisfy five tests, which we refer to as “Asset Tests,” relating to the nature and diversification of our assets.
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First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by real estate assets, cash, cash items and government securities. The term “real estate assets” includes real property, mortgages on real property or on interests in real property, debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs, shares of common stock in other qualified REITs, property attributable to the temporary investment of new capital as described above and a proportionate share of any real estate assets owned by a partnership in which we are a partner or of any qualified REIT subsidiary of ours.
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Second, no more than 25% of our total assets may be represented by securities other than those in the 75% asset class.
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Third, of the investments included in the 25% asset class, the value of any one issuer’s securities that we own may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets. Additionally, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power or value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, which we refer to as the “10% Asset Test.” The 10% Asset Test does not apply to securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary, nor does it apply to certain “straight debt” instruments possessing certain characteristics. The term “securities” also does not include the equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary of ours or an equity interest in any entity treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes.
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Fourth, no more than 25% (20% prior to July 30, 2008 and for taxable years after 2017) of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. Subject to certain exceptions, a taxable REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a REIT, in which we directly or indirectly own stock and with respect to which a joint election has been made by us and the corporation to treat the corporation as a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours and also includes any corporation, other than a REIT, in which a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours owns, directly or indirectly, more than 35 percent of the voting power or value.
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Fifth, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by non-qualified publicly offered REIT debt instruments.
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Any interests that we hold in a REMIC will generally qualify as real estate assets and income derived from REMIC interests will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests described above. If less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC are real estate assets, however,
then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC and income derived from the interest will qualify for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests. If we hold a “residual interest” in a REMIC from which we derive “excess inclusion income,” we will be required either to distribute the excess inclusion income or to pay tax on it (or a combination of the two), even though we may not receive the income in cash. To the extent that distributed excess inclusion income is allocable to a particular stockholder, the income (1) would not be allowed to be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder, (2) would be subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from federal income tax, and (3) would result in the application of U.S. federal income tax withholding at the maximum rate (30%), without reduction pursuant to any otherwise applicable income tax treaty, to the extent allocable to most types of foreign stockholders. Moreover, any excess inclusion income that we receive that is allocable to specified categories of tax-exempt investors which are not subject to unrelated business income tax, such as government entities, may be subject to corporate-level income tax in our hands, whether or not it is distributed.
To the extent that we hold mortgage participations or CMBS that do not represent REMIC interests, such assets may not qualify as real estate assets, and the income generated from them may not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT income tests, depending upon the circumstances and the specific structure of the investment.
We may enter into sale and repurchase agreements under which we would nominally sell certain of our loan assets to a counterparty and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase the sold assets. We believe that we would be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the owner of the loan assets that are the subject of any such agreement notwithstanding that such agreements may transfer record ownership of the assets to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. It is possible, however, that the Internal Revenue Service could assert that we did not own the loan assets during the term of the sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.
Certain of our mezzanine loans may qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2003-65 pursuant to which certain loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership interests in a partnership or limited liability company will be treated as qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% real estate asset test and the 10% vote or value test. See “—Operational Requirements—Gross Income Tests.” We may make some mezzanine loans that do not qualify for that safe harbor and that do not qualify as “straight debt” securities or for one of the other exclusions from the definition of “securities” for purposes of the 10% value test. We intend to make such investments in such a manner as not to fail the asset tests described above.
No independent appraisals have been obtained to support our conclusions as to the value of our total assets or the value of any particular security or securities. Moreover, values of some assets, including instruments issued in securitization transactions, may not be susceptible to a precise determination, and values are subject to change in the future. Furthermore, the proper classification of an instrument as debt or equity for federal income tax purposes may be uncertain in some circumstances, which could affect the application of the REIT asset requirements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not contend that our interests in our subsidiaries or in the securities of other issuers will not cause a violation of the REIT asset tests.
The Asset Tests must generally be met for any quarter in which we acquire securities or other property. Upon full investment of the net offering proceeds we expect that most of our assets will consist of “real estate assets” and we therefore expect to satisfy the Asset Tests.
For tax years beginning after July 30, 2008, if we meet the Asset Tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our REIT status for a failure to satisfy the Assets Tests at the end of a later quarter in which we have not acquired any securities or other property if such failure occurs solely because of changes in asset values (including changes resulting solely by the change in the foreign currency exchange rate used to value a foreign asset). For all periods, if our failure to satisfy the Asset Tests results from an acquisition of securities or other property during a quarter, we can cure the failure by disposing of a sufficient amount of non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. We intend to maintain adequate records of the value of our assets to ensure compliance with the Asset Tests and to take other action within 30 days after the close of any quarter as may be required to cure any noncompliance. If that does not occur, we may nonetheless qualify for one of the relief provisions described below.
The Code contains a number of provisions applicable to REITs, including relief provisions that make it easier for REITs to satisfy the asset requirements, or to maintain REIT qualification notwithstanding certain violations of the asset and other requirements.
One such provision allows a REIT which fails one or more of the asset requirements to nevertheless maintain its REIT qualification if (i) it provides the Internal Revenue Service with a description of each asset causing the failure, (ii) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, (iii) the REIT pays a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 per failure and (b) the product of the net income generated by the assets that caused the failure multiplied by the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 35%), and (iv) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or otherwise satisfies the relevant asset tests within that time frame.
A second relief provision applies to de minimis violations of the 10% and 5% asset tests. A REIT may maintain its qualification despite a violation of such requirements if (i) the value of the assets causing the violation do not exceed the lesser of 1.0% of the REIT’s total assets, and $10,000,000, and (ii) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or the relevant tests are otherwise satisfied within that time frame.
The Code also provides that certain securities will not cause a violation of the 10% value test described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute “straight debt,” which includes securities having certain contingency features. A security cannot qualify as “straight debt” where a REIT (or a controlled taxable REIT subsidiary of the REIT) owns other securities of the issuer of that security which do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitute, in the aggregate, 1.0% or less of the total value of that issuer’s outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the 10% value test. Such securities include (i) any loan made to an individual or an estate, (ii) certain rental agreements in which one or more payments are to be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT), (iii) any obligation to pay rents from real property, (iv) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity, (v) any security issued by another REIT, and (vi) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnership’s income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above under “—Operational Requirements—Gross Income Tests.” In addition, when applying the 10% value test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REIT’s proportionate equity interest in that partnership.
Operational Requirements—Annual Distribution Requirement
In order to be taxed as a REIT, we are required to make distributions, other than capital gain distributions, to our stockholders each year in the amount of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain and subject to certain other potential adjustments) for all tax years. While we must generally make distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, we may also make distributions in the following taxable year if (1) they are declared before we timely file our federal income tax return for the taxable year in question and (2) they are paid on or before the first regular distribution payment date after the declaration.
Even if we satisfy the foregoing distribution requirement and, accordingly, continue to qualify as a REIT for tax purposes, we will still be subject to federal income tax on the excess of our net capital gain and our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, over the amount of distributions to stockholders.
In addition, if we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of:
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85% of our ordinary income for that year;
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95% of our capital gain net income other than the capital gain net income which we elect to retain and pay tax on for that year; and
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any undistributed taxable income from prior periods;
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we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the amount of the required distributions over the sum of (A) the amounts actually distributed plus (B) retained amounts on which corporate level tax is paid by us.
For taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2014, in order for dividends to have been counted towards our distribution requirement and to have provided a tax deduction to us, they must not have been “preferential dividends.” A dividend paid for such taxable years was not a preferential dividend if it was pro rata among all outstanding shares within a particular class and was in accordance with the preferences among our different classes of shares as set forth in our organizational documents. A distribution of a preferential dividend may cause other distributions to be treated as preferential dividends, which may possibly have prevented us from satisfying the distribution requirement for REIT qualification. We received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that differences in the dividends distributed to holders of Class E shares, holders of Class A shares and holders of Class W shares would not cause such dividends to be preferential dividends. The preferential dividend rules ceased to apply to us as of our 2015 taxable year, and will not apply so long as we remain a publicly-offered REIT.
We intend to make timely distributions sufficient to satisfy this requirement; however, it is possible that we may experience timing differences between (1) the actual receipt of income and payment of deductible expenses, and (2) the inclusion of that income and deduction of those expenses for purposes of computing our taxable income. It is also possible that we may be allocated a share of net capital gain attributable to the sale of depreciated property by the Operating Partnership that exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. In those circumstances, we may have less cash than is necessary to meet our annual distribution requirement or to avoid income or excise taxation on undistributed income. We may find it necessary in those circumstances to arrange for financing or raise funds through the issuance of additional shares of common stock in order to meet our distribution requirements. If we fail to satisfy the distribution requirement for any taxable year by reason of a later adjustment to our taxable income made by the Internal Revenue Service, we may be able to pay “deficiency dividends” in a later
year and include such distributions in our deductions for dividends paid for the earlier year. In that event, we may be able to avoid losing our REIT status or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, but we would be required to pay interest and a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service based upon the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends for the earlier year.
We may also elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains. Provided we comply with certain requirements, the effect of such an election would be as follows:
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we would be required to pay the federal income tax on these gains;
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taxable U.S. stockholders, while required to include their proportionate share of the undistributed long-term capital gains in income, would receive a credit or refund for their share of the tax paid by the REIT; and
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the basis of the stockholder’s shares of common stock would be increased by the difference between the designated amount included in the stockholder’s long-term capital gains and the tax deemed paid with respect to such shares of common stock.
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We are required to file an annual U.S. federal income tax return, which, like other corporate returns, is subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. Because the tax law requires us to make many judgments regarding the proper treatment of a transaction or an item of income or deduction, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service will challenge positions we take in computing our REIT taxable income and our distributions.
Issues could arise, for example, with respect to the allocation of the purchase price of real properties between depreciable or amortizable assets and non-depreciable or non-amortizable assets such as land and the current deductibility of fees paid to the Advisor or its affiliates. Were the Internal Revenue Service to successfully challenge our characterization of a transaction or determination of our REIT taxable income, we could be found to have failed to satisfy a requirement for qualification as a REIT. If, as a result of a challenge, we are determined to have failed to satisfy the distribution requirements for a taxable year, we would be disqualified as a REIT, unless we were permitted to pay a deficiency dividend to our stockholders and pay interest thereon to the Internal Revenue Service, as provided by the Code.
Taxable Income for Which Cash Has Not Been Received Created by Investments in Debt Obligations
Due to the nature of the assets in which we will invest, we may be required to recognize taxable income from those assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow on or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income ultimately realized on such assets.
We may acquire debt instruments in the secondary market for less than their face amount. The amount of such discount generally will be treated as “market discount” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We expect to accrue market discount on the basis of a constant yield to maturity of a debt instrument. Accrued market discount is reported as income when, and to the extent that, any payment of principal of the debt instrument is made, unless we elect to include accrued market discount in income as it accrues. Principal payments on certain loans are made monthly, and consequently accrued market discount may have to be included in income each month as if the debt instrument were assured of ultimately being collected in full. If we collect less on the debt instrument than our purchase price plus the
market discount we had previously reported as income, we may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions in a subsequent taxable year.
Some of the debt instruments that we acquire may have been issued with original issue discount. In general, we will be required to accrue original issue discount based on the constant yield to maturity of the debt instrument, and to treat it as taxable income in accordance with applicable U.S. federal income tax rules even though smaller or no cash payments are received on such debt instrument. As in the case of the market discount discussed in the preceding paragraph, the constant yield in question will be determined and we will be taxed based on the assumption that all future payments due on debt instrument in question will be made, with consequences similar to those described in the previous paragraph if all payments on the debt instruments are not made.
We may acquire distressed debt investments that are subsequently modified by agreement with the borrower. If the amendments to the outstanding debt are “significant modifications” under the applicable Treasury regulations, the modified debt may be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt exchange with the borrower. In that event, we may be required to recognize taxable income to the extent the principal amount of the modified debt exceeds our adjusted tax basis in the unmodified debt, and would hold the modified loan with a cost basis equal to its principal amount for U.S. federal tax purposes.
In addition, in the event that any debt instruments acquired by us are delinquent as to mandatory principal and interest payments, or in the event payments with respect to a particular debt instrument are not made when due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income. Similarly, we may be required to accrue interest income with respect to subordinate mortgage-backed securities at the stated rate regardless of whether corresponding cash payments are received.
Due to each of these potential timing differences between income recognition or expense deduction and the related cash receipts or disbursements, there is a significant risk that we may have substantial taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, we may need to borrow funds or take other action to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements for the taxable year in which this “taxable income for which cash has not been received” is recognized.
Operational Requirements—Recordkeeping
We must maintain certain records as set forth in Treasury Regulations in order to avoid the payment of monetary penalties to the Internal Revenue Service. Such Treasury Regulations require that we request, on an annual basis, certain information designed to disclose the ownership of shares of our outstanding common stock. We intend to comply with these requirements.
Failure to Qualify as a REIT
If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any reason in a taxable year and applicable relief provisions do not apply, we will be subject to tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We will not be able to deduct dividends paid to our stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, all dividends to our domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates will generally be taxable at capital gains rates, and, subject to limitations of the Code, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. We also will be disqualified for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost unless we are entitled to relief under specific
statutory provisions. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Sale-Leaseback Transactions
Some of our investments may be in the form of sale-leaseback transactions. We normally intend to treat these transactions as true leases for federal income tax purposes. However, depending on the terms of any specific transaction, the Internal Revenue Service might take the position that the transaction is not a true lease but is more properly treated in some other manner. If such recharacterization were successful, we would not be entitled to claim the depreciation deductions available to an owner of the property. In addition, the recharacterization of one or more of these transactions might cause us to fail to satisfy the Asset Tests or the Income Tests described above based upon the asset we would be treated as holding or the income we would be treated as having earned and such failure could result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. Alternatively, the amount or timing of income inclusion or the loss of depreciation deductions resulting from the recharacterization might cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement described above for one or more taxable years absent the availability of the deficiency dividend procedure or might result in a larger portion of our dividends being treated as ordinary income to our stockholders.
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
Definition
In this section, the phrase “U.S. Stockholder” means a holder of our common stock that for federal income tax purposes is:
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a citizen or resident of the United States;
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a corporation, partnership or other entity treated as a corporation or partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or of any political subdivision thereof;
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an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
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a trust, if a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
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If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. An investor that is a partnership and the partners in such partnership should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock.
For any taxable year for which we qualify for taxation as a REIT, amounts distributed to, and gains realized by, taxable U.S. stockholders with respect to our common stock generally will be taxed as described below. For a summary of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of distributions reinvested in additional shares of common stock pursuant to our Plan, see “Summary of Our Fifth Amended and Restated Distribution Reinvestment Plan— Tax Consequences of Participation in the Plan.”
Certain U.S. individuals, estates, and trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, net investment income includes dividends and gains from sales of stock. In the case of an individual, the tax will be 3.8% of the lesser of the individual’s net investment income or the excess of the individual’s modified adjusted gross income over an amount equal to (1) $250,000 in the case of a married individual filing a joint return or a surviving spouse, (2) $125,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return, or (3) $200,000 in the case of a single individual.
For individuals (and entities taxed at individual rates), the maximum ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% and the maximum tax rate for long-term capital gains and qualified dividends is 20%. REIT dividends generally are not treated as such qualified dividends.
Distributions Generally
Distributions to U.S. stockholders, other than capital gain distributions discussed below, will constitute distributions up to the amount of our current or accumulated earnings and profits and will be taxable to the stockholders as ordinary income. These distributions are not eligible for the dividends received deduction generally available to corporations. In addition, with limited exceptions, these distributions are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates for qualified dividends received by domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations. Stockholders that are individuals, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on dividends designated by and received from us to the extent that the dividends are attributable to (i) income retained by us in the prior taxable year on which we were subject to corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax), (ii) dividends received by us from taxable C corporations, or (iii) income in the prior taxable year from the sales of “built-in gain” property acquired by us from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income).
To the extent that we make a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital, reducing the tax basis in the U.S. stockholder’s shares of common stock, and the amount of each distribution in excess of a U.S. stockholder’s tax basis in its shares of common stock will be taxable as gain realized from the sale of its shares of common stock. Dividends that we declare in October, November or December of any year payable to a stockholder of record on a specified date in any of these months will be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder on December 31 of the year, provided that we actually pay the dividends during January of the following calendar year.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “—Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are not passed through to stockholders and do not offset income of stockholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
If excess inclusion income from a taxable mortgage pool or REMIC residual interest is allocated to any stockholder, that income will be taxable in the hands of the stockholder and would not be offset by any net operating losses of the stockholder that would otherwise be available. As required by Internal Revenue Service guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a dividend paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
We will be treated as having sufficient earnings and profits to treat as a dividend any distribution by us up to the amount required to be distributed in order to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax
discussed above. Moreover, any “deficiency distribution” will be treated as an ordinary or capital gain distribution, as the case may be, regardless of our earnings and profits. As a result, stockholders may be required to treat as taxable some distributions that would otherwise result in a tax-free return of capital.
Capital Gain Distributions
Distributions to U.S. stockholders that we properly designate as capital gain distributions normally will be treated as long-term capital gains to the extent they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held his shares of common stock. A corporate U.S. stockholder might be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain distributions as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum federal rates of 20% in the case of stockholders who are individuals, trusts and estates, and 35% in the case of stockholders that are corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are subject to a 25% maximum federal income tax rate for taxpayers who are individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions. See “—Operational Requirements—Annual Distribution Requirement” for the treatment by U.S. stockholders of net long-term capital gains that we elect to retain and pay tax on.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Such losses, however, are not passed through to U.S. stockholders and do not offset income of U.S. stockholders from other sources, nor do they affect the character of any distributions that are actually made by us, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of U.S. stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Certain Dispositions of Our Common Stock
In general, capital gains recognized by individuals upon the sale or disposition of shares of common stock will be subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of 20% if such shares of common stock are held for more than 12 months, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates (of up to 39.6%) if such shares of common stock are held for 12 months or less. Gains recognized by stockholders that are corporations are subject to federal income tax at a maximum rate of 35%, whether or not classified as long-term capital gains. The Internal Revenue Service has the authority to prescribe, but has not yet prescribed, regulations that would apply a higher capital gain tax rate of 25% to a portion of capital gain realized by a non-corporate holder on the sale of REIT shares that would correspond to the REIT’s “unrecaptured Section 1250 gain.” Capital losses recognized by a stockholder upon the disposition of a share of our common stock held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of common stock by a stockholder who has held such shares of common stock for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received from us that are required to be treated by the stockholder as long-term capital gain.
If an investor recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock or other securities in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of Treasury regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the Internal Revenue Service. These regulations, though directed towards “tax shelters,” are broadly written and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. You
should consult your tax advisor concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock or securities or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in the transactions in which we are involved (including their advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Distributions that we make and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a domestic stockholder of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, stockholders will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against income or gain relating to our stock. To the extent that distributions we make do not constitute a return of capital, they will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation.
Redemptions of Our Common Stock
A redemption of our common stock will be treated as a distribution in exchange for the redeemed shares and taxed in the same manner as other taxable share sales discussed above, provided that the redemption satisfies one of the tests enabling the redemption to be treated as a sale or exchange. A redemption will be treated as a sale or exchange if it (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to a stockholder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of a stockholder’s interest in our shares or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to a stockholder, all within the meaning of applicable provisions of the Code. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, shares considered to be owned by a stockholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules, as well as shares actually owned, must generally be taken into account.
A redemption that does not qualify as an exchange under such tests will constitute a dividend equivalent redemption that is treated as a taxable distribution and taxed in the same manner as regular distributions (i.e., ordinary dividend income to the extent paid out of earnings and profits unless properly designated as a capital gain dividend). In addition, although guidance is sparse, the Internal Revenue Service could take the position that a stockholder who does not participate in any redemption treated as a dividend should be treated as receiving a constructive share distribution taxable as a dividend in the amount of their increased percentage ownership of our shares as a result of the redemption, even though the stockholder did not actually receive cash or other property as a result of the redemption.
To avoid certain issues related to our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements and utilize the deficiency dividend procedure (see “—Operational Requirements—Annual Distribution Requirements”) we have implemented procedures designed to track our stockholders’ percentage interests in our common stock in order to identify any such dividend equivalent redemptions and will decline to effect a redemption to the extent that we believe that it would constitute a dividend equivalent redemption. We cannot assure you, however, that we will be successful in preventing all dividend equivalent redemptions.
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations
Distributions made by us and gain arising from the sale, redemption or exchange by a U.S. stockholder of shares of our common stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. stockholders will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against income or gain relating to shares of our common stock. Distributions made by us, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation. A U.S. stockholder that elects to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of shares or qualified dividend income as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amounts.
Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding for U.S. Stockholders
We will report to U.S. stockholders of our common stock and to the Internal Revenue Service the amount of distributions made or deemed made during each calendar year and the amount of tax withheld, if any. Under some circumstances, U.S. stockholders may be subject to backup withholding on payments made with respect to, or cash proceeds of a sale or exchange of, our common stock. Backup withholding will apply only if the stockholder:
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Fails to furnish its taxpayer identification number (which, for an individual, would be his Social Security number);
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Furnishes an incorrect taxpayer identification number;
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Is notified by the Internal Revenue Service that the stockholder has failed properly to report payments of interest or dividends and is subject to backup withholding; or
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Under some circumstances, fails to certify, under penalties of perjury, that it has furnished a correct taxpayer identification number and has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that the stockholder is subject to backup withholding for failure to report interest and dividend payments or has been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that the stockholder is no longer subject to backup withholding for failure to report those payments.
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Backup withholding will not apply with respect to payments made to some stockholders, such as corporations in certain circumstances and tax-exempt organizations. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the amount of any backup withholding with respect to a payment to a U.S. stockholder will be allowed as a credit against the U.S. stockholder’s United States federal income tax liability and may entitle the U.S. stockholder to a refund, provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service. U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding their qualification for exemption from backup withholding and the procedure for obtaining an exemption.
With respect to dispositions of REIT shares acquired after 2010 (2011 in the case of shares acquired in connection with a distribution reinvestment plan), brokers that are required to report the gross proceeds from a sale of shares on Form 1099-B are also required to report the customer’s adjusted basis in the shares and whether any gain or loss with respect to the shares is long-term or short-term. In some cases, there may be alternative methods of determining the basis in shares that are disposed of, in which case your broker will apply a default method of its choosing if you do not indicate which method you choose to have applied. You should consult with your own tax advisor regarding these reporting requirements and your election options.
Treatment of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
Tax-exempt entities including employee pension benefit trusts and individual retirement accounts generally are exempt from United States federal income taxation. These entities are subject to taxation, however, on any “unrelated business taxable income,” which we refer to as “UBTI,” as defined in the Code. The Internal Revenue Service has issued a published ruling that distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt pension trust did not constitute UBTI. Although rulings are merely interpretations of law by the Internal Revenue Service and may be revoked or modified, based on this analysis, indebtedness incurred by us or by the Operating Partnership in connection with the acquisition of a property should not cause any income derived from the property to be treated as UBTI upon the distribution of those amounts as dividends to a tax-exempt U.S. stockholder of our common stock. A tax-exempt entity that incurs
indebtedness to finance its purchase of our common stock, however, will be subject to UBTI under the debt-financed income rules. However, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under specified provisions of the Code are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally may require them to treat distributions from us as UBTI. These organizations are urged to consult their own tax advisor with respect to the treatment of our distributions to them.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends as UBTI if we are a “pension-held REIT.” We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (1) we are required to “look through” one or more of our pension trust stockholders in order to satisfy the REIT “closely-held” test, and (2) either (i) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock, or (ii) one or more pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock generally should prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock and generally should prevent us from becoming a pension-held REIT.
Tax-exempt stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences of owning our common stock
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Special Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Stockholders
The rules governing United States federal income taxation of non-resident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships and other foreign stockholders, which we refer to collectively as “Non-U.S. holders,” are complex. The following discussion is intended only as a summary of these rules. Non-U.S. holders should consult with their own tax advisors to determine the impact of United States federal, state and local income tax laws on an investment in our common stock, including any reporting requirements as well as the tax treatment of the investment under the tax laws of their home country.
Ordinary Dividends
The portion of distributions received by Non-U.S. holders payable out of our earnings and profits which are not attributable to our capital gains and which are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. holder will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by treaty. Reduced treaty rates and other exemptions are not available to the extent that income is attributable to excess inclusion income allocable to the foreign stockholder. Accordingly, we will withhold at a rate of 30% on any portion of a dividend that is paid to a non-U.S. holder and attributable to that holder’s share of our excess inclusion income. As required by Internal Revenue Service guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a dividend paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income. In general, Non-U.S. holders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our common stock. In cases where the distribution income from a Non-U.S. holder’s investment in our common stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the Non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to U.S. tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as domestic stockholders are taxed with respect to such distributions, such income must generally be reported on a U.S. income tax return filed by or on behalf of the Non-U.S. holder, and the income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation.
Non-Dividend Distributions
Unless our common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest, which we refer to as a “USRPI,” distributions by us which are not distributions out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. income tax. If it cannot be determined at the time at which a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to distributions. However, the Non-U.S. holder may seek a refund from the Internal Revenue Service of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our common stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions by us in excess of the sum of our earnings and profits plus the stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in shares of our common stock will be taxed under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, which we refer to as “FIRPTA,” unless a specific exemption under FIRPTA applies (i.e. for “qualified foreign pension funds” or “qualified shareholders”), at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a domestic stockholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the stockholder’s share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Distributions
A capital gain distribution from a publicly traded REIT will generally not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and will instead be treated the same as an ordinary distribution from us (see “Special Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Stockholders—Ordinary Distributions”), provided that (1) the capital gain distribution is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States, and (2) the recipient Non-U.S. holder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the taxable year in which the capital gain distribution is received. If such requirements are not satisfied, such distributions will be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. holder without regard to whether the distribution is designated as a capital gain distribution and, in addition, shall be subject to a 35% withholding tax. We do not anticipate our common stock will satisfy the “regularly traded” requirement, and therefore expect that our capital gain distributions that are attributable to the disposition of a U.S. real property interest will be taxable under FIRPTA unless a specific exemption under FIRPTA applies (i.e. for “qualified foreign pension funds” or “qualified shareholders”). Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation. A distribution is not a USRPI capital gain if we held the underlying asset solely as a creditor. Capital gain distributions received by a Non-U.S. holder from a REIT that are not USRPI capital gains are generally not subject to U.S. income tax, but may be subject to withholding tax.
In addition, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity as described below, upon disposition of our stock (subject to the 10% exception applicable to “regularly traded” stock described above), a non-U.S. holder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI if the non-U.S. holder (1) disposes of our common stock within a 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which, but for the disposition, would have been treated as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI and (2) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, other shares of our common stock within 30 days after such ex-dividend date.
Estate Tax
If our stock is owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident (as specially defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) of the United States at the time of such individual’s death, the stock will be includable in the individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise, and may therefore be subject to U.S. federal estate tax.
Dispositions and Redemptions of Our Common Stock
Unless our common stock constitutes a USRPI, a sale of our common stock by a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA. Our common stock will not be treated as a USRPI if less than 50% of our assets throughout a prescribed testing period consist of interests in real property located within the United States, excluding, for this purpose, interests in real property solely in a capacity as a creditor.
Even if the foregoing test is not met, our common stock nonetheless will not constitute a USRPI if we are a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of its shares of common stock is held directly or indirectly by Non-U.S. holders. We currently anticipate that we will be a domestically controlled qualified investment entity and, therefore, the sale of our common stock should not be subject to taxation under FIRPTA. However, we cannot assure you that we are or will continue to be a domestically controlled qualified investment entity.
In the event that we do not constitute a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, a non-U.S. stockholder’s sale of our common stock nonetheless will generally not be subject to tax under FIRPTA as a sale of a U.S. real property interest, provided that (1) shares of our common stock are “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market and (2) the selling non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of our outstanding common stock at all times during a specified testing period. As previously noted, however, we do not expect any of our shares to be regularly traded on an established securities market.
In addition, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our shares, a non-U.S. stockholder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a U.S. real property interest if the non-U.S. stockholder (1) disposes of an interest in our shares during the 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which, but for the disposition, would have been treated as gain from sale or exchange of a U.S. real property interest and (2) acquires, enters into a contract or option to acquire, or is deemed to acquire, other shares of our shares within 30 days after such ex-dividend date. The foregoing rules do not apply to a transaction if the 10% regularly traded test described above is satisfied with respect to the non-U.S. stockholder. As previously noted, however, we do not expect shares of our common stock to be regularly traded on an established securities market at any time and, therefore, we do not expect the exception for non-U.S. stockholders that satisfy the 10% regularly traded test to apply.
A redemption of shares generally will be taxable under FIRPTA to the extent the distribution in the redemption of the shares is attributable to gains from our dispositions of U.S. real property interests. To the extent the distribution is not attributable to gains from our dispositions of U.S. real property interests, the excess of the amount of money received in the redemption over the non-U.S. stockholder’s basis in the redeemed shares will be taxable if we are not a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. The Internal Revenue Service has stated that redemption payments may be attributable to gains from dispositions of U.S. real property interests (except when the 10% publicly traded exception would
apply), but has not provided any guidance to determine when and what portion of a redemption payment is a distribution that is attributable to gains from our dispositions of U.S. real property interests. Due to the uncertainty, we may withhold at the 35% rate from all or a portion of redemption payments to non-U.S. stockholders. To the extent the amount of tax we withhold exceeds the amount of a non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, the non-U.S. stockholder may file a U.S. federal income tax return and claim a refund.
If the gain on the sale of shares of common stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA (and no FIRPTA exemption existed), a Non-U.S. holder would be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to the gain, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals. Gain from the sale of our common stock that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a Non-U.S. holder in two cases: (a) if the Non-U.S. holder’s investment in our common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such Non-U.S. holder, the Non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, or (b) if the Non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s capital gain.
Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding for Non-U.S. Stockholders
Non-U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors with regard to U.S. information reporting and backup withholding requirements under the Code.
Foreign Accounts
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, withholding taxes may apply to certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” (as specially defined under those rules) and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends on, or gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our common stock paid to a foreign financial institution or to a non-financial foreign entity, unless (i) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting, (ii) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial U.S. owner, or (iii) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in clause (i) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury that requires, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
The withholding provisions described above currently apply to payments of dividends on our common stock and will apply to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of such stock on or after January 1, 2019. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding FATCA.
Statement of Share Ownership
We are required to demand annual written statements from the record holders of designated percentages of our common stock disclosing the actual owners of the shares of common stock. Any record stockholder who, upon our request, does not provide us with required information concerning actual
ownership of the shares of common stock is required to include specified information relating to his shares of common stock in his federal income tax return. We also must maintain, within the Internal Revenue District in which we are required to file our federal income tax return, permanent records showing the information we have received about the actual ownership of our common stock and a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with our demand.
Federal Income Tax Aspects of the Operating Partnership
The following discussion summarizes certain federal income tax considerations applicable to our investment in the Operating Partnership. The discussion does not cover state or local tax laws or any federal tax laws other than income tax laws.
Classification as a Partnership
We will be entitled to include in our income a distributive share of the Operating Partnership’s income and to deduct our distributive share of the Operating Partnership’s losses only if the Operating Partnership is classified for federal income tax purposes as a partnership, rather than as a corporation or an association taxable as a corporation. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, which we refer to as the “Check-the-Box-Regulations,” an unincorporated domestic entity with at least two members may elect to be classified either as an association taxable as a corporation or as a partnership. If the entity fails to make an election, it generally will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. The Operating Partnership intends to be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes and will not elect to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation under the Check-the-Box-Regulations.
Even though the Operating Partnership will not elect to be treated as an association for Federal income tax purposes, it may be taxed as a corporation if it is deemed to be a “publicly traded partnership.” A publicly traded partnership is a partnership whose interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. Under applicable Treasury regulations, which we refer to as the “PTP Regulations,” limited safe harbors from the definition of a publicly traded partnership are provided. Pursuant to one of those safe harbors, which we refer to as the “Private Placement Exclusion,” interests in a partnership will not be treated as readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof if (i) all interests in the partnership were issued in a transaction (or transactions) that were not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii) the partnership does not have more than 100 partners at any time during the partnership’s taxable year. In determining the number of partners in a partnership, a person owning an interest in a flow-through entity (including a partnership, grantor trust or S corporation) that owns an interest in the partnership is treated as a partner in such partnership only if (a) substantially all of the value of the owner’s interest in the flow-through entity is attributable to the flow-through entity’s direct or indirect interest in the partnership, and (b) a principal purpose of the use of the flow-through entity is to permit the partnership to satisfy the 100 partner limitation. We and the Operating Partnership believe and currently intend to take the position that the Operating Partnership should not be classified as a publicly traded partnership because (i) OP Units are not traded on an established securities market, and (ii) OP Units should not be considered readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. In addition, the Operating Partnership presently qualifies for the Private Placement Exclusion.
Even if the Operating Partnership were considered a publicly traded partnership under the PTP Regulations, the Operating Partnership should not be treated as a corporation for Federal income tax purposes as long as 90% or more of its gross income consists of “qualifying income” under section 7704(d) of the Code. In general, qualifying income includes interest, dividends, real property rents (as defined by section 856 of the Code) and gain from the sale or disposition of real property. If the Operating
Partnership were characterized as a publicly traded partnership even if it were not taxable as a corporation because of the qualifying income exception, however, holders of OP Units would be subject to special rules under section 469 of the Code. Under such rules, each holder of OP Units would be required to treat any loss derived from the Operating Partnership separately from any income or loss derived from any other publicly traded partnership, as well as from income or loss derived from other passive activities. In such case, any net losses or credits attributable to the Operating Partnership which are carried forward may only be offset against future income of the Operating Partnership. Moreover, unlike other passive activity losses, suspended losses attributable to the Operating Partnership would only be allowed upon the complete disposition of the OP Unit holder’s “entire interest” in the Operating Partnership.
We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the Operating Partnership will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
If for any reason the Operating Partnership were taxable as a corporation, rather than a partnership, for federal income tax purposes, we would not be able to qualify as a REIT, unless we are eligible for relief from the violation pursuant to relief provisions described above. See “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Organizational Requirements” and “—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT—Operational Requirements—Asset Tests,” above, for discussion of the effect of the failure to satisfy the REIT tests for a taxable year, and of the relief provisions. In addition, any change in the Operating Partnership’s status for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we might incur a tax liability without any related cash distribution. Further, items of income and deduction of the Operating Partnership would not pass through to its partners, and its partners would be treated as stockholders for tax purposes. The Operating Partnership would be required to pay income tax at corporate tax rates on its net income, and distributions to its partners would constitute distributions that would not be deductible in computing the Operating Partnership’s taxable income.
Income Taxation of the Operating Partnership and its Partners
Partners, Not Operating Partnership, Subject to Tax
. A partnership is not a taxable entity for federal income tax purposes. As a partner in the Operating Partnership, we will be required to take into account our allocable share of the Operating Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits for any taxable year of the Operating Partnership ending within or with our taxable year, without regard to whether we have received or will receive any distributions from the Operating Partnership.
Operating Partnership Allocations
. Although a partnership agreement generally determines the allocation of income and losses among partners, such allocations will be disregarded for tax purposes under section 704(b) of the Code if they do not comply with the provisions of section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder. If an allocation is not recognized for federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partner’s interests in the partnership, which will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. The Operating Partnership’s allocations of taxable income and loss are intended to comply with the requirements of section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder.
Tax Allocations With Respect to Contributed Properties
. Pursuant to section 704(c) of the Code, income, gain, loss, and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated for federal income tax purposes in a manner such that the contributor is charged with, or benefits from, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of unrealized gain or unrealized loss is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed
property at the time of contribution and the adjusted tax basis of such property at the time of contribution. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, partnerships are required to use a “reasonable method” for allocating items subject to section 704(c) of the Code, and several reasonable allocation methods are described therein.
Under the Operating Partnership Agreement, subject to exceptions applicable to the special limited partnership interests, depreciation or amortization deductions of the Operating Partnership generally will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective interests in the Operating Partnership, except to the extent that the Operating Partnership is required under section 704(c) to use a different method for allocating depreciation deductions attributable to its properties. In addition, gain or loss on the sale of a property that has been contributed to the Operating Partnership will be specially allocated to the contributing partner to the extent of any built-in gain or loss with respect to the property for federal income tax purposes. It is possible that we may (1) be allocated lower amounts of depreciation deductions for tax purposes with respect to contributed properties than would be allocated to us if each such property were to have a tax basis equal to its fair market value at the time of contribution, and (2) be allocated taxable gain in the event of a sale of such contributed properties in excess of the economic profit allocated to us as a result of such sale. These allocations may cause us to recognize taxable income in excess of cash proceeds received by us, which might adversely affect our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements, although we do not anticipate that this event will occur. The foregoing principles also will affect the calculation of our earnings and profits for purposes of determining the portion of our distributions that are taxable as a distribution. The allocations described in this paragraph may result in a higher portion of our distributions being taxed as a dividend than would have occurred had we purchased such properties for cash.
Basis in Operating Partnership Interest
. The adjusted tax basis of our partnership interest in the Operating Partnership generally will be equal to (1) the amount of cash and the basis of any other property contributed to the Operating Partnership by us, (2) increased by (A) our allocable share of the Operating Partnership’s income and (B) our allocable share of indebtedness of the Operating Partnership, and (3) reduced, but not below zero, by (A) our allocable share of the Operating Partnership’s loss and (B) the amount of cash distributed to us, including constructive cash distributions resulting from a reduction in our share of indebtedness of the Operating Partnership. If the allocation of our distributive share of the Operating Partnership’s loss would reduce the adjusted tax basis of our partnership interest in the Operating Partnership below zero, the recognition of the loss will be deferred until such time as the recognition of the loss would not reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero. If a distribution from the Operating Partnership or a reduction in our share of the Operating Partnership’s liabilities would reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero, that distribution, including a constructive distribution, will constitute taxable income to us. The gain realized by us upon the receipt of any such distribution or constructive distribution would normally be characterized as capital gain, and if our partnership interest in the Operating Partnership has been held for longer than the long-term capital gain holding period (currently one year), the distribution would constitute long-term capital gain.
Depreciation Deductions Available to the Operating Partnership
. The Operating Partnership will use a portion of contributions we make from net offering proceeds to acquire interests in properties and securities. To the extent that the Operating Partnership acquires properties or securities for cash, the Operating Partnership’s initial basis in such properties for federal income tax purposes generally will be equal to the purchase price paid by the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership plans to depreciate each depreciable property for federal income tax purposes under the alternative depreciation system of depreciation, which we refer to as “ADS.” Under ADS, the Operating Partnership generally will depreciate buildings and improvements over a 40-year recovery period using a straight-line method and a mid-month convention and will depreciate furnishings and equipment over a 10-year recovery period. To
the extent that the Operating Partnership acquires properties in exchange for units of the Operating Partnership, the Operating Partnership’s initial basis in each such property for federal income tax purposes should be the same as the transferor’s basis in that property on the date of acquisition by the Operating Partnership. Although the law is not entirely clear, the Operating Partnership generally intends to depreciate such depreciable property for federal income tax purposes over the same remaining useful lives and under the same methods used by the transferors.
Sale of the Operating Partnership’s Property
. Generally, any gain realized by the Operating Partnership on the sale of property held for more than one year will be long-term capital gain, except for any portion of such gain that is treated as depreciation or cost recovery recapture.
Partnership Audit Rules
. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changes the rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017). Among other changes and subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest, or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. Although it is uncertain how these new rules will be implemented, it is possible that they could result in partnerships in which we directly or indirectly invest, including the Operating Partnership, being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we, as a direct or indirect partner of these partnerships, could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest, and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment. The changes created by these new rules are sweeping and in many respects dependent on the promulgation of future regulations or other guidance by the Treasury. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these changes and their potential impact on their investment in our stock.
Prohibited Transaction Rules
. A REIT will incur a 100% penalty tax on the net income derived from a sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business, which we refer to as a “prohibited transaction.” Under a safe harbor provision in the Code, a REIT may sell certain real property without being subject to the prohibited transaction tax if, among other things, the REIT held the real property for the production of rental income for at least two years prior to the disposition. We, however, do not presently intend to acquire or hold or allow the Operating Partnership to acquire or hold any property that represents inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our or the Operating Partnership’s trade or business.
Other Tax Considerations
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to the federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our stock. Specifically, according to publicly released statements, it is a top legislative priority of the current administration to enact significant reform to federal tax laws. There is a substantial lack of clarity around the likelihood, timing and details of any such tax reform and its potential impact on us.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and our subsidiaries and stockholders may be subject to state, local or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions including those in which we or they transact business, own property or reside. We
may own properties located in numerous jurisdictions, and may be required to file tax returns in some or all of those jurisdictions. Our state, local or foreign tax treatment and that of our stockholders may not conform to the federal income tax treatment discussed above. We may pay foreign property taxes, and dispositions of foreign property or operations involving, or investments in, foreign property may give rise to foreign income or other tax liability in amounts that could be substantial. Any foreign taxes that we incur do not pass through to stockholders as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our stock.
LIMITED LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND OTHERS
Our charter, subject to certain limitations, limits the personal liability of our directors and officers for monetary damages. The Maryland General Corporation Law permits a corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action. In addition, our charter and, with respect to our directors only, indemnification agreements with each director, provide that, subject to certain limitations, we will generally indemnify our directors, our officers, the Advisor and its affiliates, and may indemnify our employees (if we have any in the future) and agents for losses they may incur by reason of their service in those capacities. We also have obtained directors and officers liability insurance. The Maryland General Corporation Law allows directors and officers to be indemnified against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and expenses actually incurred in a proceeding unless the following can be established:
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an act or omission of the director or officer was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding, and was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;
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the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
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with respect to any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his act or omission was unlawful.
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In spite of the above provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, our charter and, with respect to our directors only, indemnification agreements with each director, provide that our directors, the Advisor and its affiliates will be indemnified by us for losses or liabilities suffered by them or held harmless for losses or liabilities suffered by us only if all of the following conditions are met:
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our directors, the Advisor or its affiliates have determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in our best interests;
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our directors, the Advisor or its affiliates were acting on our behalf or performing services for us;
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in the case of interested directors, the Advisor or its affiliates, the liability or loss was not the result of negligence or misconduct by the party seeking indemnification;
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in the case of our independent directors, the liability or loss was not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct by the party seeking indemnification; and
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the indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of our net assets and not from our stockholders.
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We have agreed to indemnify and hold harmless the Advisor and its affiliates performing services for us from specific claims and liabilities arising out of the performance of their obligations under the Advisory Agreement to the maximum extent permitted by law. As a result, we and our stockholders may be entitled to a more limited right of action than we would otherwise have if these indemnification rights were not included in the Advisory Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any provision of the
Maryland General Corporation Law or our organizational documents, we may not indemnify or hold harmless the Advisor, its affiliates or any of their respective officers, directors, partners or employees in any manner that would be inconsistent with the Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts adopted by the North American Securities Administrators Association.
The general effect to investors of any arrangement under which any of our controlling persons, directors or officers are insured or indemnified against liability is a potential reduction in distributions resulting from our payment of premiums associated with insurance or any indemnification for which we do not have adequate insurance.
The Commission takes the position that indemnification against liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and unenforceable. Indemnification of the directors, our officers, the Advisor or its affiliates will not be allowed for liabilities arising from or out of a violation of state or federal securities laws, unless one or more of the following conditions are met:
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there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations;
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such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction; or
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a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against the indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the Commission and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which the securities were offered as to indemnification for violations of securities laws.
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Indemnification will be allowed for settlements and related expenses of lawsuits alleging securities laws violations and for expenses incurred in successfully defending any lawsuits, provided that a court either:
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approves the settlement and finds that indemnification of the settlement and related costs should be made; or
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dismisses with prejudice, or there is a successful adjudication on the merits of, each count involving alleged securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee and a court approves the indemnification.
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We may advance funds to directors, officers, the Advisor and its affiliates for legal expenses and other costs incurred as a result of our legal action for which indemnification is being sought only if all of the following conditions are met:
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the legal action relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on behalf of the REIT;
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the party seeking such advancement has provided us with written affirmation of his good faith belief that he has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification;
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the legal action is initiated by a third party who is not a stockholder or the legal action is initiated by a stockholder acting in his capacity as such and a court of competent jurisdiction specifically approves such advancement; and
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the party seeking indemnification undertakes to repay the advanced funds to us, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, in cases in which he is found not to be entitled to indemnification.
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Indemnification may reduce the legal remedies available to us and our stockholders against the indemnified individuals.
The aforementioned charter provisions do not reduce the exposure of directors and officers to liability under federal or state securities laws, nor do they limit a stockholder’s ability to obtain injunctive relief or other equitable remedies for a violation of a director’s or an officer’s duties to us or our stockholders, although the equitable remedies may not be an effective remedy in some circumstances.