Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc 8-K, filed May 7, 2021
Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA)
About this 8-K
Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc filed this 8-K on May 7, 2021.
Items reported
- Item 8.01: Other events
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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| Item 8.01 | Other Events |
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
The information included under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in Exhibit 99.1 is incorporated by reference herein and supersedes and replaces the information under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the prospectus dated December 11, 2019 (the “Base Prospectus”), which is (i) a part of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-235449) filed by Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (the “Company”) and Sabra Health Care Limited Partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 11, 2019 (the “Registration Statement”) and (ii) attached to the prospectus supplement dated December 11, 2019 (the “Prospectus Supplement”) filed by the Company with the SEC on December 11, 2019 pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Legal Matters
The information included under the heading “Legal Matters” in Exhibit 99.2 is incorporated by reference herein and supersedes and replaces the information under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Base Prospectus. The information included under the heading “Legal Matters” in Exhibit 99.3 is incorporated by reference herein and supersedes and replaces the information under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement.
Exhibit 8.1 supersedes and replaces Exhibit 8.1 to the Registration Statement.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 8.1 | Opinion of Hogan Lovells US LLP regarding certain tax matters | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Hogan Lovells US LLP (contained in Exhibit 8.1) | |
| 99.1 | Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations | |
| 99.2 | Legal Matters | |
| 99.3 | Legal Matters | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| SABRA HEALTH CARE REIT, INC. | ||||||
| Date: May 7, 2021 | /s/ Harold W. Andrews, Jr. | |||||
| Name: | Harold W. Andrews, Jr. | |||||
| Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | |||||
Exhibit 8.1
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Hogan Lovells US LLP Columbia Square 555 Thirteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 T +1 202 637 5600 F +1 202 637 5910 www.hoganlovells.com |
May 7, 2021
Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc.
18500 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 550
Irvine, CA 92612
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as tax counsel to Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with (i) the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-235449) (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 11, 2019, (ii) the prospectus dated December 11, 2019 (the “Base Prospectus”), and (iii) the Base Prospectus, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement, dated December 11, 2019, filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (collectively, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, the “Prospectus”). You have requested our opinion concerning certain federal income tax considerations relating to the Company, including with respect to the qualification of the Company as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under Section 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
Bases for Opinions
The opinions set forth in this letter are based on relevant current provisions of the Code, the Treasury Regulations thereunder (including proposed and temporary Treasury Regulations), and interpretations of the foregoing as expressed in court decisions, applicable legislative history, and the administrative rulings and practices of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), including its practices and policies in issuing private letter rulings, which are not binding on the IRS except with respect to a taxpayer that receives such a ruling, all as of the date hereof. These provisions and interpretations are subject to change by the IRS, Congress and the courts (as applicable), which may or may not be retroactive in effect and which might result in material modifications of our opinions. Our opinions do not foreclose the possibility of a contrary determination by the IRS or a court of competent jurisdiction, or of a contrary position taken by the IRS or the Treasury Department in regulations or rulings issued in the future. In this regard, an opinion of counsel with respect to an issue represents counsel’s best professional judgment with respect to the outcome on the merits with respect to such issue, if such issue were to be litigated, but an opinion is not binding on the IRS or the courts, and is not a guarantee that the IRS will not assert a contrary position with respect to such issue or that a court will not sustain such a position asserted by the IRS. Terms or phrases that are not capitalized but appear in quotation marks are used herein as they are used for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the Code, Treasury Regulations, and administrative guidance and rulings.
In rendering these opinions, we have examined such statutes, regulations, records, agreements, certificates and other documents as we have considered necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions, including, but not limited to (1) the Registration Statement and Prospectus; (2) the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission; (3) the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc.
May 7, 2021
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quarter ended March 31, 2021; and (4) originals or copies of such documents, corporate records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of this opinion (the “Reviewed Documents”).
The opinions set forth in this letter are premised on, among other things, written representations of the Company with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries contained in a letter to us executed by an officer of the Company and dated as of the date hereof (the “Company Management Representation Letter”). Although we have discussed the Company Management Representation Letter with the signatories thereof for purposes of rendering our opinions, we have not made an independent investigation or audit of the facts set forth in the Reviewed Documents and the Company Management Representation Letter. We consequently have relied upon the representations and statements of the signatories of the Company Management Representation Letter and in the Reviewed Documents and assumed that the information presented in such documents or otherwise furnished to us is accurate and complete in all material respects. We are not aware of any facts inconsistent with the statements in the Company Management Representation Letter.
In this regard, we have assumed with your consent the following:
| (1) | that (A) all of the representations and statements as to factual matters set forth in the Reviewed Documents and the Company Management Representation Letter are true, correct, and complete as of the date hereof, (B) any representation or statement in the Reviewed Documents and the Company Management Representation Letter made as a belief or made “to the knowledge of” or similarly qualified is true, correct and complete as of the date hereof, without such qualification, (C) each agreement described in the Reviewed Documents is valid and binding in accordance with its terms, and (D) each of the obligations of the Company, and its subsidiaries, as described in the Reviewed Documents, has been or will be performed or satisfied in accordance with its terms; |
| (2) | the genuineness of all signatures, the proper execution of all documents, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of documents submitted to us as copies, and the authenticity of the originals from which any copies were made; and |
| (3) | that any documents as to which we have reviewed only a form were or will be duly executed without material changes from the form reviewed by us. |
Any material variation or difference in the facts from those set forth in the documents that we have reviewed and upon which we have relied (including, in particular, the Company Management Representation Letter) may adversely affect the conclusions stated herein. We have also assumed with your consent that the Company satisfied all the requirements for qualification and taxation as REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code for the taxable year ended December 31, 2011 through the taxable year ended December 31, 2016.
Opinions
Based upon and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth herein, including, without limitation, the discussion in the paragraphs below, we are of the opinion that:
| (1) | the Company has been organized and has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for the taxable year ended December |
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| 31, 2017 through the taxable year ended December 31, 2020, and the Company’s current organization and current and proposed method of operation will enable it to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for its taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and future taxable years; and |
| (2) | the statements under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” contained in Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 7, 2021 (incorporated by reference into the Prospectus) (the “Form 8-K”) that describe applicable U.S. federal income tax law are correct in all material respects as of the date hereof. |
In order to qualify as a REIT, 75% of the Company’s total assets must be comprised of “real estate assets” (as that term is used for purposes of Section 856(c) of the Code) and limited other assets specified in the Code as of the close of each calendar quarter of each taxable year of the Company, and at least 75% of the Company’s gross income for any taxable year for which it seeks to qualify as a REIT must be derived from certain specified “real estate” sources, including interest on mortgage loans. The Company’s ability to comply with this requirement is entirely dependent on the Company acquiring and owning (for U.S. federal income tax purposes) on the relevant dates “real estate assets” with an aggregate value equal to, or in excess of, 75% of its “total assets” and owning throughout the relevant taxable year assets that will produce sufficient “real estate” gross income to satisfy the 75% gross income test. The value of the assets that the Company will own at the end of any future calendar quarter cannot be known with certainty as of the date hereof. Similarly, the gross income that the Company’s assets will produce for 2021 (or future taxable years), and the nature of that income, cannot be known with certainty as of the date hereof. We have not reviewed any assets that will be owned by the Company at the close of any future calendar quarter, nor have we reviewed any sources of the Company’s gross income for 2021 or any future taxable year. Accordingly, the accuracy of our opinion as to the taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and future taxable years is entirely dependent on the Company’s representations contained in the Company Management Representation Letter regarding the anticipated value and composition of its assets that it will own, and the nature of its income derived therefrom for those periods.
The Company’s qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code depends upon the ability of the Company to meet on an ongoing basis (through actual quarterly and annual operating results, distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership and otherwise) the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, and upon the Company utilizing any and all appropriate “savings provisions” (including the provisions of Sections 856(c)(6), 856(c)(7), and 856(g) of the Code and the provision included in Section 856(c)(4) of the Code (flush language) allowing for the disposal of assets within 30 days after the close of a calendar quarter, and all available deficiency dividend procedures) available to the Company and under the Code to correct violations of specified REIT qualification requirements of Sections 856 and 857 of the Code. Our opinions set forth above do not foreclose the possibility that the Company may have to utilize one or more of these “savings provisions” in the future with respect to past, the current, or future years, which could require the Company to pay an excise or penalty tax (which could be significant in amount) in order to maintain its REIT qualification. We have not undertaken to review the Company’s compliance with these requirements on a continuing basis, nor will we do so in the future. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of the Company’s operations, the sources of its income, the nature of its assets, the level of its distributions to stockholders and the diversity of its stock ownership for any given taxable year will satisfy the requirements under the Code for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
This opinion letter addresses only the specific U.S. federal income tax matters set forth above and does not address any other federal, state, local or foreign legal or tax issues.
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This opinion letter has been prepared solely for your use for filing as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We assume no obligation by reason of this opinion letter or otherwise to advise you of any changes in our opinion letter after the date hereof. Except as provided in the next paragraph, this opinion letter may not be distributed, quoted in whole or in part or otherwise reproduced in any document, or filed with any governmental agency without our express written consent.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to Hogan Lovells US LLP under the heading “Legal Matters” contained in Exhibit 99.2 and Exhibit 99.3 to the Form 8-K. In giving this consent, however, we do not admit thereby that we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Hogan Lovells US LLP
HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP
Exhibit 99.1
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
This section summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations associated with an investment in our common stock. This summary does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to holders of shares of our common stock. The summary is based on the Code, final, temporary and proposed U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative rulings and court decisions in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change could alter the U.S. federal income tax consequences described herein. No ruling has been sought from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) regarding our qualification as a “real estate investment trust” or “REIT” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge any of the U.S. federal income tax consequences described herein. Moreover, the statements in this prospectus, and the opinion of counsel described below, are not binding on the IRS or a court and do not preclude the IRS from asserting, or a court from sustaining, a contrary result. This discussion also is based upon the assumption that we will operate our company and its subsidiaries in accordance with their applicable organizational documents and in the manner that we have represented. This discussion does not address the actual material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock to any particular holder, which depend on that stockholder’s particular tax circumstances. In addition, this discussion does not discuss any state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences, or any tax consequences arising under any federal tax other than the income tax, associated with the ownership or disposition of our common stock or our election to be taxed as a REIT.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of holders of our common stock depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences to you of:
| • | the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock, including the federal, state, local, and foreign income and other tax consequences; |
| • | our election to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and |
| • | potential changes in applicable tax laws. |
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL TAX CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, AND SALE OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND OF OUR ELECTION TO BE TAXED AS A REIT.
YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, SALE AND ELECTION, INCLUDING THE EFFECTS OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND REGARDING ANY POTENTIAL CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS.
Taxation of Our Company
General
We elected to be treated as a REIT effective for our taxable year ended on December 31, 2011. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in a manner to that has permitted us to qualify for taxation as a REIT from the effective date of our REIT election.
The law firm of Hogan Lovells US LLP (“Hogan Lovells”) has acted as our REIT tax counsel and, in that capacity, has rendered an opinion to us to the effect that we have been organized and have operated in
conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT, effective for each of our taxable years ended December 31, 2017, through and including the taxable year ended December 31, 2020 (which include all of our open tax years), and that our current organization and current and intended method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code for the current taxable year and thereafter. It must be emphasized that the opinion of Hogan Lovells is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, is conditioned upon factual representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets, income, the present and future conduct of our business operations, and other items regarding our ability to meet the various requirements for qualification as a REIT, and assumes that such representations and covenants are accurate and complete and that we will take no action inconsistent with our qualification as a REIT. In addition, the opinion of Hogan Lovells assumes that we satisfied all the requirements for qualifications and taxation as a REIT for the taxable year ended December 31, 2011 through the taxable year ended December 31, 2016. While we intend to continue 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 Hogan Lovells or by us that we will qualify as a REIT for any particular year. The opinion of Hogan Lovells is expressed as of the date issued. Hogan Lovells has no obligation to advise us or our stockholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions. Hogan Lovells’ opinion does not foreclose the possibility that we may have to utilize one or more of the REIT savings provisions discussed below, which could require us to pay an excise or penalty tax (which tax could be significant in amount) in order for us to maintain our REIT qualification. Qualification and taxation as a REIT depend on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of stock and asset ownership, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code, our compliance with which will not be reviewed by Hogan Lovells. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT may depend in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest, which entities will not have been reviewed by Hogan Lovells.
Provided that we qualify to be taxed as a REIT, generally we will be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay and therefore will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our REIT taxable income that currently is distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and stockholder levels that generally results from an investment in a C corporation. A “C corporation” is a corporation that generally is required to pay tax at the corporate level. Double taxation means taxation once at the corporate level when income is earned and once again at the stockholder level when the income, net of corporate income taxes paid, is distributed thereto. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the stockholder level upon a distribution of dividends by us to holders of our common stock. Any net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes generated or incurred by us generally do not pass through to our stockholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the undistributed but designated capital gain that we recognize.
Even if we qualify to be taxed as a REIT, we nonetheless will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the following circumstances:
| • | We will be taxed at regular corporate income tax rates (currently 21% for U.S. federal corporate income tax purposes) on any undistributed “REIT taxable income,” including undistributed net capital gain, for any taxable year. REIT taxable income is the taxable income of the REIT, subject to specified adjustments, including a deduction for dividends paid. |
| • | If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. |
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| • | If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with certain leasehold terminations or a foreclosure of a mortgage loan as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid (1) the 100% prohibited transactions tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale otherwise would constitute a prohibited transaction); and (2) the inclusion of any income from such property as non-qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests discussed below. Income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate (currently 21%). |
| • | If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount equal to (1) the greater of (a) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test, or (b) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, as the case may be, multiplied by (2) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. |
| • | If we violate the asset tests (other than a de minimis failure of the 5% or 10% asset test) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be required to pay a tax equal to at least $50,000 per failure, which, 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 U.S. federal corporate income tax rate (currently 21%), if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure. |
| • | If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods (collectively, the “required distribution”), we will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (a) the amounts that we actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior years), plus (b) retained amounts upon which we paid U.S. federal corporate income tax at the corporate level. |
| • | We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of our stockholders. |
| • | We will be subject to a 100% penalty tax on amounts we receive from, on certain expenses deducted by, and on certain service income imputed to, a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) if certain arrangements between us and our TRSs are not comparable to similar arrangements among unrelated parties. |
| • | If we acquire appreciated assets from a corporation that is or has been a C corporation (or a partnership in which a C corporation is a partner) in a transaction in which our tax basis in the assets is determined by reference to the C corporation’s (or such partnership’s) tax basis in such assets, provided no election is made for the transaction to be taxable currently, we will be subject to tax on such appreciation at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the five-year period following the acquisition from the C corporation (or partnership). |
| • | We may elect to retain and pay U.S. federal corporate income tax on our net long-term capital gain. |
| • | The earnings of our subsidiaries that are C corporations, including our TRSs, are subject to domestic and/or foreign corporate income tax. |
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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, gross receipts and other taxes on our assets and operations. We also could be subject to tax in other situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification
To qualify as a REIT, we must elect to be treated as a REIT, and we must meet various (a) organizational requirements, (b) gross income tests, (c) asset tests, and (d) annual dividend requirements. The Internal Revenue Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
| (1) | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
| (2) | the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable stock, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
| (3) | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code; |
| (4) | that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; |
| (5) | the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons; |
| (6) | during the last half of each taxable year not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities and as determined by applying certain attribution rules); |
| (7) | that makes an election to be taxable as a REIT, or has made this election for a previous taxable year which has not been revoked or terminated, and satisfies all of the relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met in order to elect and maintain REIT qualification; |
| (8) | that uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| (9) | that meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions; and |
| (10) | that has no earnings and profits from any non-REIT taxable year at the close of any taxable year. |
The Internal Revenue Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be met during a corporation’s initial tax year as a REIT. For purposes of condition (6), an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefit plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. However, a trust that is a qualified trust under Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a) generally is not considered an individual, and beneficiaries of a qualified trust are treated as holding stock of a REIT in proportion to their actual interests in the trust for purposes of condition (6) above.
To monitor compliance with the stock ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our stock. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of 5% or more of our stock pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the stock (i.e., the persons required to include our dividends in their gross income). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. If such record holder fails or refuses to comply with the demands, such record holder will be required by Treasury regulations to submit a statement with such record holder’s tax return disclosing such record holder’s actual ownership of our stock and other information. We have complied, and currently intend to continue to comply, with these requirements.
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We believe that we have been organized, have operated and have issued sufficient shares of stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to allow us to satisfy conditions (1) through (10). Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfers of our stock, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the stock ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above. These restrictions, however, do not ensure that we previously have satisfied, and may not ensure that we will, in all cases, be able to continue to satisfy, such stock ownership requirements. If we fail to satisfy these requirements, except as provided in the next sentence, our status as a REIT will terminate. If, however, we comply with the demand and record-keeping requirements described in the previous paragraph and we do not know, or would not have known through the exercise of reasonable diligence, that we failed to meet the requirement described in condition (6), we will be treated as having satisfied this requirement. See “—Failure to Qualify as a REIT.”
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Disregarded Entities and Partnerships. An unincorporated domestic entity, such as a limited liability company, that has a single owner, generally is not treated as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. An unincorporated domestic entity with two or more owners is generally treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership, 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 applicable REIT qualification tests.
If a REIT is a partner in a partnership, the REIT will be deemed to own its proportionate capital share of the assets of the partnership and will be deemed to be entitled to the income of the partnership attributable to that capital share. Also, 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 satisfying the gross income tests and the asset tests. In addition, the assets and items of income of any partnership in which we own a direct or indirect interest include such partnership’s share of assets and items of income of any partnership in which it owns an interest. The treatment described above also applies with respect to the ownership of interests in limited liability companies or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for tax purposes.
Generally, for taxable years beginning in 2018 or after, U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships and the collection of any tax resulting from such audits or other tax proceedings can result in liabilities at the partnership rather than at the partner level. Under the new rules, the partnership itself must pay any “imputed underpayments,” consisting of delinquent taxes, interest, and penalties deemed to arise out of an audit of the partnership, unless certain alternative methods are available and the partnership elects to utilize them. Therefore, it is possible that, any partnership in which we are a partner could be subject to, or otherwise bear the economic burden of, U.S. federal income tax, interest, and penalties resulting from a U.S. federal income tax audit of that partnership, and as a result we may bear more than our proportionate share of such tax, interest, and penalties.
Qualified REIT Subsidiaries. A corporation that is a qualified REIT subsidiary, or QRS, is not treated as a corporation separate from its parent REIT. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of a QRS are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the parent REIT. A QRS is a corporation for income tax purposes, other than a TRS (as defined below), all of the stock of which is owned by a REIT. Thus, in applying the requirements described herein, any QRS that we own will be ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of such subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit.
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Taxable REIT Subsidiaries. A TRS is an entity that is taxable as a corporation in which a REIT owns, directly or indirectly, an equity interest, including stock, and that elects with the REIT to be treated as a TRS under the Internal Revenue Code. If a TRS owns, directly or indirectly, securities representing more than 35% of the vote or value of a subsidiary corporation, that subsidiary also will be treated as a TRS. A TRS is a C corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax at applicable corporate income tax rates. The gross income and assets of our TRSs are not attributable to us for purposes of satisfying the REIT income and asset test requirements.
The subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns securities possessing more than 35% of the total voting power or total value of the outstanding securities of such corporation will automatically be treated as a TRS. We are not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by a TRS to us is an asset in our hands, and we treat the distributions paid to us from such taxable subsidiary, if any, as income. This treatment can affect our compliance with the gross income and asset tests. Because we do not include the assets and income of TRSs in determining our compliance with the REIT Requirements, we may use such entities to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. Under current law, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.
To ensure that TRSs will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal corporate income taxation, a 100% excise tax can be imposed on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an “arm’s-length” basis. Our TRSs make substantial payments to us, including rental payments and other payments. There can be no assurance that the IRS might not seek to impose the 100% excise tax on a portion of the rental and other payments received by us from, expenses deducted by, or service income imputed to, our TRSs. While we believe that the arrangements with our TRSs reflect arm’s-length terms, these determinations inherently are factual, and the IRS has broad discretion to assert that amounts paid between related parties should be reallocated to reflect accurately their respective incomes.
A TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage any health care facilities or lodging facilities or provide rights to any brand name under which any health care facility or lodging facility is operated. A TRS may provide rights to any brand name under which any health care facility or lodging facility is operated if such rights are provided to an “eligible independent contractor” (as described below) to operate or manage a health care facility or lodging facility and held by the TRS as a franchisee, licensee, or in a similar capacity, and such health care facility or lodging facility is either owned by the TRS or leased to the TRS by its parent REIT. A TRS will not be considered to operate or manage a “qualified health care property” or “qualified lodging facility” solely because the TRS directly or indirectly possesses a license, permit, or similar instrument enabling it to do so. Additionally, a TRS that employs individuals working at a “qualified health care property” or “qualified lodging facility” outside of the United States will not be considered to operate or manage a “qualified health care property” or “qualified lodging facility,” as long as an “eligible independent contractor” is responsible for the daily supervision and direction of such individuals on behalf of the TRS pursuant to a management agreement or similar service contract. Rent that we receive from any TRS lessee will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as the property is a “qualified health care property” and is operated on behalf of a TRS lessee by a person who qualifies as an “independent contractor” and who is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating “qualified health care properties” for any person unrelated to us and a TRS lessee (an “eligible independent contractor”). A “qualified health care property” includes any real property and any personal property that is, or is necessary or incidental to the use of, a hospital, nursing facility, assisted living facility, congregate care facility, qualified continuing care facility, or other licensed facility which extends medical or nursing or ancillary services to patients and which is operated by a provider of such services which is eligible for participation in the Medicare program with respect to such facility.
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Income Tests
We must satisfy two gross income tests annually to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions) must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property or qualified temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of that 75% gross income test generally includes:
| • | rents from real property; |
| • | interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property, or on interests in real property (including interest on an obligation secured by a mortgage on both real property and personal property if the fair market value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all the property securing the obligation); |
| • | dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, shares in other REITs; |
| • | gain from the sale of real estate assets; and |
| • | income derived from the temporary investment of new capital that is attributable to the issuance of our shares of beneficial interest or a public offering of our debt with a maturity date of at least five years and that we receive during the one year period beginning on the date on which we received such new capital. |
Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions) must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities or any combination of these.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless qualify as a REIT for such year if we are entitled to relief under certain provisions of the Code. These relief provisions generally will be available if our failure to meet such tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, if we attach a schedule of the sources of our income to our return, and if any income would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. Even if these relief provisions were to apply, a tax would be imposed with respect to the excess net income.
Gross income from our sale of property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is generally excluded from both the numerator and the denominator in both income tests. The following paragraphs discuss the specific application of the gross income tests to us.
Rents from Real Property. Rent that we receive from our real property will qualify as “rents from real property,” which is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, only if the following conditions are met:
| • | First, the rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. Participating rent, however, will qualify as “rents from real property” if it is based on percentages of receipts or sales. |
| • | Second, we must not own, and an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more of our capital stock must not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the interests in the assets or net profits of the tenant, or, if the tenant is a corporation, 10% or more of the voting power or value of all classes of stock of the tenant, unless such tenant is our TRS and certain other conditions are met. The uncertainty of the application of the attribution rules at any point in time makes uncertain the determination that all or the requisite percentage of rents received by us from tenants that are publicly owned entities are “rents from real property.” We believe that we have not owned directly or by attribution at any time 10% or more of the outstanding ownership interests in any tenant. If the rents received do not qualify, we might not qualify as |
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| a REIT unless the relief provisions described below are determined to be available. The Company has carefully reviewed the ownership each tenant and of our common stock with the foregoing attribution rules in mind and we are not aware of any ownership by us, directly or by attribution, of 10% or more of the outstanding ownership interests in any tenant. |
| • | Third, the rent attributable to the personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property must not be greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease. The rent attributable to personal property under a lease is the amount that bears the same ratio to total rent under the lease for the taxable year as the average of the fair market values of the leased personal property at the beginning and at the end of the taxable year bears to the average of the aggregate fair market values of both the real and personal property covered by the lease at the beginning and at the end of such taxable year (the “personal property ratio”). |
| • | Fourth, we cannot furnish or render noncustomary services to the tenants of our properties, or manage or operate our properties, other than through an independent contractor who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive or receive any income. However, we need not provide services through an “independent contractor,” but instead may provide services directly to our tenants, if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of “noncustomary” services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property. Finally, we may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs, which may provide noncustomary services to our tenants without tainting our rents from the related properties. We have not provided services to leased properties that have caused rents to be disqualified as rents from real property, and in the future, we intend that any services provided will not cause rents to be disqualified as rents from real property. |
We may also lease “qualified health care properties” on an arm’s-length basis to a TRS if the property is operated on behalf of such subsidiary by a person who qualifies as an “independent contractor” and who is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating health care facilities for any person unrelated to us or our TRS. Generally, the rent that we receive from our TRS in such structures will be treated as “rents from real property.” A “qualified health care property” includes any real property and any personal property that is, or is necessary or incidental to the use of, a hospital, nursing facility, assisted living facility, congregate care facility, qualified continuing care facility, or other licensed facility that extends medical or nursing or ancillary services to patients and is operated by a provider of such services that is eligible for participation in the Medicare program with respect to such facility.
We generally do not intend to receive rent that fails to satisfy any of the above conditions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may have taken and may continue to take actions which fail to satisfy one or more of the above conditions to the extent that we determine, based on the advice of our tax counsel, that those actions will not jeopardize our tax status as a REIT. In addition, with respect to the limitation on the rental of personal property, we have not obtained appraisals of the real property and personal property leased to tenants. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with our determinations of value.
Interest. The term “interest,” as defined for purposes of both gross income tests, generally excludes any amount that is based, in whole or in part, on the income or profits of any person. However, interest generally includes the following:
| • | an amount that is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales; and |
| • | an amount that is based on the income or profits of a debtor, as long as the debtor derives substantially all of its income from the real property securing the debt from leasing substantially all of its interest in the property and only to the extent that the amounts received by the debtor would be qualifying “rents from real property” if received directly by a REIT. |
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If a loan contains a provision that entitles a REIT to a percentage of the borrower’s gain upon the sale of the real property securing the loan or a percentage of the appreciation in the property’s value as of a specific date, income attributable to that loan provision will be treated as gain from the sale of the property securing the loan, which generally is qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests, provided that the property is not inventory or dealer property in the hands of the borrower or the REIT.
Interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property (including, in the case of a loan secured by real property and personal property, such personal property to the extent that it does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property securing the loan), including, for this purpose, prepayment penalties, loan assumption fees and late payment charges that are not compensation for services, generally is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In general, under applicable Treasury Regulations, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of: (i) the date we agreed to acquire or originate the loan; or (ii) in the event of a “significant modification,” the date we modified the loan, then a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. The portion of the interest income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test will be equal to the portion of the principal amount of the loan that is not secured by real property— that is, the amount by which the loan exceeds the value of the real property that is security for the loan. IRS guidance provides that we do not need to redetermine fair market value of the real property securing the loan in connection with a loan modification that is occasioned by a borrower default or made at a time when we reasonably believe that the modification to the loan will substantially reduce a significant risk of default on the loan.
We may invest in loans secured by real property that is under construction or being significantly improved, in which case the value of the real estate that is security for the loan will be the fair market value of the land plus the reasonably estimated cost of the improvements or developments (including, in the case of a loan secured by real property and personal property, such personal property to the extent that it does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property securing the loan) which will secure the loans and which are to be constructed from proceeds of the loan.
We may invest in or originate mezzanine loans. Mezzanine loans are loans secured by equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns real property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. In Revenue Procedure 2003-65, the IRS established a safe harbor under which loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership interests in a partnership or limited liability company owning real property will be treated as real estate assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests described below, and interest derived from those loans will be treated as qualifying income for both the 75% and 95% gross income tests, provided several requirements are satisfied. Although Revenue Procedure 2003-65 provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. Moreover, it is likely that any mezzanine loans that we acquire may not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor. To the extent any mezzanine loans that we originate or acquire do not qualify for the safe harbor described above, the interest income from the loans may be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but there is a risk that such interest income will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. We intend to invest in mezzanine loans in a manner that will enable us to satisfy the REIT gross income and asset tests.
Prohibited Transactions. A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income derived from any 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. Under existing law, whether property is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business is a question of fact that depends
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on all of the facts and circumstances of the particular transaction. There is a safe harbor from such treatment, under which we will not be subject to the 100% tax with respect to a sale of property if (i) the property has been held for at least two years for the production of rental income prior to the sale, (ii) capitalized expenditures on the property in the two years preceding the sale are less than 30% of the net selling price of the property, and (iii) we either (a) have seven or fewer sales of property (excluding certain property obtained through foreclosure and other than certain involuntary conversions) in the year of sale or (b) (x) substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property sold are made through an independent contractor from whom we derive no income or through a TRS, and (y) at least one of the following criteria is met, in each case excluding sales of foreclosure property and involuntary conversions:
| • | the aggregate adjusted bases of property sold during the year of sale is 10% or less of the aggregate adjusted bases of all our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year; |
| • | the aggregate fair market value of property sold during the year of sale is 10% or less of the aggregate fair market value of all our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year; |
| • | the aggregate adjusted bases of property sold during the year of sale is 20% or less of the aggregate adjusted bases of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year, and the aggregate adjusted bases of property sold during the year of sale and the two preceding years is 10% or less of the sum of the aggregate adjusted bases of all of our assets on the first day of the year of sale and the two preceding years; or |
| • | the aggregate fair market value of property sold during the year of sale is 20% or less of the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets as of the beginning of the taxable year, and the aggregate fair market value of property sold during the year of sale and the two preceding years is 10% or less of the sum of the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets on the first day of the year of sale and the two preceding years. |
The sale of more than one property to a buyer as part of one transaction constitutes one sale for purposes of this safe harbor. We intend to own our properties for investment with a view to long-term appreciation, to engage in the business of acquiring, developing and owning rental properties and making occasional sales of properties as are consistent with our investment objectives, and we believe that we have complied with the safe harbor provisions and will continue to so comply in the future. However, the IRS may successfully contend that some of our sales are prohibited transactions, in which case we would be required to pay the 100% penalty tax on the gains resulting from any such sales.
Hedging Transactions. From time to time, we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase such items, and futures and forward contracts. Income and gain from “hedging transactions” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests provided we satisfy the identification requirements discussed below. A “hedging transaction” means either (1) any transaction entered into in the normal course of our trade or business primarily to manage the risk of interest rate, price changes, or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets and (2) any transaction entered into primarily to manage the risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test (or any property which generates such income or gain). If we have entered into a hedging transaction and a portion of the hedged indebtedness or property is disposed of and in connection with such extinguishment or disposition we enter into a new “clearly identified” hedging transaction (a “Counteracting Hedge”), income from the applicable hedge and income from the Counteracting Hedge (including gain from the disposition of such Counteracting Hedge) will not be treated as gross income for purposes of the 95% and 75% gross income tests. We are required to clearly identify any such hedging transaction before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into and to satisfy other identification requirements. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.
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True Lease Characterization for Tax Purposes. For rent paid pursuant to our leases to qualify as “rents from real property,” the lease agreements must be respected as “true leases” for U.S. federal income tax purposes and not treated as service contracts, joint ventures, loans or some other type of arrangement. The determination of whether such lease agreements are true leases depends on an analysis of all the surrounding facts and circumstances. In making such a determination, courts have considered a variety of factors, including the following:
| • | the intent of the parties, |
| • | the form of the agreement, |
| • | the degree of control over the property that is retained by the property owner (e.g., whether the lessee has substantial control over the operation of the property or whether the lessee was simply required to use its best efforts to perform its obligations under the agreement), and |
| • | the extent to which the property owner retains the risk of loss with respect to the property (e.g., whether the lessee bears the risk of increases in operating expenses or the risk of damage to the property) or the potential for economic gains (e.g., appreciation) with respect to the property. |
In addition, U.S. federal income tax law provides that a contract that purports to be a service contract or a partnership agreement is treated instead as a lease of property if the contract is properly treated as such, taking into account all relevant factors. Since the determination of whether a service contract should be treated as a lease is inherently factual, the presence or absence of any single factor may not be dispositive in every case.
If any of the lease agreements that we have entered into or assumed are recharacterized as service contracts, joint ventures, loans or some other type of arrangement, rather than true leases, part or all of the payments that we receive under any such lease agreements would not be considered rent or would not otherwise satisfy the various requirements for qualification as “rents from real property” and, as a result, we could lose our REIT status.
We believe that all of our leases, including the leases that existed at the time of our REIT election, were or are true leases and that the payments under such lease agreements represented fair market rentals at the time they were entered into. Investors should be aware that there are no controlling U.S. Treasury regulations, published rulings or judicial decisions addressing true lease status for U.S. federal income tax purposes of leases with terms substantially the same as our original lease agreements.
Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for that year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions generally will be available if:
| • | our failure to meet the income tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; and |
| • | we file a description of each item of our gross income in accordance with applicable Treasury Regulations. |
We cannot with certainty predict whether any failure to meet these tests will qualify for the relief provisions. Even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of the amounts by which we fail the 75% and 95% gross income tests, multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
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Asset Tests
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the end of each quarter of each taxable year:
| • | First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must consist of: (a) cash or cash items, including certain receivables, (b) government securities, (c) real estate assets, including interests in real property, leaseholds and options to acquire real property and leaseholds, (d) interests in mortgages on real property (including an interest in an obligation secured by a mortgage on both real property and personal property if the fair market value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all the property securing the obligation) or on interests in real property, (e) stock in other REITs, (f) debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs (i.e., REITs which are required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act), (g) personal property leased in connection with real property to the extent that rents attributable to such personal property do not exceed 15% of the total rent received under the lease and are treated as “rents from real property”; and (h) investments in stock or debt instruments during the one year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or offerings of debt with at least a five year term; |
| • | Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of our interest in any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets; |
| • | Third, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power or value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities; |
| • | Fourth, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs; |
| • | Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of TRSs and other non-TRS taxable subsidiaries and other assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test; and |
| • | Sixth, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, no more than 25% of our total assets may consist of debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs that qualify as “real estate assets” only because of the express inclusion of “debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs” in the definition. |
For purposes of the second and third asset tests, the term “securities” does not include stock in another REIT, equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary or TRS, mortgage loans that constitute real estate assets, or equity interests in a partnership. For purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” generally does not include debt securities issued by a partnership to the extent of our interest as a partner of the partnership or if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income (excluding income from prohibited transactions) is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In addition, “straight debt” and certain other instruments are not treated as “securities” for purposes of the 10% value test.
Taxable REIT Subsidiary. A REIT may directly or indirectly own stock in a TRS. A TRS may be any corporation in which we directly or indirectly own stock and where both we and the subsidiary make a joint election to treat the corporation as a TRS, in which case it is treated separately from us and will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income taxation. Stock of a TRS is not subject to the 10% or 5% asset tests. Instead, the value of all taxable REIT securities owned by us cannot exceed 20% of the value of our assets. We currently own several TRSs, both U.S. and non-U.S.
Failure to Satisfy the Asset Tests. We will monitor the status of our assets for purposes of the various asset tests and will manage our portfolio in order to comply at all times with such tests. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT status if:
| • | we satisfied the asset tests at the end of the preceding calendar quarter; and |
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| • | the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset test requirements arose from changes in the market values of our assets and was not wholly or partly caused by the acquisition of one or more non-qualifying assets. |
If we did not satisfy the condition described in the second item, above, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose.
If we fail to satisfy one or more of the asset tests for any quarter of a taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for such year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the Code. For example, there are relief provisions that are generally available for failures of the 5% asset test and the 10% asset tests if the failure is due to the ownership of assets that do not exceed the lesser of 1% of our total assets or $10 million, and the failure is corrected within six months following the quarter in which it was discovered. Additionally, there are provisions that allow a REIT that fails one or more of the asset requirements to maintain its qualification as a REIT if the failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, we file a schedule with a description of each asset causing the failure in accordance with Treasury Regulations, the failure is corrected within 6 months following the quarter in which it was discovered, and we pay a tax consisting of the greater of $50,000 per failure and a tax computed at the highest corporate rate on the amount of net income generated by the assets causing the failure from the date of failure until the assets are disposed of or we otherwise return to compliance with the asset test. We may not qualify for the relief provisions in all circumstances.
Distribution Requirements
Each taxable year, we must distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an aggregate amount not less than: the sum of (a) 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction or our net capital gain or loss, and (b) 90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property, minus the sum of certain items of non-cash income.
We must pay such dividends in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if we declare the dividend before we timely file our U.S. federal income tax return for the year and pay the dividend on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration and within the twelve-month period following the close of such year. These distributions generally are taxable to our existing stockholders, other than tax-exempt entities, in the year in which paid. This is so even though these distributions may relate to the prior year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement. However, if we declare a dividend in October, November or December of a taxable year, such dividend is payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in any such month and such dividend is actually paid before the end of the January of the following year, such dividend will be treated as both paid by us and received by our stockholders on December 31 of the year in which it was declared.
To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gains or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, we will have to pay tax on those amounts at regular ordinary and capital gains corporate tax rates. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our ordinary income for that year, (b) 95% of our capital gain net income for that year, and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would have to pay a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (a) the amounts that we actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior years), plus (b) retained amounts upon which we paid U.S. federal corporate income tax at the corporate level.
We believe we have made, and intend to continue to make, timely distributions sufficient to satisfy these annual distribution requirements and to minimize our corporate tax obligations. Further, we believe that our cash flow will generally exceed our REIT taxable income, and therefore, we anticipate that we will
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generally have sufficient cash or liquid assets to satisfy the distribution requirements. However, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash or other liquid assets to meet the distribution requirements due to timing differences between the actual receipt of income and payment of deductible expenses, and the inclusion of income and deduction of expenses in determining our taxable income, or if the amount of nondeductible expenses (such as principal amortization or capital expenses) exceeds the amount of noncash deductions (such as depreciation). If these timing differences occur, we may be required to borrow funds or sell assets to pay cash dividends or we may be required to pay dividends in the form of taxable stock dividends in order to meet the distribution requirements.
In the event that such an insufficiency occurs, in order to meet the 90% distribution requirement and maintain our status as a REIT, we may have to sell assets at unfavorable prices, borrow at unfavorable terms, pay taxable dividends partially with stock, or pursue other strategies. We do not currently intend to pay taxable stock dividends. However, if for any taxable year, we have significant amounts of taxable income in excess of available cash flow, we may have to declare dividends in cash and stock.
If we make a taxable stock distribution, U.S. holders would be required to include the full amount of the dividend (i.e., the cash and stock portion) as ordinary income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. holder may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash received. If a U.S. holder sells our stock that it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of the stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. holders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, these sales may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.
Under certain circumstances, we may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year (and the requirement to distribute any non-REIT earnings and profits described below) by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. We will be required to pay interest based upon the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends. There but there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully undertake a deficiency dividend.
Taxation of the Leases. The availability to us of, among other things, depreciation on our properties will depend upon the treatment of us as the owner of such properties and the classification of our leases as true leases, rather than, for example, financing transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based on a number of court decisions, whether we will be treated as the owner of our properties and whether each lease will constitute a true lease for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be determined by reference to the facts and circumstances.
No assurances can be given that the IRS will not successfully challenge our status as the owner of our properties and the status of each lease as a true lease. In such event, we would not be entitled to claim depreciation with respect to any facility subject to the lease. As a consequence, we might lack sufficient cash or liquid assets to meet the distribution requirements, or if the requirements were met, a larger percentage of distributions from us in a particular year would constitute ordinary dividend income instead of a partial return of capital to our stockholders.
Like-Kind Exchanges. We may dispose of properties in transactions intended to qualify as like-kind exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. Such like-kind exchanges are intended to result in the deferral of gain for U.S. federal corporate income tax purposes. The failure of any such transaction to qualify as a like-kind exchange could require us to increase the amount of our deductible distributions, and, possibly, to pay the 100% prohibited transaction tax, depending on the facts and circumstances of the particular transaction. Currently, the preferential tax treatment applicable to like-kind exchanges is limited to exchanges of real property (but not personal property) not held primarily for sale. Other limitations may be applied to the use of Section 1031 in the future.
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Interest Deduction Limitation. Section 163(j) of the Code limits the deductibility of net interest expense paid or accrued on debt properly allocable to a trade or business to 30% of “adjusted taxable income,” subject to certain exceptions. Any deduction in excess of the limitation is carried forward and may be used in a subsequent year, subject to the 30% limitation. Adjusted taxable income is determined without regard to certain deductions, including those for net interest expense, net operating loss carryforwards and, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, depreciation, amortization and depletion. Provided the taxpayer makes a timely election (which is irrevocable), the 30% limitation does not apply to a trade or business involving real property development, redevelopment, construction, reconstruction, rental, operation, acquisition, conversion, disposition, management, leasing or brokerage, within the meaning of Section 469(c)(7)(C) of the Code. If this election is available, then depreciable real property (including certain improvements) held by the relevant trade or business must be depreciated under the alternative depreciation system under the Code, which is generally less favorable than the generally applicable system of depreciation under the Code. If we do not make the election or if the election is determined not to be available with respect to all or certain of our business activities, the interest deduction limitation could result in us having more REIT taxable income and thus increase the amount of distributions we must make to comply with the REIT requirements and avoid incurring corporate level tax. Similarly, the limitation could cause our TRSs to have greater taxable income and thus potentially greater corporate tax liability.
Non-REIT Earnings and Profits. A REIT is not permitted to have accumulated earnings and profits attributable to non-REIT years at the end of any REIT taxable year. Our first taxable year was a non-REIT year. We believe that had no non-REIT earnings and profits at the end of our first REIT year. However, the calculation of earnings and profits is a complex factual and legal determination and the determinations of earnings and profits at the time of our REIT election may have been based on incomplete information. In the future, we might succeed to non-REIT E&P if, for example, we acquire a C corporation in a tax-free merger or we liquidate a TRS. There can be no assurances that the IRS will agree with our prior or any future determinations of earnings and profits.
Record-Keeping Requirements
We are required to maintain records and request on an annual basis information from specified stockholders. These requirements are designed to assist us in determining the actual ownership of our outstanding stock and in maintaining our qualification as a REIT. Failure to comply could result in monetary fines.
Failure to Qualify as a REIT
If we fail to satisfy one or more of the requirements for qualification as a REIT, other than the income tests and asset tests discussed above, we will not lose our status as a REIT if our failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure.
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions described above do not apply, we will be subject to tax on our taxable income at corporate tax rates. Distributions to stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify will not be deductible by us and they will not be required to be made. In such event, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, all distributions to stockholders will be taxable as ordinary income. Subject to certain limitations of the U.S. federal income tax laws, corporate stockholders might be eligible for the dividends received deduction and stockholders taxed at individual rates might be eligible for the current reduced U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% on such dividends. Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified
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from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost, and will not be permitted to requalify unless we distribute any earnings and profits attributable to the period when we failed to qualify. In addition, we may be subject to tax on any built-in gains on property held during the period during which we did not qualify if we sell such property within 5 years of requalification, but only to the extent of our net built-in gain at the time of requalification. It is not possible to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to such statutory relief.
Taxation of Stockholders
The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of owning and disposing of our common stock. This summary does not address state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences.
This discussion assumes that you hold shares of our common stock as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code). This discussion is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, tax advice and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances, or to investors subject to special tax rules, including:
| • | persons acting as nominees or otherwise not as beneficial owners; |
| • | dealers or traders in securities; |
| • | tax-exempt organizations, except to the extent discussed below in “—Taxation of Tax-Exempt U.S. Stockholders”; |
| • | broker-dealers; |
| • | traders in securities that elect to mark them to market; |
| • | trusts, estates, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, financial institutions, insurance companies or S corporations; |
| • | cooperatives; |
| • | investors subject to the alternative minimum tax; |
| • | investors that hold their common stock as part of a “hedge,” “straddle,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment; |
| • | investors that hold their common stock through a partnership or similar pass-through entity; |
| • | holders who receive our common stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation; |
| • | persons holding 10% or more (by vote or value) of our outstanding common stock, except to the extent discussed below; |
| • | non-U.S. stockholders (as defined below), except to the extent discussed below in “—U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Our Stockholders —Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders”; |
| • | foreign (non-U.S.) governments; |
| • | a person with a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar; |
| • | a U.S. expatriate; or |
| • | investors who otherwise are subject to special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. |
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For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our common stock that for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:
| • | a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| • | a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or of a political subdivision thereof (including the District of Columbia); |
| • | an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
| • | any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person. |
If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A partner of a partnership holding our common stock should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the partner of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock by the partnership. If you hold shares of our common stock and are not a U.S. stockholder, an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes or a partner in such an entity or arrangement, you are a non-U.S. stockholder.
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock applicable to taxable U.S. stockholders.
Distributions
For such time as we qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the distributions that we make to our U.S. stockholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that we do not designate as capital gain dividends generally will be taken into account by such U.S. stockholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, our dividends are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates (i.e., the 20% maximum U.S. federal rate) for qualified dividends received by most U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates from taxable C corporations. However, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and prior to January 1, 2026, generally U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates may deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations. In addition, such U.S. stockholders may be taxed at the preferential rates on dividends designated as qualified dividend income by and received from REITs, provided certain requirements described below are met, to the extent that the dividends are attributable to:
| • | income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT or a predecessor was subject to corporate-level income tax (less the amount of tax); |
| • | qualified dividends received by the REIT during such taxable year from domestic TRSs, other taxable domestic C corporations and certain “qualifying foreign corporations” that satisfy certain requirements (discussed below); or |
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| • | income recognized in the prior taxable year from sales of “built-in gain” property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income). |
A foreign corporation generally will be a “qualifying foreign corporation” if it is incorporated in a possession of the U.S., the corporation is eligible for benefits of an income tax treaty with the U.S. which the IRS determines is satisfactory, or the stock on which the dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. However, if a foreign corporation is a foreign personal holding company, a foreign investment company or a passive foreign investment company, then it will not be treated as a qualifying foreign corporation, and the dividends we receive from such an entity would not constitute qualified dividend income.
In addition, even if we designate certain dividends as qualified dividend income to our stockholders, the U.S. stockholder will have to meet certain other requirements for the dividend to qualify for taxation at capital gains rates. For example, the U.S. stockholder will only be eligible to treat the dividend as qualifying dividend income if the U.S. stockholder is taxed at individual rates and meets certain holding requirements. In general, to treat a particular dividend as qualified dividend income, a U.S. stockholder will be required to hold our stock for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date which is 60 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend. Moreover, in no case may the amount we designate as qualified dividend income exceed the amount we distribute to our stockholders as dividends with respect to the taxable year. If we designate any portion of a dividend as qualified dividend income, a U.S. stockholder will receive an IRS Form 1099-DIV indicating the amount that will be taxable to the U.S. stockholder as qualified dividend income.
Distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends generally will be taxed to our U.S. stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder that receives such distribution has held its stock. We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case we may elect to apply provisions of the Code that treat our U.S. stockholders as having received, solely for tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains, and the U.S. stockholders as receiving a corresponding credit for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. See “—Taxation of Our Company—Distribution Requirements.” U.S. stockholders will increase their adjusted tax basis in our common stock by the difference between their allocable share of such retained capital gain and their share of the tax paid by us. Corporate U.S. stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum U.S. federal rates of 20% in the case of U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates, and effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, 21% in the case of U.S. stockholders that are corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than twelve months are subject to a 25% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for taxpayers who are taxed as individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) generally will represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a U.S. stockholder to the extent that the amount of such distributions does not exceed the adjusted basis of the U.S. stockholder’s shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the U.S. stockholder’s shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a U.S. stockholder’s shares, the U.S. stockholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain if the shares of stock have been held for more than one year, or short-term capital gain if the shares of stock have been held for one year or less. In addition, any dividend that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the dividend before January 31 of the following calendar year.
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We will be treated as having sufficient earnings and profits to treat as a dividend any distribution that we treat as a dividend up to the amount of the required distribution (as defined above). As a result, U.S. stockholders may be required to treat as taxable dividends certain distributions that would otherwise result in tax-free returns of capital.
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 to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “—Taxation of Our Company—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 would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, 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.
Dispositions of Our Stock
If a U.S. stockholder sells or disposes of shares of our stock, it generally will recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the sale or other disposition and the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares of stock. In general, capital gains recognized by U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates upon the sale or disposition of our stock will be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% if the stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates (up to 37% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026) if the stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by U.S. stockholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum rate of 21%, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, whether or not such gains are classified as long-term capital gains. The IRS has the authority to prescribe, but has not yet prescribed, Treasury regulations that would apply a capital gain tax rate of 25% (which is higher than the long-term capital gain tax rates for non-corporate U.S. stockholders) to a portion of capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. stockholder on the sale of shares of our stock that would correspond to our “unrecaptured Section 1250 gain.” U.S. stockholders should consult with their tax advisors with respect to their capital gain tax liability.
Capital losses recognized by a U.S. stockholder upon the disposition of our stock that was 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 U.S. stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of U.S. stockholders that are individuals, who may also offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our stock by a U.S. stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of actual or deemed distributions that we make that are required to be treated by the U.S. stockholder as long-term capital gain.
If a U.S. stockholder recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock 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 IRS. 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. U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock, or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in transactions involving us (including our advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
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Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations
Distributions made by us and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a U.S. stockholder 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 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, qualified dividend income or capital gains from the disposition of common stock as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amounts. We will notify stockholders regarding the portions of our distributions for each year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital and qualified dividend income.
Medicare Tax on Unearned Income
Certain U.S. stockholders that are individuals, estates or trusts are required to pay an additional 3.8% tax on “net investment income,” (or, in the case of an estate or trust, on “undistributed net investment income”) which includes, among other things, dividends on and gains from the sale or other disposition of REIT stock. The temporary 20% deduction allowed by Section 199A of the Code, as added by the 2017 Tax Act, with respect to ordinary REIT dividends received by non-corporate taxpayers is allowed only for purposes of Chapter 1 of the Code and thus is not allowed as a deduction allocable to such dividends for purposes of determining the amount of net investment income subject to the 3.8% Medicare tax, which is imposed under Chapter 2A of the Code. U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding this tax on net investment income.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock applicable to non-U.S. stockholders. A “non-U.S. stockholder” is any beneficial owner of our common stock, other than an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes or a partner in such an entity or arrangement, that is not a U.S. stockholder.
Ordinary Dividends
The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. stockholders that (1) is payable out of our earnings and profits, (2) is not attributable to capital gains from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest that we recognize and (3) is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder, will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by treaty. Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs.
In general, non-U.S. stockholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in our stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends. Such effectively connected income must generally be reported on a U.S. income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-U.S. stockholder. The income may also be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (unless reduced or eliminated by treaty) in the case of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation.
Non-Dividend Distributions
Unless our stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”), distributions that we make which are not dividends out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. If we cannot determine at the time 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 dividends. The non-U.S. stockholder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings
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and profits. If our stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (1) the non-U.S. stockholder’s proportionate share of our earnings and profits, plus (2) the non-U.S. stockholder’s basis in its stock, will be taxed under FIRPTA, at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a U.S. stockholder of the same type (i.e., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a withholding at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the non-U.S. stockholder’s share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Dividends
Under FIRPTA, a distribution that we make to a non-U.S. stockholder, to the extent attributable to gains from dispositions of USRPIs that we held directly or through pass-through subsidiaries (“USRPI capital gains”) will, except as described below, be considered effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder and will be subject to U.S. income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations, without regard to whether we designate the distribution as a capital gain dividend. See “—Taxation of Stockholders—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders—Ordinary Dividends,” for a discussion of the consequences of income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. In addition, we will be required to withhold tax equal to 21% of the maximum amount that could have been designated as USRPI capital gain dividends. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (unless reduced or eliminated by treaty) in the hands of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation. A distribution is not attributable to USRPI capital gain if we held an interest in the underlying asset solely as a creditor.
Capital gain dividends received by a non-U.S. stockholder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (unless reduced or eliminated by treaty) or (2) the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the U.S., in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will incur a 30% tax on his capital gains.
We believe that a significant portion of our assets are USRPIs and we expect that a significant portion of our assets will continue to be USRPIs.
A capital gain dividend that would otherwise have been treated as a USRPI capital gain will not be so treated or be subject to FIRPTA or the branch profits tax, and generally will not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, but instead will be treated in the same manner as an ordinary dividend (see “Taxation of Stockholders—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders—Ordinary Dividends”), if (1) the capital gain dividend is received with respect to a class of stock that is “regularly traded” on an established securities market located in the U.S. and (2) the recipient non-U.S. stockholder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the year ending on the date on which the capital gain dividend is received. We believe that our common stock currently is and will continue to be “regularly traded” on an established securities exchange. In addition, distributions to certain non-U.S. publicly traded stockholders that meet certain record-keeping and other requirements (“qualified stockholders”) are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified stockholders that are not also qualified stockholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our common stock. Furthermore, distributions to “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by “qualified foreign pension funds” are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
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Dispositions of Our Common Stock
Gain recognized by a non-U.S. stockholder upon the sale or exchange of our stock generally would not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless:
| • | the investment in our common stock is effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to any gain; |
| • | the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a tax home in the U.S., in which case the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s net capital gains for the taxable year; or |
| • | our common stock constitutes a USPRI within the meaning of FIRPTA, as described below. |
Our common stock will constitute a USRPI unless we are a domestically controlled REIT. We intend to take the position that we will be a domestically controlled REIT if, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of our stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders.
Because our stock is publicly traded, no assurance can be given that we are or will be a domestically controlled REIT. Even if we were not a domestically controlled REIT, a sale of our common stock by a non-U.S. stockholder would nevertheless not be subject to taxation under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI if:
| • | our common stock were “regularly traded” on an established securities market; and |
| • | the non-U.S. stockholder did not actually, or constructively under specified attribution rules under the Code, own more than 10% of our common stock at any time during the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or the holder’s holding period. |
Specific “wash sale” rules applicable to sales of shares of stock in a domestically controlled qualified investment entity could result in gain recognition, taxable under FIRPTA, upon the sale or other taxable disposition of our stock even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. These rules would apply if the non-U.S. stockholder (1) disposes of our 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, or is deemed to acquire, other shares of our stock during the 61-day period beginning with the first day of the 30-day period described in clause (1). A sale or other taxable disposition of our stock is not treated as an applicable “wash sale” transaction if the stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market in the U.S. and the selling non-US stockholder has not held more than 5% of the regularly traded stock during the one-year period ending on the date of such distribution described in clause (1).
In addition, dispositions of our common stock by qualified stockholders are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified stockholders that are not also qualified stockholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our common stock. An actual or deemed disposition of our common stock by such qualified stockholders may also be treated as a dividend. Furthermore, dispositions of our common stock by “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by “qualified foreign pension funds” are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
We believe that our common stock currently is and will continue to be regularly traded on an established securities market. If gain on the sale or exchange of our common stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax with respect to any gain in the same manner as a taxable U.S. stockholder. In such case, under FIRPTA the purchaser of common stock may be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and remit this amount to the IRS.
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U.S. Federal Income Tax Returns
If a non-U.S. stockholder is subject to taxation under FIRPTA on proceeds from the sale of our common stock or on capital gain distributions, the non-U.S. stockholder will be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.
Non-U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences of owning our stock, including any reporting requirements.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they may be subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). While some investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt stockholder has not held our stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder) and (2) our stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, distributions that we make and income from the sale of our stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt stockholder.
Tax-exempt U.S. stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the Code, respectively, or single parent title-holding corporations exempt under Section 501(c)(2) and whose income is payable to any of the aforementioned tax-exempt organizations, are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions from us as UBTI unless they are able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for specific purposes so as to offset the income generated by their investment in our common stock. These investors should consult their tax advisors concerning these “set aside” and reserve requirements.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of any dividends received from us 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 to satisfy the REIT “closely held” test and (2) either (a) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock or (b) one or more pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively own more than 50% of the value of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of shares 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 U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences of owning our stock.
Backup Withholding Tax and Information Reporting
U.S. Stockholders of Our Common Stock
In general, information reporting requirements will apply to payments of dividends on and payments of the proceeds of the sale of our common stock held by U.S. stockholders, unless an exception applies. The applicable withholding agent is required to withhold tax on such payments if (i) the payee fails to furnish a taxpayer identification number, (a “TIN”) to the payor or to establish an exemption from backup
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withholding, or (ii) the IRS notifies the payor that the TIN furnished by the payee is incorrect. In addition, the applicable withholding agent with respect to the dividends on our common stock is required to withhold tax if (i) there has been a notified payee under-reporting with respect to interest, dividends or original issue discount described in Section 3406(c) of the Code, or (ii) there has been a failure of the payee to certify under the penalty of perjury that the payee is not subject to backup withholding under the Code. A U.S. stockholder that does not provide the applicable withholding agent with a correct TIN may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any U.S. stockholders who fail to certify their U.S. status to us.
Some U.S. stockholders, including corporations, may be exempt from backup withholding. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a U.S. stockholder will be allowed as a credit against the U.S. stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax and may entitle the U.S. stockholder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. The applicable withholding agent will be required to furnish annually to the IRS and to U.S. stockholders information relating to the amount of dividends paid on our common stock, and that information reporting may also apply to payments of proceeds from the sale of our common stock. Some U.S. stockholders, including corporations, financial institutions and certain tax-exempt organizations, are generally not subject to information reporting.
Non-U.S. Stockholders of Our Common Stock
Generally, information reporting will apply to payments of dividends on our common stock, and backup withholding described above for a U.S. stockholder will apply, unless the payee certifies that it is not a U.S. person or otherwise establishes an exemption.
The payment of the proceeds from the disposition of our common stock to or through the U.S. office of a U.S. or foreign broker will be subject to information reporting and backup withholding as described above for U.S. stockholders unless the non-U.S. stockholder satisfies the requirements necessary to be an exempt non-U.S. stockholder or otherwise qualifies for an exemption. The proceeds of a disposition by a non-U.S. stockholder to or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, if the broker is a U.S. person, a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income from all sources for specified periods is from activities that are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, a foreign partnership if partners who hold more than 50% of the interest in the partnership are U.S. persons, or a foreign partnership that is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the U.S., then information reporting generally will apply as though the payment was made through a U.S. office of a U.S. or foreign broker.
Other Tax Considerations
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. We cannot give you any assurances as to whether, or in what form, any legislative proposals affecting REITs or their stockholders will be enacted. Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our common stock. Taxpayers should consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of potential changes to the federal income tax laws and on their particular circumstances.
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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Withholding at a rate of 30% generally will be required in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of our common stock held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution (i) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (ii) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and an applicable foreign country, or other guidance, may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our common stock is held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, in certain circumstances, dividends in respect of our common stock held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exemptions generally will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies that such entity does not have any “substantial U.S. owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial U.S. owners,” which we will in turn provide to the IRS. Under these withholding rules, the failure to comply with additional certification, information reporting and other specified requirements could result in withholding tax being imposed on payments of dividends and sales proceeds to U.S. stockholders who own shares of our common stock through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries and certain non-U.S. stockholders. We will not pay any additional amounts to stockholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in our common stock.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We, our subsidiaries and/or our 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 own properties located in numerous U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, and may be required to file tax returns in some or all of those jurisdictions. Our state, local and foreign tax treatment and the state, local and foreign tax treatment of our stockholders may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. Prospective stockholders 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 common stock.
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Exhibit 99.2
Legal Matters
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters regarding the validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Newport Beach, California. Certain legal matters regarding Maryland law will be passed upon for us by Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Certain U.S. federal income tax matters will be passed upon for us by Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, D.C.
Exhibit 99.3
Legal Matters
Certain legal matters in connection with the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Newport Beach, California. Certain legal matters relating to Maryland law will be passed upon for us by Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Certain U.S. federal income tax matters will be passed upon for us by Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, D.C. The Sales Agents, Forward Sellers and Forward Purchasers have been represented by Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, New York, New York.