Liability (for withholding) - ISDA Provision

ISDA Anatomy™ incorporating our exclusive ISDA in a Nutshell™ Go Premium In a Nutshell™ Section 2(d)(ii): 2(d)(ii) Liability. If the payer :— (1) is required by law to withhold a non-Indemnifiable Tax; (2) nonetheless does not do so; and (3) suffers by direct assessment a liability for that Tax, then, unless the recipient has satisfied the Tax liability directly, it must reimburse the payer for that liability (plus interest, but not penalties unless it failed to provide tax information required under Section 4(a), or breached any Payee Tax Representations. view template 2002 ISDA full text of Section 2(d)(ii): 2(d)(ii) Liability. If:― (1) X is required by any applicable law, as modified by the practice of any relevant governmental revenue authority, to make any deduction or withholding in respect of which X would not be required to pay an additional amount to Y under Section 2(d)(i)(4); (2) X does not so deduct or withhold; and (3) a liability resulting from such Tax is assessed directly against X, then, except to the extent Y has satisfied or then satisfies the liability resulting from such Tax, Y will promptly pay to X the amount of such liability (including any related liability for interest, but including any related liability for penalties only if Y has failed to comply with or perform any agreement contained in Section 4(a)(i), 4(a)(iii) or 4(d)). view template Click here for the text of Section 2(d)(ii) in the 1992 ISDA Index: Click ᐅ to expand: ISDA Navigation 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 Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Requests? Insults? We’d love to 📧 hear from you. Sign up for our newsletter.

It is hard to peer into the fevered mind of an ISDA ninja who came up with this provision to work out just what it is meant to do, and why. The best guess comes from our old friend, the tiresome FT book about derivatives, who think it addresses the time where a Payer makes a payment gross, relying in good faith on a Payee Tax Representation that the Payee is entitled to receive gross, only to then find that the tax authority in question requires the Payer to make that payment net after all. In this case the Payer can require the Payee to indemnify it for the payment, interest and penalties.

This seems a stretch — the usually fulsome prose of the ISDA Master Agreement neglects in this case to say anything about Payee Tax Representations, right or wrong, much less the Payer’s legitimate reliance on them. But on the other hand it is hard to think of a better explanation. So, go Paul C. Harding!!!