Moscow, Russian Federation September 21, 2007
Certain United Kingdom Tax Considerations
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- U.K. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS BEFORE VOTING ON THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION WITH RESPECT TO THEIR OWN PARTICULAR
- Taxation of RAO UES, the Holdcos and the Subsidiaries
- Merger of Holdco Shares with Subsidiary Shares
- Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries
- Future disposals of DRs in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries
- Stamp duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax
- Other U.K. tax considerations
- MARKET INFORMATION The Gencos
- For each quarter from January 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 and for the months of July and August 2007: RTS MICEX Year High Low
Certain United Kingdom Tax Considerations The following is a general summary of certain United Kingdom (‘‘U.K.’’) tax considerations relating to (i) the proposed Spin-Offs by RAO UES of its entire equity interests in certain of its subsidiaries, (ii) the proposed merger and exchange of Holdco ordinary and preferred shares for the issue of ordinary shares in the relevant Subsidiary, (iii) a future disposal of shares in RAO UES (including by way of redemption) and/or the Subsidiaries by U.K. Holders (as defined below) and (iv) a future disposal of DRs in RAO UES and/or the Subsidiaries by U.K. Holders. This summary is based on current U.K. law and practice, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or to different interpretation. This summary is for general information only and does not address all of the U.K. tax considerations that may be relevant to specific investors in light of their particular circumstances or to investors subject to special treatment under U.K. law; in particular this summary does not apply to the following: • investors who are not the absolute beneficial owners of Shares (as defined below) and DRs; • investors who do not hold Shares or DRs as capital assets; • special classes of investor such as dealers and tax-exempt investors; • investors that are insurance companies, collective investment schemes or persons connected with RAO UES, the Holdcos or the Subsidiaries; or • investors that control or hold, either alone or together with one or more associated or connected persons, directly or indirectly, a 10% or greater interest in RAO UES. Further, this summary assumes that (i) there will be no register in the U.K. in respect of the Shares or DRs; (ii) the Shares and DRs will not be held by a depositary incorporated in the U.K.; and (iii) the Shares will not be paired with shares issued by a company incorporated in the U.K. This summary assumes that each Regulation S GDR Facility will be established within 90 calendar days of the applicable Reorganization Date. For a summary of the tax consequences for U.K. Holders arising from a failure to set up that system, see the final paragraph in the section below entitled ‘‘— Future disposals of DRs in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. In this summary defined terms have the same meaning as in the rest of this Information Statement except that the following terms shall have the following particular meanings for the purposes of this U.K. taxation summary: • ‘‘DR’’ means each and any of the depositary receipts over Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries as the context requires; • ‘‘HMRC’’ means Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs; • ‘‘Shares’’ means each and any of the RAO UES Shares, shares in the Holdcos and Subsidiary Shares (whether ordinary or preferred shares) as the context requires; • ‘‘U.K. Holders’’ means persons who are resident (and in the case of individuals, ordinarily resident and domiciled) in the U.K. for tax purposes; 296 • ‘‘ITA 2007’’ means the Income Tax Act 2007; • ‘‘Taxes Act’’ means the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988; and • ‘‘TCGA 1992’’ means the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. In this summary and for the purposes of U.K. tax on capital gains, any acquisition expenditure or disposal proceeds that a U.K. Holder incurs or receives in a currency other than sterling will be converted into sterling at the rate prevailing on the date such expenditure is incurred or such disposal proceeds are received (as appropriate). U.K. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS BEFORE VOTING ON THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION WITH RESPECT TO THEIR OWN PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSIDERATIONS APPLICABLE TO THEM RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE SHARES AND DRs. Taxation of RAO UES, the Holdcos and the Subsidiaries RAO UES intends that its affairs and the affairs of the Holdcos and the Subsidiaries should be managed and controlled so that they do not become resident in the U.K. for U.K. tax purposes. Accordingly, and provided (as intended) that neither RAO UES, the Holdcos nor the Subsidiaries carry on a trade in the U.K. through a permanent establishment, branch or agency, none of them should be subject to U.K. income tax or corporation tax on its profits other than on any U.K. source income. Certain interest and other income received by RAO UES, the Holdcos or the Subsidiaries which has a U.K. source may be subject to withholding taxes in the U.K. Spin-Offs Issue of Shares in the Holdcos The issue by the Holdcos of their shares to the U.K. Holders of RAO UES Shares, or RAO UES DRs, as the case may be, following the transfer by RAO UES to the Holdcos of its shareholdings in the Subsidiaries may be treated as a distribution for U.K. tax purposes. The receipt of the shares by U.K. Holders will be taxed differently according to whether such receipt is treated as income or capital for U.K. tax purposes, which will depend on an analysis of the effect of the receipt of the shares under Russian corporate law on a U.K. Holder’s existing holding of RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs. If the correct analysis is that the distribution of the shares in the Holdcos is a capital distribution, that distribution should be subject to the corporation tax rules on chargeable gains for corporate U.K. Holders and the rules on capital gains tax for individual U.K. Holders. Capital Treatment — Disposal The receipt of the shares in the Holdcos may be treated as a capital distribution in respect of a U.K. Holder’s RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs (as appropriate). This would constitute a deemed part disposal of the RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs for a consideration equal to the market value of the shares in the Holdcos on the date of their distribution. A U.K. Holder’s base cost in the original RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs would need to be apportioned between the shares in the Holdcos and the RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs in accordance with Section 42 TCGA 1992 by reference to the respective market values of the RAO UES Shares or RAO UES DRs, and the shares in the Holdcos, on the date of the distribution. If such an apportionment creates a gain on the disposal, tax may be payable on that gain. The factors that will determine whether or not U.K. Holders must pay tax are described below in the second and third paragraphs of ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. Reliefs and Exemptions U.K. Holders of RAO UES Ordinary Shares may be able to obtain the benefit of Section 136 TCGA 1992, which allows certain reconstructions of share capital to take place without the holder of the relevant 297 shares disposing of them (the ‘‘Reconstruction Rules’’) provided certain conditions have been met. The Reconstruction Rules may apply to U.K. Holders of RAO UES Ordinary Shares who receive an entitlement to receive shares in the Holdcos equal to that which they hold in RAO UES. They may also apply to a disposal by U.K. Holders who hold RAO UES Ordinary Shares in depositary form provided the Depositary is a nominee for the U.K. Holder or a bare trustee of those Shares. The Reconstruction Rules will not apply to prevent a deemed disposal by U.K. Holders of their RAO UES Preferred Shares. U.K. Holders are advised to take professional advice on whether the Reconstruction Rules apply to the issue of Holdco Shares. U.K. Holders should note that RAO UES does not intend to apply to HMRC for clearance under Section 138 TCGA 1992 in relation to the proposed reorganization. If the Reconstruction Rules do not apply to the deemed part disposal, individual U.K. Holders may be able to use capital losses incurred in the tax year in which the Spin Offs take place or earlier to set against any gain arising from the receipt of shares in the Holdcos. They may also be able to set their annual exemption against any such gain or benefit from taper relief to reduce that gain. A summary of taper relief is set out below in ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. Income Treatment U.K. Holders should note that HMRC may not agree with the analysis that the issue of shares in the Holdcos is a capital transaction and may seek to treat the distribution as a receipt of income by U.K. Holders. In that case, the receipt of an income distribution of shares in the Holdcos would constitute taxable income in the hands of U.K. Holders. For individual U.K. Holders who are higher-rate taxpayers, income tax would be charged on the full amount of the distribution at the rate of 32.5%. The amount of the distribution for these purposes would be the market value of the shares in the Holdcos as at the date of the issue of those Shares. There would be no tax credit given for such a dividend. For corporate U.K. Holders, the distribution would constitute Schedule D, Case (V) income and corporation tax would be charged thereon. Merger of Holdco Shares with Subsidiary Shares Issue of Subsidiary Shares Under the proposed merger, the shares in the Holdcos are cancelled and the U.K. Holders instead receive Shares in the Subsidiaries. As described in the section above entitled ‘‘The Spin-Offs’’, the U.K. tax treatment depends on an analysis of the effect of the merger under Russian corporate law. As described in that section, if the receipt of Holdco Shares is treated as a capital distribution, that receipt will be subject to the corporation tax rules on chargeable gains rules for corporate U.K. Holders and the rules on capital gains tax for individual U.K. Holders. Capital Treatment — Disposal The receipt of the Subsidiary Shares as a result of the merger may be treated as a capital distribution in respect of a U.K. Holder’s shares in the Holdcos. This would constitute a deemed part disposal of the shares in the Holdcos for a consideration equal to the market value of the Subsidiary Shares on the date of their distribution. A U.K. Holder’s base cost in his original shares in the Holdcos would need to be apportioned between the shares in the Holdcos and the Subsidiary Shares in accordance with Section 42 TCGA 1992 by reference to the respective market values of the shares in the Holdcos, and the Subsidiary Shares, on the date of the distribution. If such an apportionment creates a gain on the disposal, tax may be payable on that gain. The factors that will determine whether or not U.K. Holders must pay tax are described below in the second and third paragraphs of ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. Reliefs and Exemptions U.K. Holders of Holdco ordinary shares may also be able to rely on the Reconstruction Rules in Section 136 TCGA 1992, as described in the section above entitled ‘‘The Spin-Offs’’, in relation to the merger provided certain conditions have been met. The Reconstruction Rules may apply to the U.K. 298 Holders of Holdco ordinary shares who receive an entitlement to receive Subsidiary Shares equal to that which they hold in the Holdcos. The Reconstruction Rules may also apply to U.K. Holders who hold their Holdco ordinary shares in depositary form provided the Depositary is a nominee for the U.K. Holder or a bare trustee of those shares. U.K. Holders are advised to take professional advice on whether the Reconstruction Rules apply to the merger. U.K. Holders should note that RAO UES does not intend to apply to HMRC for clearance under Section 138 TCGA 1992 in relation to the proposed reorganization. If the Reconstruction Rules do not apply to the deemed part disposal, individual U.K. Holders may be able to use capital losses incurred in the tax year in which the merger takes place or earlier to set against any gain arising from the receipt of Subsidiary Shares. They may also be able to set their annual exemption against any such gain or benefit from taper relief to reduce that gain. A summary of taper relief is set out below in ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. Income Treatment U.K. Holders should note that HMRC may not agree with the analysis that the issue of Subsidiary Shares is a capital transaction and may seek to treat the distribution as a receipt of income by U.K. Holders. In that case, the receipt of an income distribution of Subsidiary Shares would constitute taxable income in the hands of U.K. Holders. For individual U.K. Holders who are higher-rate taxpayers, income tax would be charged on the full amount of the distribution at the rate of 32.5%. The amount of the distribution for these purposes would be the market value of the Subsidiary Shares as at the date of the merger. There would be no tax credit given for such a dividend. For corporate U.K. Holders, the distribution would constitute Schedule D, Case (V) income and corporation tax would be charged thereon. Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries Capital Gains The disposal of Shares in RAO UES (whether by sale, by redemption as described in ‘‘The Spin-Offs — Dissenting and non-voting shareholders’ and DR holders’ redemption rights’’, or otherwise) or in the Subsidiaries by a U.K. Holder at any future date following the Reorganization Date will be subject to U.K. legislation on corporation tax payable on chargeable gains for corporate U.K. Holders and capital gains tax for individual U.K. Holders. The disposal of Shares by a corporate U.K. Holder may, depending on the investor’s circumstances and subject to any available exemption or relief, give rise to a chargeable gain or allowable loss. A corporate U.K. Holder should be entitled to an indexation allowance which applies to reduce capital gains to the extent that they arise due to inflation. Indexation allowance may reduce a chargeable gain but not create any allowable loss. The disposal of Shares by an individual U.K. Holder may, depending on that individual’s circumstances, give rise to a chargeable gain or allowable loss. The principal factors that will determine the extent to which any gain realized by a disposal of Shares will be subject to U.K. capital gains tax, which will be taxed at the U.K. Holder’s highest marginal tax rate, are the extent to which the individual U.K. Holder realizes any other capital gains in the tax year in which the disposal is made, the extent to which the individual U.K. Holder has incurred capital losses in that or any earlier tax year, the level of the annual allowance of tax-free gains in that tax year (the ‘‘annual exemption’’) and the amount of taper relief available in relation to the disposal. Taper Relief Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries may be regarded as business assets for taper relief purposes if RAO UES or the Subsidiaries, as the case may be, are ‘‘qualifying companies’’ by reference to the individual U.K. Holder. HMRC does not regard the Russian Trading System and the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange stock exchanges as ‘‘recognized stock exchanges’’ and so the Shares are unlisted for 299 taper relief purposes. Provided the Shares do qualify as business assets for taper relief purposes, the proportion of any gain realized by an individual U.K. Holder on the disposal of Shares that is brought into the charge to U.K. capital gains tax will be reduced by taper relief so that 50% of the gain is subject to tax if the Shares have been held by the individual U.K. Holder for at least one year. A further reduction of 25% of the gain is made if the individual U.K. Holder has held the Shares for two years. The maximum reduction available is 75% if the Shares have been held for two years or longer. If the Shares qualify as non-business assets for taper relief purposes, the proportion of any gain realized on a disposal of those Shares that is brought into the charge to capital gains tax will be reduced by taper relief if the Shares have been held by an individual U.K. Holder for at least three years. A reduction of 5% of any gain is made for each whole year for which the Shares have been held in excess of two years. The maximum reduction available is 40% if the Shares have been held for ten complete years. Annual Exemption The annual exemption for individuals is £9,200 for the 2007-2008 tax year and, under current legislation, this exemption is, unless the U.K. Parliament decides otherwise, increased annually in line with the rate of increase in the retail price index. Investors should be aware that the U.K. Parliament is entitled to withdraw this link between the level of the annual exemption and the retail price index or even to reduce the level of the annual exemption for future tax years below its current level. Future disposals of DRs in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries Capital Gains The disposal of DRs in RAO UES or the Subsidiaries by a U.K. Holder at any future date following the Reorganization Date will be subject to U.K. legislation on corporation tax on chargeable gains for corporate U.K. Holders and capital gains tax for individual U.K. Holders. RAO UES regards the disposal of a DR as a disposal of the underlying Shares and accordingly the analysis of the taxation treatment of Shares, as described in ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries— Capital Gains’’, will apply equally to a disposal of DRs. This view is based on the assumption that the Depositary acts as a mere nominee for the U.K. Holders or as a bare trustee of the Shares and therefore, for capital gains purposes, the U.K. Holder would be treated as holding the Shares directly with the nominee or bare trustee being ignored. RAO UES can give no assurance that HMRC will agree with RAO UES’ view of how the disposal of the DRs should be regarded for tax purposes. HMRC may treat the disposal of a DR as a disposal of two separate assets which constitute (i) the beneficial interest in the underlying Shares and (ii) the depositary receipt itself. If HMRC do take such a view, RAO UES believes that the DRs will be regarded as having no value. There would therefore only be a gain or loss on the disposal of the Shares and not the DRs. If the Regulation S GDR Facility is not established within 90 calendar days of the applicable Reorganization Date, or if U.K. Holders fail to give the certification required or provide their Russian securities account details to the Relevant Depositary as described in ‘‘Regulation S GDR Facilities’’, U.K. Holders of RAO UES DRs will become entitled to receive cash in lieu of receiving Subsidiary Shares. In that case, the U.K. Holders of RAO UES DRs will dispose of their RAO UES DRs for capital gains tax purposes and tax may be payable thereon depending on each U.K. Holder’s individual circumstances. For a summary of the factors that determine whether or not tax will be payable, see ‘‘— Future disposals of Shares in RAO UES and the Subsidiaries’’. Stamp duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax No U.K. stamp duty will be payable on the issue of Shares or DRs and no U.K. stamp duty should be payable on the transfer of Shares or the DRs provided that any instrument of transfer is not executed in any part of the U.K. and does not relate to any property situated or to any matter or thing done or to be done, in any part of the U.K. No U.K. stamp duty reserve tax will be payable on the issue or transfer of the Shares or the DRs. 300 U.K. inheritance tax Since it is intended that the Shares and DRs will not be registered on a register in the U.K., the Shares and DRs should constitute assets located outside the U.K. for the purposes of U.K. inheritance tax. This means that on the death of an individual U.K. Holder, inheritance tax could be payable if, but only if, the individual U.K. Holder is domiciled or deemed domiciled, in the U.K. for such purposes at the time of death. If the Shares or DRs are held on trust, then depending on the circumstances, tax could be payable on the amount of any distributions received in relation to the Shares or DRs out of the trust and on the trust’s 10 year anniversaries. Other U.K. tax considerations Corporate U.K. Holders having an interest in any of RAO UES, the Holdcos or the Subsidiaries, such that 25% or more of the profits of RAO UES, the Holdcos or the Subsidiaries for an accounting period could be apportioned to them, may be liable to U.K. corporation tax in respect of their share of the undistributed profits of such companies, if any, in accordance with the provision of Chapter IV of Part XVII of the Taxes Act relating to controlled foreign companies. These provisions only apply if RAO UES, the Holdcos or the Subsidiaries are controlled by U.K. residents, and such companies are not expected to be so controlled. Individuals ordinarily resident in the U.K. should note that Chapter 2 of Part 13 of the ITA 2007, which contains provisions for preventing avoidance of income tax by transactions resulting in the transfer of income to persons (including companies) abroad, may render them liable to taxation in respect of any undistributed income and profits of RAO UES, the Subsidiaries or the Holdcos. RAO UES draws the attention of U.K. Holders to the potential application of Russian taxation laws in addition to U.K. taxation laws as described in the Russian tax section entitled ‘‘— Tax Consequences Relating to the Exercise of Redemption Rights— Non-Resident Holders’’ and ‘‘— Tax treaty relief — non-resident holders— Advance tax clearance’’. 301 MARKET INFORMATION The Gencos The table below presents the highest and lowest prices for the Genco Shares on RTS and MICEX, as applicable, for the periods indicated (in each case, only for full quarters in which trading occurred). Share prices are quoted in U.S. dollars on the RTS exchange and in rubles on the MICEX exchange. For each quarter from January 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 and for the months of July and August 2007: RTS MICEX Year High Low High Low (U.S. dollars) (rubles) OGK-1 2007 First Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a n/a n/a Second Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a 3.8810 2.8990 July 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1161 0.1161 3.0700 2.5540 August 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1130 0.1020 2.9000 2.5540 2006 First Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a n/a n/a Second Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a n/a n/a Third Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a n/a n/a Fourth Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n/a n/a n/a n/a Download 4.8 Kb. 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