Section 871(m) amendment - ISDA Provision: Difference between revisions

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{{isdaanat|871(m) amendment}}
{{nman|isda|2002|871(m) amendment}}
[[Section 871(m)]] of the [[Internal Revenue Code]] clamps down on foreigners avoiding [[withholding tax]] for dividends on US [[Share - Equity Derivatives Provision|equities]]. Previously, US dividend [[Withholding tax|withholding]] did not apply to returns on notional principal contracts and instruments linked to underlying US equities.
 
That’s all changed now.
 
The new regulations will establish up to a 30% [[withholding tax]] on foreign investors on dividend-equivalent payments under [[equity derivative|equity derivatives]].  There are a wide range of products that fall into this camp including [[swap]]s, [[option]]s, [[future]]s, [[convertible bond|convertible debt]], [[structured note|structured notes]] and other customised derivative where the  ...
 
====Beware of {{tag|Greeks}}====
... [[delta]] (see what I did there?) against the underlying stock is .08 or greater.
 
{{delta}}
 
The calculation is cumulative so even if the delta threshold isn’t met in one transaction, it may be as a result a connected transaction.
 
It applies from 1 January 2017.
 
===So does that mean I can bin all this [[hypothetical broker-dealer]] nonsense?===
Since {{tag|WHT}} is now applied on [[high-delta equity derivative]]s in the same way it applies to physical cash trades, the [[recharacterisation]] risk is surely less fraught now, isn't it? do we really care whether the counterparty is seen to control the hedge?  Can we therefore get rid of that tiresome “[[hypothetical broker-dealer]]” language, which so mightily confuses many counterparties, and just reference the actual hedge liquidation price as the closing price of the derivative?
 
No, because 871(m) does not apply to all underliers that might feature in a [[synthetic equity]] transaction. and also because there are [[WHT]] and [[stamp duty]] regimes in other jurisdictions ([[SDRT]] on UK equities for example) where a derivative acheives preferential tax treatment over a cash equity trade.
 
But you’re right: the [[hypothetical broker-dealer]] business ''is'' [[Don’t take a piece of paper to a knife fight|ridiculous]].
{{seealso}}
*[[ISDA 2015 Section 871(m) Protocol]]
*[[Synthetic prime brokerage]]
*[[Don’t take a piece of paper to a knife fight]]
 
{{c|tax}}