Indemnifiable Tax - ISDA Provision

In gory detail

1992 ISDA “Indemnifiable Tax” means any Tax other than a Tax that would not be imposed in respect of a payment under this Agreement but for a present or former connection between the jurisdiction of the government or taxation authority imposing such Tax and the recipient of such payment or a person related to such recipient (including, without limitation, a connection arising from such recipient or related person being or having been a citizen or resident of such jurisdiction, or being or having been organised, present or engaged in a trade or business in such jurisdiction, or having or having had a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in such jurisdiction, but excluding a connection arising solely from such recipient or related person having executed, delivered, performed its obligations or received a payment under, or enforced, this Agreement or a Credit Support Document). (view template)

2002 ISDA “Indemnifiable Tax” means any Tax other than a Tax that would not be imposed in respect of a payment under this Agreement but for a present or former connection between the jurisdiction of the government or taxation authority imposing such Tax and the recipient of such payment or a person related to such recipient (including, without limitation, a connection arising from such recipient or related person being or having been a citizen or resident of such jurisdiction, or being or having been organised, present or engaged in a trade or business in such jurisdiction, or having or having had a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in such jurisdiction, but excluding a connection arising solely from such recipient or related person having executed, delivered, performed its obligations or received a payment under, or enforced, this Agreement or a Credit Support Document). (view template)

Commentary

You may marvel at the triple negative here. Especially since the expression Indemnifiable Tax is often used in the negative (ie "a tax which is not an Indemnifiable Tax") - and even double negative (ie "other than a tax which is not an Indemnifiable Tax") in the body of the ISDA Master Agreement. That makes it a quintuple negative. Quite a literary feat.

A need to know version is this:

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Indemnifiable Tax in a Nutshell™ _{(ISDA edition)}

An Indemnifiable Tax is any Tax that is not a Stamp Tax that is not a tax that would not be imposed if there were not a connection between the taxing authority’s jurisdiction and the recipient that did not arise solely from the recipient having performed any part of this Agreement in that jurisdiction.

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Withholding under the ISDA

TL;DR: The basic rationale is this:

• if the tax relates to the underlying instrument, rather than the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}}’s residence or tax status, the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} does not have to gross up.
• if the tax relates to the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}}’s residence or tax status, then the Payer does have to gross up unless the {{{{{1}}}|Payee}} should have provided information to the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} which would have entitled the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} to avoid the tax.
• if you’ve agreed the {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Amendment}}, the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} doesn’t have to gross up any {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Withholding Tax}}es.

The combination of the {{{{{1}}}|Payer Tax Representations}} and the {{{{{1}}}|Gross-Up}} clause of the ISDA Master Agreement has the following effect:

• Section {{{{{1}}}|3(e)}}: I promise you that I do not have to withhold on my payments to you (as long as all your {{{{{1}}}|Payee Tax Representations}} are correct and you have, under Section {{{{{1}}}|4(a)}}, given me everything I need to pay free of withholding);
• Section {{{{{1}}}|2(d)}}: I will not withhold on any payments to you. Unless I am required to by law. Which I kind of told you I wasn’t... If I have to withhold, I'll pay the tax the authorities and give you the receipt. If I only had to withhold because of my connection to the taxing jurisdiction (that is, if the withholding is an {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}), I’ll gross you up. (You should look at the drafting of {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}, by the way. It's quite a marvel). ...
• {{{{{1}}}|Gross-Up}}: Unless the tax could have been avoided if the {{{{{1}}}|Payee}} had taken made all its {{{{{1}}}|3(f)}} representations, delivered all its {{{{{1}}}|4(a)}} material, or had its {{{{{1}}}|3(f)}} representations been, like, true).
• {{{{{1}}}|Stamp Tax}} is a whole other thing.
• As is FATCA, which (as long as you’ve made your {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Amendment}} or signed up to a {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Protocol}}, provides that {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Withholding Tax}}es are excluded from the Section {{{{{1}}}|3(e)}} {{{{{1}}}|Payer Tax Representations}}, and also from the definition of {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}. Meaning one doesn't have to rep, or gross up, FATCA payments.

Withholding under the ISDA

TL;DR: The basic rationale is this:

• if the tax relates to the underlying instrument, rather than the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}}’s residence or tax status, the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} does not have to gross up.
• if the tax relates to the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}}’s residence or tax status, then the Payer does have to gross up unless the {{{{{1}}}|Payee}} should have provided information to the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} which would have entitled the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} to avoid the tax.
• if you’ve agreed the {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Amendment}}, the {{{{{1}}}|Payer}} doesn’t have to gross up any {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Withholding Tax}}es.

The combination of the {{{{{1}}}|Payer Tax Representations}} and the {{{{{1}}}|Gross-Up}} clause of the ISDA Master Agreement has the following effect:

• Section {{{{{1}}}|3(e)}}: I promise you that I do not have to withhold on my payments to you (as long as all your {{{{{1}}}|Payee Tax Representations}} are correct and you have, under Section {{{{{1}}}|4(a)}}, given me everything I need to pay free of withholding);
• Section {{{{{1}}}|2(d)}}: I will not withhold on any payments to you. Unless I am required to by law. Which I kind of told you I wasn’t... If I have to withhold, I'll pay the tax the authorities and give you the receipt. If I only had to withhold because of my connection to the taxing jurisdiction (that is, if the withholding is an {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}), I’ll gross you up. (You should look at the drafting of {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}, by the way. It's quite a marvel). ...
• {{{{{1}}}|Gross-Up}}: Unless the tax could have been avoided if the {{{{{1}}}|Payee}} had taken made all its {{{{{1}}}|3(f)}} representations, delivered all its {{{{{1}}}|4(a)}} material, or had its {{{{{1}}}|3(f)}} representations been, like, true).
• {{{{{1}}}|Stamp Tax}} is a whole other thing.
• As is FATCA, which (as long as you’ve made your {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Amendment}} or signed up to a {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Protocol}}, provides that {{{{{1}}}|FATCA Withholding Tax}}es are excluded from the Section {{{{{1}}}|3(e)}} {{{{{1}}}|Payer Tax Representations}}, and also from the definition of {{{{{1}}}|Indemnifiable Tax}}. Meaning one doesn't have to rep, or gross up, FATCA payments.

See Also

See in particular Section 2(d) (Deduction or Withholding for Tax).