component of a “hybrid mismatch arrangement” under which the payment arises within the meaning of proposed paragraph 18.4(3)(b) of the Tax Act contained in certain Tax Proposals included in Bill C-59, An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 21, 2023 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023 (second reading: March 18, 2024) (the “Hybrid Mismatch Proposals”). In general terms, a payment may be considered to arise under a “hybrid mismatch arrangement” in certain circumstances, including if (i) a payer of the payment does not deal at “arm’s length” with, or is a “specified entity” in respect of, a recipient of the payment, or (ii) the payment arises under, or in connection with, a “structured arrangement” (each within the meaning of the Tax Act, as proposed to be amended by the Hybrid Mismatch Proposals), in each case, where certain additional conditions are met. Pursuant to the Hybrid Mismatch Proposals, two entities will generally be treated as specified entities in respect of one another if one entity, directly or indirectly, holds a 25% equity interest in the other entity, or a third entity, directly or indirectly, holds a 25% equity interest in both entities.
Interest paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited by Canada to a Non-Resident Holder on a bond will be exempt from Canadian non-resident withholding tax and Canada will not be required to deduct or withhold tax from interest or principal paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited by Canada to the Non-Resident Holder on the bond. Generally, there are no other Canadian income taxes that would be payable by a Non-Resident Holder as a result of holding or disposing of a bond (including for greater certainty, any gain realized by a Non-Resident Holder on a disposition of a bond).
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following summary supplements the discussion under “Tax Matters — Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the prospectus, to which reference is hereby made. The description reflects present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive changes. The following summary deals only with persons who purchase the bonds in the initial offering at the offering price to the public and who are United States Persons (as defined below) that hold bonds as capital assets. It does not deal with the tax considerations relevant to certain holders, such as banks, traders who elect to mark to market, life insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, persons holding bonds as a hedge, straddle, conversion or integrated transaction, persons subject to any alternative minimum tax, persons required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income as a result of such income being recognized on an “applicable financial statement,” and persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. In addition to other qualifications set forth in the accompanying prospectus, the following summary does not address any U.S. federal tax consequences other than U.S. federal income tax consequences (such as the estate and gift tax) nor does it address the Medicare tax on net investment income.
Prospective purchasers of the bonds should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the U.S. federal, state and local tax laws to their particular situations, as well as the application of the tax laws of other jurisdictions.
For purposes of this discussion, a “United States Person” means a citizen or resident of the United States, a corporation (including a publicly traded partnership or other person that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source or a trust that is either subject to the control of one or more U.S. persons and the primary supervision of a U.S. court or has validly elected to be treated as a U.S. person.
Interest Payments
Interest on a bond received or accrued by holders, including Additional Amounts as defined in the accompanying prospectus, if any, and any Canadian income tax withheld, will be taxable to such holder as ordinary interest income at the time it is accrued or is paid, in accordance with such holder’s usual method of
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