Indemnifiable Tax - ISDA Provision

2002 ISDA Master Agreement A Jolly Contrarian owner’s manual™ Go premium Crosscheck: →’87 equivalent →’92 equivalent →’02 equivalent Indemnifiable Tax in a Nutshell™ The JC’s Nutshell™ summary of this term has moved uptown to the subscription-only ninja tier. For the cost of ½ a weekly 🍺 you can get it here. Sign up at Substack. Original text: edit “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). The Varieties of ISDA Experience Subject 2002 (wikitext) 1992 (wikitext) 1987 (wikitext) Preamble Pre Pre Pre Interpretation 1 1 1 Obligns/Payment 2 2 2 Representations 3 3 3 Agreements 4 4 4 EODs & Term Events 5 Events of Default FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUST • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events Illegality • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM • ATE • 5 Events of Default FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUST • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events Illegality • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM • ATE • 5 Events of Default FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUST • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events Illegality • FM • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM • ATE • Early Termination 6 Early Termination ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations 6 Early Termination ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations • Set-off 6 Early Termination ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations • Set-off Transfer 7 7 7 Contractual Currency 8 8 8 Miscellaneous 9 9 9 Offices; Multibranch Parties 10 10 10 Expenses 11 11 11 Notices 12 12 12 Governing Law 13 13 13 Definitions 14 14 14 Schedule Schedule Schedule Schedule Termination Provisions Part 1 Part 1 Part 1 Tax Representations Part 2 Part 2 Part 2 Documents for Delivery Part 3 Part 3 Part 3 Miscellaneous Part 4 Part 4 Part 4 Other Provisions Part 5 Part 5 Part 5 Resources and Navigation Index: Click ᐅ to expand: ISDA

Overview

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Now you would like to think ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ could do something to improve a passage with a quintuple negative, wouldn’t you? Even, if, bloody-mindedly, to add a sixth negative, just to underline how scanty is the damn they give about the neurotic whinings of those, like the JC who hanker for more economical expression. In your face, prose stylists, such a stance might say. Actually, since I’m here, have a fricking seventh negative, punk, and brand it on your forehead so all who look upon you will know who it was who schooled you.

We can but dream, possums. We can only imagine what might have been. but no; they left the ghastly tract inviolate.

But HAL 9000 is coming. The JC fed this language into the “OpenAI” text generator, and asked for a summary that a second grader (in old money, an eight-year-old) could understand and, well, the outcome is impressive:

Indemnifiable Tax is a kind of tax that is different from other taxes. It is a tax that is only imposed when someone is connected to the country or state that imposes the tax. This connection could be because the person is from the country, does business there, or has gotten money from there.

Summary

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Negatives, negatives, everywhere

Without wishing to be overly negative, this one truly comes from the "wow" file in indefensible drafting:

... other than a tax which would not be imposed but for...

Not only a triple negative, but since the squad’s definition of Tax already contains a negative (being any tax that isn’t a Stamp Tax) and “Indemnifiable Tax” is itself often used in the negative (e.g. “a tax which is not an Indemnifiable Tax”) — or even double negative (e.g. “other than a tax which is not an Indemnifiable Tax”) in the body of the ISDA Master Agreement. That makes it a sextuple negative. Beat that ISLA.

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• JC’s “nutshell” summary of the clause
• Background reading and long-form essays
• Stamp Taxes and Indemnfiable Taxes
• Withholding generally under the ISDA Master Agreement

See also

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• Section 2(d) (Deduction or Withholding for Tax).