CDR-B Cedar Realty Trust Inc

CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following summary discusses certain U.S. federal income tax considerations associated with our qualification and taxation as a REIT and the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our shares of common stock and preferred stock. Supplemental U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the securities offered by this prospectus may be provided in the prospectus supplement that relates to those securities. The information in this section is based on the current Code, current, temporary and proposed income tax regulations promulgated under the Code (“Treasury Regulations”), the legislative history of the Code, current administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS (including its practices and policies as endorsed in private letter rulings, which are not binding on the IRS except in the case of the taxpayer to whom a private letter ruling is addressed), and existing court decisions. Future legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations and court decisions could change current law or adversely affect existing interpretations of current law, possibly with retroactive effect. Any change could apply retroactively. We have not obtained any rulings from the IRS concerning the tax treatment of the matters discussed below. Thus, it is possible that the IRS could challenge the statements in this discussion and that a court could agree with the IRS.

Special rules that are not discussed below may apply to you if, for example you are a broker-dealer, a trust, an estate, a regulated investment company, a REIT, a financial institution, an insurance company, a person who holds 10% or more (by vote or value) of our stock, a partnership or other pass-through entity or an investor in such an entity, a person subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, a person holding our common stock or preferred stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “short sale,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment, a person required to accelerate any item of gross income as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement, a person who marks-to market our common stock or preferred stock, a U.S. expatriate, a U.S. Stockholder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, a tax-exempt entity, a Non-U.S. Stockholder (as defined below) or are otherwise subject to special tax treatment under the Code.

This summary does not discuss the impact that any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as estate and gift taxes), U.S. state and local taxes, alternative minimum taxes, estate taxes, and taxes imposed by non-U.S. jurisdictions could have on the matters discussed in this summary. In addition, this summary assumes that security holders hold our stock as capital assets, which generally means as property held for investment. In addition, the following summary does not address any U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of our outstanding stock that could result if we issue any redeemable preferred stock at a price that exceeds its redemption price by more than a de minimis amount or that otherwise provides for dividends that are economically a return of the stockholders investment (rather than a return on the stockholder’s investment), which preferred stock could be considered “fast-pay stock” under Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 7701(l) of the Code and treated under such regulations as a financing instrument among the holders of the fast-pay stock and our other stockholders.

Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors in order to determine the U.S. federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our shares, the tax treatment of a REIT and the effect of potential changes in the applicable tax laws.

For purposes of this discussion, references to “our company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer solely to Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. and do not include the Operating Partnership or any of our other subsidiaries. For purposes of this discussion, the term “corporation” includes any entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the term “stock” means interests treated as equity in a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of this discussion, the term “partnership” includes any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the term “partner” includes any person treated as a member of a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

General

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, or Treasury Regulations, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 1986. We believe we have operated as a REIT and intend to continue operating as a REIT so long as our Board of Directors determines that REIT qualification remains in our best interest. However, we cannot assure you that we will meet the applicable requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws, which are highly technical and complex.

In brief, a corporation that complies with the provisions in Code Sections 856 through 860 and qualifies as a REIT generally is not taxed on its taxable income to the extent such income is currently distributed to stockholders, thereby completely or substantially eliminating the “double taxation” that a corporation and its stockholders generally bear together. However, as discussed in greater detail below, we could be subject to U.S. federal income tax in some circumstances even if we qualify as a REIT and would likely suffer adverse consequences, including reduced cash available for distribution to its stockholders, if we fail to qualify as a REIT.

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Goodwin Procter LLP has acted as our tax counsel in connection with this registration statement. Goodwin Procter LLP is of the opinion that commencing with our taxable year ended on December 31, 2016, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a REIT under the Code and our actual method of operation through the date hereof (as represented by us to Goodwin Procter LLP) has enabled us to meet, and our proposed method of operation (as represented by us to Goodwin Procter LLP) will enable us to continue to meet, the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. This opinion has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Goodwin Procter LLP’s opinion is based on representations made by us as to certain factual matters relating to our prior and intended and expected organization, ownership and method of operation. Goodwin Procter LLP has not verified those representations, and their opinion assumes that such representations and covenants are accurate and complete, that we have been owned, organized and operated and will continue to be owned, organized and will continue to operate in accordance with such representations and covenants and that we will take no action inconsistent with our status as a REIT. In addition, this opinion is based on the law existing and in effect as of its date (and to the extent applicable, the law in effect for prior periods covered by their opinion). Our qualification and taxation as a REIT will depend on our ability to have met and to meet on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, the asset composition, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various other qualification tests imposed under the Code discussed below. Goodwin Procter LLP has not reviewed and will not review our compliance with these tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, the opinion of our tax counsel does not guarantee our ability to qualify as or remain qualified as a REIT, and no assurance can be given that we have satisfied and will satisfy such tests for our taxable year ended December 31, 2016 or for any subsequent period. Also, the opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP is not binding on the IRS, or any court, and could be subject to modification or withdrawal based on future legislative, judicial or administrative changes to U.S. federal income tax laws, any of which could be applied retroactively. Goodwin Procter LLP will have no obligation to advise us or the holders of our stock or debt of any subsequent change in the matters addressed in its opinion, the factual representations or assumptions on which the conclusions in the opinion are based, or of any subsequent change in applicable law.

Taxation

We are subject to tax at normal corporate rates on our “REIT taxable income.” The term “REIT taxable income” means the taxable income as computed for a corporation which is not a REIT:

Because we are allowed the deduction for dividends paid in calculating our REIT taxable income, in any year in which we qualify as a REIT we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on that portion of our taxable income or net capital gain which is distributed to our stockholders.

Although we can eliminate or substantially reduce our U.S. federal income tax liability by maintaining our REIT qualification and paying sufficient dividends, we will be subject to U.S. federal tax in the following circumstances:

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In addition, notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of other taxes, including state and local and foreign income, property, payroll and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.

REIT Qualification Tests

Organizational Requirements. The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:

Organizational requirements (1) through (5) must be met during each taxable year for which REIT qualification is sought, while requirements (6) and (7) do not have to be met until after the first taxable year for which a REIT election is made.

We believe that we have sufficient diversity of ownership to allow us to satisfy conditions (6) and (7) above. In addition, our charter provides restrictions regarding the transfer of shares of our capital stock that are intended to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in conditions (6) and (7) above. These restrictions, however, may not ensure that we will be able to satisfy these share ownership requirements.

To monitor its compliance with condition (7) above, a REIT is required to send annual letters to its stockholders requesting information regarding the actual ownership of its shares. If we comply with the annual letters requirement and we do not know or, exercising reasonable diligence, would not have known of our failure to meet condition (7) above, then we will be treated as having met condition (7) above. Failure to comply with such requirements could subject us to monetary penalties. If you fail or refuse to comply with the demand letters, you will be required by the Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with your tax return disclosing your actual ownership of our shares and other information. We have complied with condition (8) above by making our REIT election as part of our U.S. federal income tax return for our taxable year ended December 31, 1986. For purposes of satisfying condition (9), we have adopted December 31 as our year end, and we intend to comply with the applicable record-keeping requirements.

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Ownership of Interests in Partnerships and Qualified REIT Subsidiaries. A REIT that is a partner in a partnership or a member in a limited liability company or other unincorporated entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, will be deemed to own its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be, based on its interest in partnership capital, and will be deemed to be entitled to its proportionate share of the income of that entity.

The assets and gross income of a partnership of which a REIT is a partner retain the same character in the hands of the REIT. Thus, our pro rata share of the assets and items of income of any partnership in which we own an interest is treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of Asset Tests and Gross Income Tests.

If we become a partner in any partnership that we do not control and such entity takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our qualification as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. In addition, it is possible that a partnership could take an action which could cause us to fail a Gross Income Test or Asset Test, and that we would not become aware of such action in time to dispose of our interest in the partnership or take other corrective action on a timely basis. In that case, we could fail to qualify as a REIT unless we were entitled to relief, as described below.

We may from time to time own certain assets through subsidiaries that we intend to be treated as “qualified REIT subsidiaries.” A corporation will qualify as our qualified REIT subsidiary if we own 100% of the corporation’s outstanding stock and do not elect with the subsidiary to treat it as a TRS, as described below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not treated as a separate corporation, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of a qualified REIT subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the parent REIT for purposes of the Asset Tests and Gross Income Tests. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not subject to U.S. federal income tax, but may be subject to state or local tax, and our ownership of the stock of a qualified REIT subsidiary will not violate the restrictions on ownership of securities, as described below under “- Asset Tests.” While we currently hold all of our investments through the Operating Partnership, we also may hold investments separately, through qualified REIT subsidiaries. Because a qualified REIT subsidiary must be wholly owned by a REIT, any such subsidiary utilized by us would have to be owned by us, or another qualified REIT subsidiary, and could not be owned by the Operating Partnership unless we own 100% of the equity interest in the Operating Partnership.

Certain other wholly-owned entities also may be treated as disregarded as separate from their owners for U.S. federal income tax purposes, generally including any domestic unincorporated entity that would be treated as a partnership if it had more than one owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of any such disregarded entity will be treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the owner of the disregarded entity.

If a disregarded subsidiary or qualified REIT subsidiary ceases to be wholly owned by us (for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another one of our disregarded subsidiaries), the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership (if not formerly a qualified REIT subsidiary) or a taxable corporation (if formerly a qualified REIT subsidiary). Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the Asset Tests and Gross Income Tests, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See “- Asset Tests” and “- Income Tests.”

Ownership of Interests in TRSs. We currently own an interest in three TRSs and may acquire securities in additional TRSs in the future. A TRS is a corporation other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a TRS. If a TRS owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a TRS. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a TRS generally may engage in any business, including investing in assets and engaging in activities that could not be held or conducted directly by us without jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT.

A domestic TRS is subject to U.S. federal income tax as a regular C corporation (and a non-U.S. TRS would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on certain U.S. source income and income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, if any). We may conduct material activities through a TRS and the amount of such taxes paid by our TRS(s) could be substantial.

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A REIT’s ownership of securities of a TRS is not subject to the 5% or 10% asset tests described below. However, no more than 20% of the gross value of a REIT’s assets may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs (or 25% for our taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018).

Share Ownership Requirements

The common stock and any other stock we issue must be held by a minimum of 100 persons (determined without attribution to the owners of any entity owning our stock) for at least 335 days in each full taxable year, proportionately adjusted for partial taxable years. In addition, we cannot be “closely-held,” which means that at all times during the second half of each taxable year, no more than 50% in value of our stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” as specifically defined for this purpose (determined by applying certain attribution rules under the Code to the owners of any entity owning our stock). However, these two requirements do not apply until after the first taxable year an entity elects REIT status.

Our charter contains certain provisions intended, among other purposes, to enable us to meet these share ownership requirements. First, subject to certain exceptions, our charter provides that no person may beneficially or constructively own (applying certain attribution rules under the Code) more than 9.9% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of stock or more than 9.9% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of shares of our stock, as well as in certain other circumstances. See the Section entitled “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” in this prospectus. Additionally, our charter contains provisions requiring each holder of our shares to disclose, upon demand, constructive or beneficial ownership of shares as deemed necessary to comply with the requirements of the Code. Furthermore, stockholders failing or refusing to comply with our disclosure request will be required, under Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code, to submit a statement containing information regarding the beneficial ownership of our stock to the IRS at the time of filing their annual income tax returns for the year in which the request was made.

Asset Tests

At the close of each calendar quarter of the taxable year, we must satisfy five tests based on the composition of our assets, or the Asset Tests. After initially meeting the Asset Tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our qualification as a REIT for failure to satisfy the Asset Tests at the end of a later quarter solely due to changes in value of our assets. In addition, if the failure to satisfy the Asset Tests results from an acquisition during a quarter, the failure generally can be cured by disposing of non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. We will continue to maintain adequate records of the value of our assets to ensure compliance with these tests and intend to act within 30 days after the close of any quarter as may be required to cure any noncompliance.

75% Asset Test. At least 75% of the value of our assets must be represented by “real estate assets,” cash, cash items (including receivables) and government securities, which we refer to as the 75% Asset Test. Real estate assets include (1) real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property or on interests in real property); (2) for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, personal property leased with real property if the rents attributable to the personal property would be rents from real property under the income tests discussed below; (3) shares in other qualifying REITs; (4) for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs; and (5) any stock or debt instrument (not otherwise a real estate asset) attributable to the temporary investment of “new capital,” but only for the one-year period beginning on the date we received the new capital. A stock or debt instrument will qualify as being attributable to the temporary investment of new capital if the money used to purchase the stock or debt instrument is received by us in exchange for our stock (other than through a dividend reinvestment plan) or in a public offering of debt obligations that have a maturity of at least five years. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% test are subject to the additional asset tests described below under “- 25% Asset Test.”

We are currently invested in a number of real properties. In addition, we have invested and intend to invest funds not used to acquire properties in cash sources, “new capital” investments or other liquid investments which allow us to continue to qualify under the 75% Asset Test. Therefore, our investment in real properties should constitute “real estate assets” and should allow us to meet the 75% Asset Test. A real estate mortgage loan that we own generally will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% Asset Test if, on the date that we acquire or originate the mortgage loan, the value of the real property securing the loan is equal to or greater than the principal amount of the loan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, a mortgage loan secured by both real property and personal property shall be treated as a wholly qualifying real estate asset (and all interest and gain from such loan may be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% income test) if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, even if the real property collateral value is less than the outstanding principal balance of the loan.

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25% Asset Test. Except as described below, the remaining 25% of our assets generally may be invested without regard to the 75% Asset Test, which we refer to as the 25% Asset Test. However, if we invest in any securities that do not qualify under the 75% Asset Test, other than securities of our TRS, such securities may not exceed either (1) 5% of the value of our assets as to any one issuer; or (2) 10% of the outstanding securities by vote or value of any one issuer. The 10% value test does not apply to certain “straight debt” and other excluded securities, as described in the Code, including but not limited to any loan to an individual or estate, any obligation to pay rents from real property, and any security issued by a REIT. In addition, a partnership interest held by a REIT is not considered a “security” for purposes of the 10% value test; instead, the REIT is treated as owning directly its proportionate share of the partnership’s assets, which is based on the REIT’s proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership (disregarding for this purpose the general rule that a partnership interest is not a security), but excluding certain securities described in the Code.

For purposes of the 10% value test, “straight debt” means a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money if (i) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock, and (ii) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors other than certain contingencies relating to the timing and amount of principal and interest payments, as described in the Code. In the case of an issuer which is a corporation or a partnership, securities that otherwise would be considered straight debt will not be so considered if we, and any of our “controlled taxable REIT subsidiaries” as defined in the Code, hold any securities of the corporate or partnership issuer which (a) are not straight debt or other excluded securities (prior to the application of this rule), and (b) have an aggregate value greater than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities (including, for the purposes of a partnership issuer, our interest as a partner in the partnership).

TRS Ownership Test. As described above, no more than 20% of the gross value of our assets may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs (or 25% for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018).

25% Debt Test. Not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by debt instruments of publicly offered REITs that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property.

We believe that our holdings of real estate assets and other securities comply with the foregoing REIT asset requirements, and we intend to monitor compliance on an ongoing basis.

A REIT is able to cure certain asset test violations. As noted above, a REIT cannot own securities of any one issuer representing more than 5% of the total value of the REIT’s assets or more than 10% of the outstanding securities, by vote or value, of any one issuer. However, a REIT would not lose its REIT qualification for failing to satisfy these 5% or 10% asset tests in a quarter if the failure is due to the ownership of assets the total value of which does not exceed the lesser of (1) 1% of the total value of the REIT’s assets at the end of the quarter for which the measurement is done, or (2) $10 million; provided, that in either case the REIT either disposes of the assets within six months after the last day of the quarter in which the REIT identifies the failure (or such other time period prescribed by the Department of the Treasury, or the Treasury), or otherwise meets the requirements of those rules by the end of that period.

If a REIT fails to meet any of the asset test requirements for a quarter and the failure exceeds the de minimis threshold described above, then the REIT still would be deemed to have satisfied the requirements if (1) following the REIT’s identification of the failure, the REIT files a schedule with a description of each asset that caused the failure, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Treasury; (2) the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect; and (3) the REIT disposes of the assets within six months after the last day of the quarter in which the identification occurred or such other time period as is prescribed by the Treasury (or the requirements of the rules are otherwise met within that period). A REIT that relies on this cure provision must pay a tax on the failure equal to the greater of (1) $50,000, or (2) an amount determined (under regulations) by multiplying (x) the highest rate of tax for corporations under Code Section 11, by (y) the net income generated by the assets that caused the failure for the period beginning on the first date of the failure and ending on the date the REIT has disposed of the assets (or otherwise satisfies the requirements).

Income Tests

For each calendar year, we must satisfy two separate tests based on the composition of our gross income, as defined under our method of accounting, or the Gross Income Tests.

75% Gross Income Test. At least 75% of our gross income for the taxable year (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain other items) must result from (1) rents from real property, (2) interest on obligations secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property, (3) gains from the sale or other disposition of real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property, and including gain from the sale of certain personal property ancillary to such real property) other than property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our trade or business, (4) dividends from other qualifying REITs and gain (other than gain from prohibited transactions) from the sale of shares of other qualifying REITs, (5) other specified sources relating to real property or mortgages thereon, and (6) for a limited time, income from temporary investments of “new capital” (as described under the 75% Asset Test above). We refer to this requirement as the 75% Gross Income Test.

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95% Gross Income Test. At least 95% of our gross income (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain other items) for the taxable year must be derived from (1) sources which satisfy the 75% Gross Income Test, (2) dividends, (3) interest, or (4) gain from the sale or disposition of stock or other securities that are not assets held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our trade or business. We refer to this requirement as the 95% Gross Income Test.

Rents from Real Property. Income attributable to a lease of real property generally will qualify as “rents from real property” under the 75% Gross Income Test and the 95% Gross Income Test if such lease is respected as a true lease for U.S. federal income tax purposes (see “- Characterization of Property Leases”) and subject to the rules discussed below. Rent from a particular tenant will not qualify if we, or an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more of our stock, actually or constructively, owns 10% or more of the total combined voting power or 10% of the total value of all classes of stock in a corporate tenant, or 10% or more of the assets or net profits of a non-corporate tenant (subject to certain exceptions). The portion of rent attributable to personal property rented in connection with real property will not qualify, unless the portion attributable to personal property is 15% or less of the total rent received under, or in connection with, the lease.

Generally, rent will not qualify as “rents from real property” if it is based in whole, or in part, on the income or profits derived by any person from the underlying property. However, rent will not fail to so qualify if it is based on a fixed percentage (or designated varying percentages) of receipts or sales, including amounts above a base amount so long as the base amount is fixed at the time the lease is entered into, the provisions are in accordance with normal business practice and the arrangement is not an indirect method for basing rent on income or profits.

If a REIT furnishes or renders certain “impermissible tenant services” to the tenants at the property, and the income derived from the services exceeds 1% of the total amount received by that REIT with respect to the property, then no amount received by the REIT with respect to the property will qualify as “rents from real property.” Impermissible services are services other than services “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of real property and not otherwise considered “rendered to the occupant.” For these purposes, the income that a REIT is considered to receive from the provision of “impermissible tenant services” will not be less than 150% of the cost of providing the service. If the amount so received is 1% or less of the total amount received by us with respect to the property, then only the income from the impermissible services will not qualify as “rents from real property.” However, “impermissible tenant services” generally will not include services that are provided to tenants through an independent contractor from whom we derive no revenue, or through a TRS. With respect to this rule, tenants have received and will receive some services in connection with their leases of the real properties. We believe we have structured, and intend to structure the services we provide as necessary (such as through the use of our TRSs and/or independent contractors and/or by limiting the revenues from impermissible tenant services at certain properties to comply with the 1% rule) as needed so that providing these services will not cause the rents received with respect to the properties to fail to qualify as rents from real property for purposes of the 75% Gross Income Test (and the 95% Gross Income Test described below) or so that the amount of any non-qualifying rents does not jeopardize our compliance with the Gross Income Tests.

In addition, we intend to structure, and, to the extent applicable, we believe we have structured, our leasing activities so that any non-qualifying rent (i) based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person (excluding rent based on a percentage of receipts or sales, as described above), (ii) attributable to personal property in an amount greater than 15% of the total rent received under the applicable lease, and (iii) from any lease with a related party tenant does not cause us to fail the Gross Income Tests.

Amounts received as rent from a TRS are not excluded from rents from real property by reason of the related party rules described above, if the activities of the TRS and the nature of the properties it leases meet certain requirements (generally relating to leases of less than 10% of the total leased space in a building and leases of hotels and health care facilities). The TRSs must pay regular corporate tax rates on any taxable income they earn. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants whose terms are not on an arm’s-length basis.

Interest Income. All interest income qualifies under the 95% Gross Income Test, and interest on loans secured by real property or by interests in real property qualifies under the 75% Gross Income Test; provided, that in both cases, the interest does not depend, in whole or in part, on the income or profits of any person (excluding amounts based on a fixed percentage of receipts or sales). If a loan is secured by both real property and other property, the interest on it may nevertheless qualify under the 75% Gross Income Test if the amount of the loan does not exceed the fair market value of the real property at the time of the loan commitment. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, if a loan is secured by both real property and personal property and the value of the personal property collateral represents less than 15% of the value of the total property securing the loan, the interest on it may qualify under the 75% Gross Income Test regardless of whether the amount of the loan exceeds the fair market value of the real property at the time of the loan commitment. We believe we have structured, and intend to structure all of our loan investments as needed so that our investments in loans do not prevent us from satisfying the 75% Gross Income Test.

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Dividend Income. Distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries are generally classified as dividends to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% Gross Income Test, but not the 75% Gross Income Test. Any dividends received by us from a REIT will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% Gross Income Tests.

We have monitored and will monitor the amount of the dividend and other income from our TRSs and will take actions intended to keep this income, and any other non-qualifying income, within the limitations of the Gross Income Tests. Although we intend to take these actions to prevent a violation of the Gross Income Tests, we cannot guarantee that such actions will in all cases prevent such a violation.

Foreclosure Property. Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that is acquired by a REIT as a result of the REIT having bid on the property at foreclosure or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law after there was a default (or default was imminent) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by the REIT and secured by the property, (2) for which the related loan or lease was acquired by the REIT at a time when the REIT did not know or have reason to know that default would occur, and (3) for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. REITs generally are subject to tax at the maximum U.S. federal corporate tax rate (currently 21%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% Gross Income Test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property in the hands of the selling REIT. If we believe we will receive any income from foreclosure property that is not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% Gross Income Test, we intend to elect to treat the related property as foreclosure property.

Satisfaction of the Gross Income Tests. Our share of income from the Operating Partnership’s properties primarily gives rise to rental income and gains on sales of the properties, substantially all of which generally has qualified and will qualify under the 75% Gross Income and 95% Gross Income Tests. However, we have TRSs through which we may provide certain services, engage in activities that would give rise to non-qualifying income for either Gross Income Test, make sales that we believe could be subject to the 100% tax on prohibited transactions if made outside a TRS, and/or otherwise conduct certain activities or hold certain properties. The gross income generated by our TRSs would not be included in our gross income. However, any dividends from our TRSs to us would be included in our gross income and qualify for the 95% Gross Income Test, but not the 75% Gross Income Test. Because the activities of our TRSs are/could be substantial, the amount of such dividends also could be substantial.

If we fail to satisfy either the 75% Gross Income or 95% Gross Income Tests for any taxable year, we may retain our qualification as a REIT for such year if we satisfy the IRS that (1) the failure was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, and (2) we attach to our return a schedule describing the nature and amount of each item of our gross income. If this relief provision is available, we would remain subject to tax equal to the greater of the amount by which we failed the 75% Gross Income Test or the 95% Gross Income Test, as applicable, multiplied by a fraction meant to reflect our profitability. It is not possible, however, to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. For example, if we fail to satisfy the gross income tests because nonqualifying income that we intentionally incur unexpectedly exceeds the limits on nonqualifying income, the IRS could conclude that the failure to satisfy the tests was not due to reasonable cause. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances involving us, we will fail to qualify as a REIT.

Annual Distribution Requirements

In addition to the other tests described above, we are required to distribute dividends (other than capital gain dividends) to our stockholders each year in an amount at least equal to the excess of: (1) the sum of: (a) 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and by excluding any net capital gain); and (b) 90% of the net income (after tax) from foreclosure property; less (2) the sum of some types of items of non-cash income. Whether sufficient amounts have been distributed is based on amounts paid in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if we: (1) declared a dividend before the due date of our tax return (including extensions); (2) distribute the dividend within the 12-month period following the close of the taxable year (and not later than the date of the first regular dividend payment made after such declaration); and (3) file an election with our tax return. Additionally, dividends that we declare in October, November or December in a given year payable to stockholders of record in any such month will be treated as having been paid on December 31st of that year so long as the dividends are actually paid during January of the following year. If we fail to meet the annual distribution requirements as a result of an adjustment to our U.S. federal income tax return by the IRS, or under certain other circumstances, we may cure the failure by paying a “deficiency dividend” (plus penalties and interest to the IRS) within a specified period.

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For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2015, in order for our distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirements for REITs, and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not be “preferential dividends.” A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class, and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents. Any non-publicly offered REIT in which we invest would be subject to the preferential dividend rule regardless of the date of the distribution.

If we do not distribute 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the undistributed portion. We also will be subject to an excise tax if we fail to currently distribute sufficient income. In order to make the “required distribution” with respect to a calendar year and avoid the excise tax, we must distribute the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the calendar year, and (3) the excess, if any, of the grossed up required distribution (as defined in the Code) for the preceding calendar year over the distributed amount for that preceding calendar year. Any excise tax liability would be equal to 4% of the difference between the amount required to be distributed and the amount actually distributed and would not be deductible by us.

We believe we have paid and intend to pay sufficient dividends each year to satisfy the annual distribution requirements and avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our earnings; however, it may not always be possible to do so. It is possible that we may not have sufficient cash or other liquid assets to meet the annual distribution requirements due to tax accounting rules and other timing differences. Other potential sources of non-cash taxable income include:

We will closely monitor the relationship between our REIT taxable income and cash flow, and if necessary to comply with the annual distribution requirements, will attempt to borrow funds to fully provide the necessary cash flow or to pay dividends in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property, including taxable stock dividends. The insufficiency of our cash flow to cover our distribution requirements could require us to (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions, (2) borrow on unfavorable terms, (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions or capital expenditures or used for the repayment of debt, (4) pay dividends in the form of taxable stock dividends or (5) use cash reserves, in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements.

We may seek to satisfy our distribution requirements by making taxable stock dividends. Moreover, we may determine to utilize certain stock dividends the proper treatment of which is not entirely clear without obtaining a private letter ruling from the IRS confirming the treatment of the stock dividend as a taxable stock dividend. In that case, it is possible that the IRS could challenge our treatment of the stock dividend as a taxable stock dividend, and if such challenge were successful the stock dividend would not count towards satisfying our distribution requirements.

Non-REIT Accumulated Earnings and Profits. As a REIT, at the end of a taxable year (including our first REIT taxable year ending December 31, 1986), we may not have any earnings and profits accumulated in a non-REIT year (sometimes referred to as “non-REIT earnings and profits”). Such non-REIT earnings and profits include any accumulated earnings and profits of non-REIT corporations whose assets we acquire (or are deemed to have acquired) through tax-free mergers and other tax-free reorganizations and through tax-free liquidations.

We believe that we have operated, and we intend to continue to operate, so that we have not had and will not have any earnings and profits accumulated in a non-REIT year at the close of any taxable year. However, if it is subsequently determined that we had any accumulated non-REIT earnings and profits as of the end of any taxable year, we could fail to qualify as a REIT beginning with the applicable taxable year. Pursuant to Treasury Regulations, however, so long as our failure to comply with the prohibition on non-REIT earnings and profits was not due to fraud with intent to evade tax, we could cure such failure by paying an interest charge on 50% of the amount of accumulated non-REIT earnings and profits and by making a special distribution of accumulated non-REIT earnings and profits. We intend to utilize such cure provisions if ever required to do so. The amount of any such interest charge could be substantial.

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Failure to Qualify

If we fail to continue to qualify, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a REIT in any taxable year, we may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. If the applicable relief provisions are not available or cannot be met, we will not be able to deduct our dividends and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates, thereby reducing cash available for distributions. In such event, all distributions to stockholders (to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits) will be taxable as qualified dividend income. This “double taxation” results from our failure to continue to qualify as a REIT. Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will not be eligible to elect REIT qualification for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost.

Recordkeeping 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 maintaining our qualification as a REIT.

Prohibited Transactions

As discussed above, we will be subject to a 100% U.S. federal income tax on any net income derived from “prohibited transactions.” Net income derived from prohibited transactions arises from the sale or exchange of property held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business which is not foreclosure property. There is an exception to this rule for a sale of property that meets the following requirements:

Although we may eventually sell any property, our primary intention in acquiring and operating the properties is the production of rental income and we do not expect to hold any property for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business unless held through a TRS or we structure the sale of such property to comply with the above safe harbor. The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate income tax rates.

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Hedging Transactions. We have entered into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swaps or cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury Regulations, any income from a hedging transaction (1) made in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate or price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred by us to acquire or own real estate assets, (2) 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% income tests (or any property that generates such income or gain), or, (3) for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, that hedges against transactions described in clause (i) or (ii) and is entered into in connection with the extinguishment of debt or sale of property that is being hedged against by the transaction described in clause (i) or (ii), and which complies with certain identification requirements, including gain from the disposition or termination of such a transaction, will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and the 75% gross income test. To the extent we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. We believe we have structured and intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT.

Characterization of Net Leases. We have acquired and intend to acquire and own commercial properties subject to net leases. We believe we have structured and currently intend to structure our leases so that they qualify as true leases for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If, however, the IRS were to recharacterize our leases as service contracts, loans, partnership agreements or otherwise, rather than true leases, or disregard the leases altogether for tax purposes, all or part of the payments that we receive from the lessees would not be considered rent and might not otherwise satisfy the various requirements for qualification as “rents from real property.” In that case, we would not be able to satisfy either the 75% or 95% Gross Income Tests and, as a result, could lose our REIT qualification.

Tax on Built-in Gains of Former C Corporation Assets. If a REIT acquires an asset from a C corporation in a transaction in which the REIT’s tax basis in the asset is determined by reference to the basis of the asset in the hands of the C corporation (e.g., a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code), the REIT may be subject to an entity-level tax upon a taxable disposition during a 5-year period following the acquisition date. The amount of the tax is determined by applying the highest regular corporate tax rate, which is currently 21%, to the lesser of (i) the excess, if any, of the asset’s fair market value over the REIT’s tax basis in the asset on the acquisition date, or (ii) the gain recognized by the REIT in the disposition. The amount described in clause (i) is referred to as “built-in gain.”

Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships

General. We currently hold and anticipate holding direct or indirect interests in one or more partnerships, including the Operating Partnership. We operate as an Umbrella Partnership REIT, or UPREIT, which is a structure whereby we own a direct interest in the Operating Partnership, and the Operating Partnership, in turn, directly or indirectly owns our properties (generally through lower-tier partnerships and disregarded entities, but the Operating Partnership also may hold properties through lower-tier REITs or TRSs or other taxable corporations).

The following is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of our investment in the Operating Partnership if the Operating Partnership is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This discussion should also generally apply to any investment by the Operating Partnership in a lower-tier property partnership.

A partnership (other than a publicly traded partnership taxed as a corporation) is generally not subject to tax as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Rather, partners are allocated their allocable share of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the partnership, and are potentially subject to tax thereon, without regard to whether the partners receive any distributions from the partnership. We are required to take into account our allocable share of the foregoing items for purposes of the various REIT gross income and asset tests, and in the computation of our REIT taxable income and U.S. federal income tax liability. Further, there can be no assurance that distributions from the Operating Partnership will be sufficient to pay the tax liabilities resulting from an investment in the Operating Partnership.

Generally, a domestic entity with two or more members formed as a partnership or other non-corporate entity under state law will be taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes unless it specifically elects otherwise or is treated as a corporation under special rules for “publicly traded partnerships.” Because the Operating Partnership was formed as a partnership under state law, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Operating Partnership will be treated as a partnership if it has two or more partners and is not treated as a corporation under the publicly traded partnership rules, or as a disregarded entity if it is treated as having one partner. As a result, if the Operating Partnership becomes wholly owned by us, it will cease to be a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and become a disregarded entity.

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Domestic unincorporated entities with more than one owner may be treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes in certain circumstances, including if the entity is a “publicly traded partnership” that does not qualify for an exemption based on the character of its income. A partnership is a “publicly traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the Code if:

A partnership will not be treated as a publicly traded partnership if it qualifies for certain safe harbors. We intend that the Operating Partnership (and any partnership invested in by the Operating Partnership) has complied and will comply with a “safe harbor” for partnerships with fewer than 100 partners to avoid being classified as a publicly traded partnership. However, no assurance can be given that any such partnership will at all times satisfy such safe harbor. We reserve the right to not satisfy any safe harbor.

There is a risk that the right of a holder of Operating Partnership common units to redeem the units for cash (or common stock at our option) could cause Operating Partnership common units to be considered readily tradable on the substantial equivalent of a secondary market, and we may not be eligible for a safe harbor at all times. If the Operating Partnership is a publicly traded partnership, it will be taxed as a corporation unless at least 90% of its gross income has consisted and will consist of “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Code. Qualifying income generally includes real property rents and certain other types of passive income. We believe that the Operating Partnership has had and will continue to have sufficient qualifying income so that it would be taxed as a partnership, even if it were classified as a publicly traded partnership. The income requirements applicable to REITs under the Code and the definition of qualifying income under the publicly traded partnership rules are very similar. Although differences exist between these two income tests, we do not believe that these differences will cause the Operating Partnership to fail the 90% gross income test applicable to publicly traded partnerships. However, there is sparse guidance as to the proper interpretation of this 90% gross income test, and thus it is possible that differences will arise that prevent us from satisfying the 90% gross income test.

If for any reason the Operating Partnership (or any partnership invested in by the Operating Partnership) is taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the character of our assets and items of gross income would change, and as a result, we would most likely be unable to satisfy the applicable REIT requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws discussed above. In addition, any change in the status of any partnership may be treated as a taxable event, in which case we could incur a tax liability without a related cash distribution. Further, if any partnership was treated as a corporation, items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of such partnership would be subject to corporate income tax, and the partners of any such partnership would be treated as stockholders, with distributions to such partners being treated as dividends.

Income Taxation of Partnerships and their Partners. Although a partnership agreement generally will determine the allocation of a partnership’s income and losses among the partners, such allocations may be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Code Section 704(b) and the Treasury Regulations if the allocations do not have “substantial economic effect” and are not otherwise consistent with the partners’ interests in the partnership. If any allocation is not recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ economic interests in the partnership. We believe that the allocations of taxable income and loss in the Operating Partnership agreement comply with the requirements of Code Section 704(b) and the Treasury Regulations.

In some cases, special allocations of net profits or net losses will be required to comply with the U.S. federal income tax principles governing partnership tax allocations. Additionally, pursuant to Code Section 704(c), income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to property contributed to the Operating Partnership in exchange for units must be allocated in a manner so that the contributing partner is charged with, or benefits from, the unrealized gain or loss attributable to the property at the time of contribution. The amount of such unrealized gain or loss is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value and the adjusted basis of the property at the time of contribution, and such difference (as adjusted for amortization) may be referred to as a “book-tax difference.” These allocations are designed to eliminate book-tax differences by allocating to contributing partners lower amounts of depreciation deductions and increased taxable income and gain attributable to the contributed property than would ordinarily be the case for economic or book purposes. With respect to any property purchased by the Operating Partnership, such property generally will have an initial tax basis equal to its fair market value, and accordingly, Code Section 704(c) will not apply, except as described further below in this paragraph. The application of the principles of Code Section 704(c) in tiered partnership arrangements is not entirely clear. Accordingly, the IRS may assert a different allocation method than the one selected by the Operating Partnership to cure any book-tax differences. In certain circumstances, we create book-tax differences by adjusting the values of properties for economic or book purposes, and generally the rules of Code Section 704(c) would apply to such differences as well.

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Some expenses incurred in the conduct of the Operating Partnership’s activities may not be deducted in the year they were paid. To the extent this occurs, the taxable income of the Operating Partnership may exceed its cash receipts for the year in which the expense is paid. As discussed above, the costs of acquiring properties must generally be recovered through depreciation deductions over a number of years. Prepaid interest and loan fees, and prepaid management fees are other examples of expenses that may not be deducted in the year they were paid.

If a partnership (including the Operating Partnership) is audited by the IRS with respect to tax returns for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, unless such partnership qualifies for and affirmatively elects an alternative procedure, the partnership will be liable for the hypothetical increase in partner-level taxes (including interest and penalties) resulting from an adjustment of partnership (or partnership-related) tax items on audit. Such hypothetical tax liability, or “imputed underpayment,” will be determined based on the highest rate of tax applicable to corporations or individuals, subject to certain potential adjustments that may reduce the amount. Under the default rule, this imputed underpayment generally must be paid in the year of the adjustment, resulting in a potential shift of the cost of an assessment to those persons that are partners in such partnership in the year of the assessment, and away from those who were partners in the year of the underpayment. The partnership audit rules create procedures to modify (or reduce) a proposed imputed underpayment if certain conditions are satisfied, but no assurances can be provided that such procedures can, or will, be used to reduce or eliminate imputed underpayments.

Under an alternative “push out” procedure, if elected, the partnership would issue statements to persons who were partners in the audited year setting forth each partner’s share of any adjustments. Each partner is then required to take into account any increases or decreases in taxes that would result from such adjustments, including any adjustments to subsequent years before the year in which the statement is received resulting from the adjustment to the reviewed year, for the taxable year in which the partner receives the statement, rather than filing amended returns for the years adjusted. If any of our subsidiary partnerships or limited liability companies (including the Operating Partnership) is able to and in fact elects the alternative push out procedure for a given adjustment, the amount of taxes for which the persons who were partners in the year audited will be liable will be increased by any applicable penalties and a special interest charge. There can be no assurance that any such entities will be eligible to make such an election or that it will, in fact, make such an election for any given adjustment.

Taxation of U.S. Stockholders

Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders. As long as we qualify as a REIT, distributions paid to our U.S. stockholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits (and not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income) will be ordinary income. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, non-corporate taxpayers are permitted to take a deduction for a portion of certain pass-through business income, including dividends received from REITs that are not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income (subject to certain limitations). Dividends on our preferred stock will be treated as made out of any available earnings and profits in priority to distributions on our common stock.

Generally, for purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Stockholder” is a person (other than a partnership or entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes or a person subject to special treatment under the Code) that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

If a partnership holds our 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 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 stock by the partnership.

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Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated first as a tax-deferred return of capital to the U.S. Stockholder, reducing the U.S. Stockholder’s tax basis in his, her or its stock by the amount of such distribution, and then as capital gain. Because our earnings and profits are reduced for depreciation and other non-cash items, it is possible that a portion of each distribution will constitute a tax-deferred return of capital. Additionally, because distributions in excess of earnings and profits reduce the U.S. Stockholder’s basis in our stock, this will increase the U.S. Stockholder’s gain, or reduce the U.S. Stockholder’s loss, on any subsequent sale of the stock.

Distributions that are designated as capital gain dividends will be taxed as long-term capital gain to the extent they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. Stockholder that receives such distribution has held its stock. However, corporate stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some types of capital gain dividends as ordinary income. We also may decide to retain, rather than distribute, our net capital gain and pay any tax thereon. In such instances, U.S. Stockholders would include their proportionate shares of such gain in income as long-term capital gain, receive a refund or credit on their returns for their proportionate share of our tax payments, and increase the tax basis of their shares of stock by the after-tax amount of such gain.

With respect to U.S. Stockholders who are taxed at the rates applicable to individuals, we may elect to designate a portion of our distributions paid to such U.S. Stockholders as “qualified dividend income.” A portion of a distribution that is properly designated as qualified dividend income is taxable to non-corporate U.S. Stockholders at the preferential rates applicable to long-term capital gain; provided, that the U.S. Stockholder has held the stock with respect to which the distribution is made for more than 60 days during the 121 day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such stock became ex-dividend with respect to the relevant distribution. The maximum amount of our distributions eligible to be designated as qualified dividend income for a taxable year is equal to the sum of:

Generally, dividends that we receive will be treated as qualified dividend income for purposes of (1) above if the dividends are received from a regular, domestic C corporation (such as any TRS) or certain foreign corporations, and specified holding period and other requirements are met.

Dividend income is characterized as “portfolio” income under the passive loss rules and cannot be offset by a stockholder’s current or suspended passive losses. Corporate stockholders cannot claim the dividends-received deduction for such dividends unless we lose our REIT qualification. In addition, taxable distributions from us generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitations. A U.S. stockholder that elects to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of stock or qualified dividend income as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amounts.

Although U.S. Stockholders generally will recognize taxable income in the year that a distribution is received, any dividend we declare in October, November or December of any year and is payable to a U.S. Stockholder of record on a specific date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. Stockholder on December 31st of the year it was declared if we pay it during January of the following calendar year. Because we are not a pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, U.S. Stockholders may not use any of our operating or capital losses to reduce their tax liabilities.

We may have the ability to declare a large portion of a dividend in shares of our stock. As long as a portion of such dividend is payable in cash or other property and certain requirements are met, the entire distribution may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, U.S. Stockholders could be taxed on 100% of the dividend in the same manner as a cash dividend, even though most of the dividend was paid in shares of our stock. In general, any dividend on shares of our preferred stock will be taxable as a dividend, regardless of whether any portion is paid in stock.

In general, the sale of our stock held for more than 12 months will produce long-term capital gain or loss. All other sales will produce short-term gain or loss. In each case, the gain or loss is equal to the difference between the amount of cash and fair market value of any property received from the sale and the U.S. Stockholder’s basis in the stock sold. However, any loss from a sale or exchange of stock by a U.S. Stockholder who has held such stock for six months or less generally will be treated as a long-term capital loss, to the extent that the U.S. Stockholder treated our distributions as long-term capital gain. The use of capital losses is subject to limitations. A redemption by us of any redeemable preferred stock we may issue could be treated either as a taxable disposition of shares or as a dividend, depending on the applicable facts and circumstances. In the event we issue any redeemable preferred stock, the prospectus supplement will discuss the tax considerations of owning such securities in greater detail.

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Information reporting (transfer statements) on other transactions may also be required under these rules. Generally, these reports are made for certain transactions. Transfer statements are issued between “brokers” and are not issued to the IRS or to you.

Stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the consequences of these rules.

Capital Gains and Losses. The tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for non-corporate taxpayers may be significant. As noted above, a taxpayer generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from its sale or exchange to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. The highest marginal individual income tax rate is currently 37%. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains applicable to non-corporate taxpayers is 20% for sales and exchanges of capital assets held for more than one year, except that the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of “section 1250 property,” or depreciable real property, is 25% to the extent that such gains are “unrecaptured section 1250 gains.” With respect to distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute, we generally may designate whether such a distribution is taxable to our non-corporate stockholders as long-term capital gains or unrecaptured section 1250 gains. The IRS has the authority to prescribe, but has not yet prescribed, regulations that would apply a capital gain tax rate of 25% (which is generally higher than the long-term capital gain tax rates for non-corporate taxpayers) to a portion of capital gain realized by a non-corporate stockholder on the sale of REIT stock that would correspond to the REIT’s “unrecaptured Section 1250 gain.” In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A non-corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates (currently up to 21%). A corporate taxpayer can deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years.

If a U.S. stockholder recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our common stock or preferred stock in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of certain Treasury Regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss generating transactions to the IRS. While these regulations are directed towards “tax shelters,” they are written quite broadly and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. Significant penalties apply for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisors concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our common stock or preferred stock, or transactions that might be undertaken directly or indirectly by us. 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.

Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders. U.S. 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 are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. U.S. tax-exempt entities must separately compute their taxable income and loss for each unrelated trade or business activity for purposes of determining their UBTI. UBTI generally includes (i) any income or gain not sufficiently related to a tax-exempt organization’s exempt purpose, other than certain passive investment income such as dividends, interest, rents from real property and capital gains, and (ii) debt-financed income derived from property not sufficiently related to such exempt purpose that is subject to “acquisition indebtedness.” Thus, our distributions to a U.S. Stockholder that is a domestic tax-exempt entity and capital gain recognized by such an entity with respect to our stock should not constitute UBTI unless such U.S. Stockholder borrows funds (or otherwise incurs acquisition indebtedness within the meaning of the Code) to acquire or carry its shares of stock, subject to the pension held REIT rules discussed below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, special rules may cause part or all of the income or gain recognized with respect to our stock held by social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, and supplemental unemployment benefit trusts (which are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Code Sections 501(c)(7), (9), or (17)), to be treated as UBTI.

Special “pension held REIT” rules apply to the ownership of REIT shares by some tax-exempt pension trusts. If, treating stock held by a tax-exempt pension trust as being held by a single individual rather than by the trust’s beneficiaries, we would be “closely-held” (discussed above with respect to the share ownership tests), then tax-exempt pension trusts owning more than 10% by value of our stock may be required to treat a percentage of our dividends as UBTI. This rule applies if: (1) at least one tax-exempt pension trust owns more than 25% by value of our shares, or (2) one or more tax-exempt pension trusts (each owning more than 10% by value of our shares) hold in the aggregate more than 50% by value of our shares. The percentage treated as UBTI is our gross income (less direct expenses) derived from an unrelated trade or business (determined as if we were a tax-exempt pension trust) divided by our gross income from all sources (less direct expenses). If this percentage is less than 5%, however, none of the dividends will be treated as UBTI.

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Backup Withholding and Information Reporting. The amount of dividends treated as paid during each calendar year and the proceeds of any sale or other disposition of our stock will be reported to our U.S. Stockholders and the IRS. Under the backup withholding rules, a U.S. Stockholder may be subject to backup withholding at the current rate of 24% with respect to such dividends and proceeds paid, unless the U.S. Stockholder (1) is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or (2) provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifies under penalties of perjury that such number is correct and that such U.S. Stockholder is not subject to backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A U.S. Stockholder that does not provide his, her or its correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such U.S. Stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Medicare Tax. Certain net investment income earned by U.S. citizens and resident aliens and certain estates and trusts is subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax. Net investment income includes, among other things, dividends on and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of stock. Holders of shares of our stock should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this tax on their ownership and disposition of such shares.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders

General. The rules governing the U.S. federal income taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders are complex, and as such, only a summary of such rules is provided in this prospectus. A “Non-U.S. Stockholder” means a nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is not otherwise subject to special treatment under the Code. This disclosure does not address stockholders that are non-U.S. trusts or estates, and additional considerations may apply to stockholders that are non-U.S. trusts or estates and to the beneficiaries of any such non-U.S. trusts or estates. Non-U.S. investors should consult with their own tax advisors and financial planners to determine the impact that U.S. federal, state and local income tax or similar laws will have on such investors as a result of an investment in our stock. The discussion below assumes we have qualified as a REIT and will continue to qualify as a REIT.

Distributions - In General. Distributions paid by us that are not attributable to gain from our sales or exchanges of United States real property interests, or USRPIs (discussed further below), and not designated by us as capital gain dividends will be treated as dividends of ordinary income to the extent that they are made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such dividends to Non-U.S. Stockholders ordinarily will be subject to a withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the dividend unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates that tax. Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs. If income from the investment in our stock 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 the graduated rates applicable to ordinary income, in the same manner as U.S. Stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise (and also may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax on its effectively connected earnings and profits in the case of a stockholder that is a foreign corporation that is not entitled to the benefits of a treaty that exempts it from such tax). 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. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits and not attributable to gain from our sales or exchanges of USRPIs will not be taxable to a stockholder to the extent they do not exceed the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s shares (determined separately for each share). Instead, they will reduce the adjusted basis of such shares. To the extent that such dividends exceed the adjusted basis of a Non-U.S. Stockholder’s shares, they will be treated as gain from the sale or disposition of the Non-U.S. Stockholder’s shares, and may be subject to tax as described in the “Sales of Shares” portion of this Section below. However, as discussed below, we may nevertheless withhold on such distributions.

Distributions to a Non-U.S. Stockholder that do not arise from the disposition of a USRPI and that we properly designate as capital gain dividends generally should not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation except as described below under “- Sales of Shares,” although we may nonetheless withhold with respect to such distributions as discussed below.

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Distributions Attributable to Sale or Exchange of Real Property. Except as discussed below with respect to 10% or less holders of regularly traded classes of stock, “qualified shareholders” and “qualified foreign pension funds,” for any year in which we qualify as a REIT, a Non-U.S. Stockholder will incur tax on distributions by us that are attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of USRPIs under special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws known as the Foreign Investment in Real Property Act, or FIRPTA. The term USRPIs includes interests in real property and shares in corporations at least 50% of whose real estate and business assets consist of interests in U.S. real property. Under those rules, a Non-U.S. Stockholder is taxed on distributions by us attributable to gain from sales or exchanges of USRPIs as if the gain were effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Stockholder. A Non-U.S. Stockholder thus would be taxed on such a distribution at regular tax rates applicable to U.S. Stockholders, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax. A corporate Non-U.S. Stockholder not entitled to treaty relief or exemption also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax on such a distribution. We must withhold 21% of any distribution that is a distribution attributable to USRPI gain. A Non-U.S. Stockholder may receive a credit against its tax liability for the amount we withhold. However, FIRPTA and this 21% withholding tax will not apply to any distribution with respect to any class of our stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States if the recipient Non-U.S. Stockholder did not own more than 10% of such class of stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of distribution. In the case of a capital gain dividend attributable to USRPI gain, a recipient exempt from tax under FIRPTA by reason of not owning more than 10% of such class of stock must treat the capital gain dividend as an ordinary dividend subject to the rules discussed above.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Withholding on Distributions not Subject to FIRPTA. For U.S. federal income tax withholding purposes, we generally will withhold tax at the rate of 30% on the amount of any distribution (other than distributions of USRPI gain subject to FIRPTA as discussed above) made to a Non-U.S. Stockholder, unless the Non-U.S. Stockholder provides us with appropriate documentation (1) evidencing that such Non-U.S. Stockholder is eligible for an exemption or reduced rate under an applicable income tax treaty, generally an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (in which case we will withhold at the lower treaty rate) or (2) claiming that the dividend is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Stockholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the U.S., generally an IRS Form W-8ECI (in which case we will not withhold tax). We also may be required to withhold tax at the rate of 21% on the portion of any dividend to a Non-U.S. Stockholder that is or could be designated by us as a capital gain dividend, even if not attributable to USRPI gain. Such withheld amounts of tax do not represent actual tax liabilities, but rather, represent payments in respect of those tax liabilities described in the preceding two paragraphs. Therefore, such withheld amounts are creditable by the Non-U.S. Stockholder against its actual U.S. federal income tax liabilities, including those described in the preceding two paragraphs. The Non-U.S. Stockholder would be entitled to a refund of any amounts withheld in excess of such Non-U.S. Stockholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liabilities, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Additional withholding regulations may require us to withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

In light of potential difficulties in properly characterizing a distribution for purposes of the above withholding rules, we may determine to withhold at the highest rate that we determine could apply.

Sales of Shares. A Non-U.S. Stockholder generally will not incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain on a disposition of our common stock or preferred stock as long as at all times during the five-year period ending on the date of disposition non-U.S. persons hold, directly or indirectly, less than 50% in value of our stock. For these purposes, in the case of any class of our stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market a person holding less than 5% of such class of stock for five years will be treated as a U.S. person unless we have actual knowledge that such person is not a U.S. person. Because our common stock is publicly traded, we cannot assure you that our non-U.S. ownership will be less than 50% at any time. Even if our non-U.S. ownership remains under 50% for five years and we otherwise meet the requirements of this rule, pursuant to “certain wash sale” rules under FIRPTA, a Non-U.S. Stockholder may incur tax under FIRPTA to the extent such stockholder disposes of our stock within a certain period prior to a distribution attributable to USRPI gain and directly or indirectly (including through certain affiliates) reacquires our stock within certain prescribed periods, provided that this rule will not apply to a disposition and reacquisition of our common stock by a Non-U.S. Stockholder owning, actually or constructively, 5% or less of our common stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of such distribution attributable to USRPI gain.

Regardless of the extent of our non-U.S. ownership, a Non-U.S. Stockholder will not incur tax under FIRPTA on a disposition of shares of a class of our publicly traded stock if such Non-U.S. Stockholder owned, actually or constructively, at all times during a specified testing period, 10% or less of the total fair market value of such class of stock. The testing period is the shorter of (1) the period during which the Non-U.S. Stockholder held the shares and (2) the five-year period ending on the disposition date. For as long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, a Non-U.S. Stockholder should not incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain on a sale of our common stock unless it owns, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our common stock during such testing period. If we issue a class of preferred stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market, the rules described in the previous sentence will also apply to sales of such preferred stock. Provided that our common stock continues to be regularly traded on an established securities market, a Non-U.S. Stockholder will not incur tax under FIRPTA on a disposition of the shares of our non-publicly traded preferred stock if the fair market value of all of the shares of such class of preferred stock acquired by such Non-U.S. Stockholder did not exceed 5% of the fair market value of our regularly traded class of stock with the lowest fair market value, determined as of the most recent acquisition date.

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If the gain on the sale of our stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a Non-U.S. Stockholder would be taxed on that gain in the same manner as U.S. Stockholders, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax. Furthermore, a Non-U.S. Stockholder generally will incur U.S. federal income tax on gain not subject to FIRPTA (including a properly designated capital gain dividend not attributable to USRPI gain) if:

Qualified Shareholders. To the extent our stock is held directly (or indirectly through one or more partnerships) by a “qualified shareholder,” it will not be treated as a USRPI for such qualified shareholder. Thus, gain from the sale or exchange of our stock (including distributions treated as gain from the sale or exchange of our stock) will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless such gain is treated as effectively connected with the qualified shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business. Further, to the extent such treatment applies, any distribution to such shareholder will not be treated as gain recognized from the sale or exchange of a USRPI (and capital gains dividends attributable to USRPI gain and non-dividend distributions to such shareholder may be treated as ordinary dividends). For these purposes, a qualified shareholder is generally a Non-U.S. Stockholder that (i)(A) is eligible for treaty benefits under an income tax treaty with the United States that includes an exchange of information program, and the principal class of interests of which is listed and regularly traded on one or more stock exchanges as defined by the treaty, or (B) is a foreign limited partnership organized in a jurisdiction with an exchange of information agreement with the United States and that has a class of regularly traded limited partnership units (having a value greater than 50% of the value of all partnership units) on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, (ii) is a “qualified collective investment vehicle” (within the meaning of Section 897(k)(3)(B) of the Code) and (iii) maintains records of persons holding 5% or more of the class of interests described in clauses (i)(A) or (i)(B) above. However, in the case of a qualified shareholder having one or more “applicable investors,” the exception described in the first sentence of this paragraph will not apply to the “applicable percentage” of the qualified shareholder’s stock (with “applicable percentage” generally meaning the percentage of the value of the interests in the qualified shareholder held by applicable investors after applying certain constructive ownership rules). The applicable percentage of the amount realized by a qualified shareholder on the disposition of our stock or with respect to a distribution from us attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI will be treated as amounts realized from the disposition of USRPIs. Such treatment shall also apply to applicable investors in respect of distributions treated as a sale or exchange of stock with respect to a qualified shareholder. For these purposes, an “applicable investor” is a person (other than a qualified shareholder) who generally holds an interest in the qualified shareholder and holds more than 10% of our stock (applying certain constructive ownership rules).

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Qualified Foreign Pension Funds. For FIRPTA purposes neither a “qualified foreign pension fund” nor any entity all of the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund is treated as a foreign person, thereby exemption such entities from tax under FIRPTA. A “qualified foreign pension fund” is an organization or arrangement (i) created or organized in a foreign country, (ii) established by a foreign country (or one or more political subdivisions thereof) or one or more employers to provide retirement or pension benefits to current or former employees (including self-employed individuals) or their designees as a result of, or in consideration for, services rendered, (iii) which does not have a single participant or beneficiary that has a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (iv) which is subject to government regulation and with respect to which annual information about its beneficiaries is provided, or is otherwise available, to relevant local tax authorities and (v) with respect to which, under its local laws, (A) contributions that would otherwise be subject to tax are deductible or excluded from its gross income or taxed at a reduced rate, or (B) taxation of its investment income is deferred, or such income is excluded from its gross income or taxed at a reduced rate. Under proposed Treasury Regulations on which taxpayers generally may rely, but which are subject to change, a “qualified controlled entity” also is not treated as a foreign person for purposes of FIRPTA. Under such regulations, a qualified controlled entity generally includes a trust or corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country all of the interests of which are held by one or more qualified foreign pension funds either directly or indirectly through one or more qualified controlled entities or partnerships. Distributions received by qualified foreign pension funds and their non-U.S. wholly owned subsidiaries and qualified controlled entities will be taxed as described above at “- Distributions - In General” regardless of whether the distribution is attributable to the sale of a USRPI. Gain of a qualified foreign pension fund or its non-U.S. wholly owned subsidiary or qualified controlled entity from the sale or exchange of our stock as well as our capital gain dividends and distributions treated as gain from the sale or exchange of our stock under the rules described above at “- Distributions - In General,” will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless such gain is treated as effectively connected with the qualified foreign pension fund’s (or the subsidiary’s or qualified controlled entity’s, as applicable) conduct of a U.S. trade or business, in which case the qualified foreign pension fund (or subsidiary or qualified controlled entity) generally will be subject to a tax at the same graduated rates applicable to U.S. Stockholders, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, and may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax on its effectively connected earnings and profits, subject to adjustments, in the case of a foreign corporation.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. The applicable withholding agent will report to our Non-U.S. Stockholders and the IRS the amount of dividends treated as paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld with respect to such payments. Copies of the information returns reporting such payments and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the Non-U.S. Stockholder resides or is established under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or agreement. In addition, a Non-U.S. Stockholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid on shares of our stock, unless the Non-U.S. Stockholder certifies that it is not a U.S. person or otherwise establishes an exemption. If the proceeds of a disposition of stock are paid by or through a U.S. office of a broker-dealer, the payment is generally subject to information reporting and to backup withholding unless the disposing Non-U.S. Stockholder certifies as to its name, address and non-U.S. status or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, U.S. information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds if the payment is made outside the U.S. through a foreign office of a foreign broker-dealer, provided, however, that if the proceeds from a disposition of stock are paid to or through a foreign office of a U.S. broker-dealer or a non-U.S. office of a foreign broker-dealer that is (1) a “controlled foreign corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (2) a person 50% or more of whose gross income from all sources for a three-year period was effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, (3) a foreign partnership with one or more partners who are U.S. persons and who, in the aggregate, hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest in the partnership, or (4) a foreign partnership engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the U.S., then (A) backup withholding will apply only if the broker-dealer has actual knowledge that the owner is not a Non-U.S. Stockholder, and (B) information reporting will apply unless the Non-U.S. Stockholder certifies its non-U.S. status. Prospective foreign purchasers should consult their tax advisors and financial planners concerning these rules.

Foreign Accounts and “FATCA”

FATCA Withholding on Certain Foreign Accounts and Entities. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, provisions of the Code, together with administrative guidance and certain intergovernmental agreements entered into thereunder, impose a 30% withholding tax on “withholdable payments” (as defined below) made to “foreign financial institutions” (as defined below) and certain other non-U.S. entities (whether or not such foreign financial institutions or non-U.S. entities receive the payment as a beneficial owner or intermediary) unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting, and withholding obligations or (2) the foreign non-financial entity either certifies it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial U.S. owner. “Withholdable payment” generally includes any payment of interest, dividends, and certain other types of generally passive income if such payment is from sources within the United States. “Foreign financial institution generally means any non-U.S. entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business, (ii) as a substantial portion of its business holds financial assets for the account of others, or (iii) is engaged or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities, or any interest in such assets. If the payee is a foreign financial institution that is not exempt under the administrative guidance or an intergovernmental agreement or not subject to special treatment under certain intergovernmental agreements, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertakes to identify accounts (and certain debt and equity interests in such foreign financial institutions) held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts and withhold 30% on payments to account holders whose actions prevent them from complying with these reporting and other requirements. Investors in jurisdictions that have entered into intergovernmental agreements may, in lieu of foregoing requirements, be required to report such information to their home jurisdiction.

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Other Tax Considerations

State, Local and Foreign Taxes. We and you may be subject to state, local or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which we transact business or reside. Our and your state, local and foreign tax treatment may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed above. Any foreign taxes incurred by us would not pass through to stockholders as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. You should consult your own tax advisors and financial planners regarding the effect of state, local and foreign tax laws on an investment in the shares of our stock.

Legislative Proposals. You should recognize that our and your present U.S. federal income tax treatment may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative actions at any time, which may be retroactive in effect. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by Congress, the IRS and the Treasury Department, and statutory changes as well as promulgation of new regulations, revisions to existing statutes, and revised interpretations of established concepts occur frequently.

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