Tax Treatment for South African Dividends

RNS Number : 1759S

Mediclinic International plc

21 June 2018

 

Mediclinic International plc

(Incorporated in England and Wales)

Company Number: 08338604

LSE Share Code: MDC

JSE Share Code: MEI

NSX Share Code: MEP

ISIN: GB00B8HX8Z88

LEI: 2138002S5BSBIZTD5I60

South African income tax number: 9950122714

("Mediclinic", the "Company" or the "Group")

21 June 2018

TAX TREATMENT OF ORDINARY SHARE DIVIDEND FOR SHAREHOLDERS ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN REGISTER

Background

Shareholders on the South African register of the Company are referred to Mediclinic's announcement of the results for the year ended 31 March 2018 and proposed dividend announcement released on the Stock Exchange News Service and on the Regulatory News Service on 24 May 2018, confirming that the Board of Directors of Mediclinic had proposed a final dividend from retained earnings of 4.70 pence per ordinary share for the year ended 31 March 2018 for approval by the Company's shareholders at the annual general meeting on Wednesday, 25 July 2018.

The final dividend will be paid on Monday, 30 July 2018 to all ordinary shareholders who are on the register of members at the close of business on the record date of Friday, 15 June 2018.

Shareholders on the South African register will be paid the ZAR cash equivalent of 79.52400 cents (63.61920 cents net of dividend withholding tax) per share. A dividend withholding tax of 20% will be applicable to all shareholders on the South African register who are not exempt therefrom. The ZAR cash equivalent has been calculated using the following exchange rate: £1: ZAR16.92, being the 5-day average ZAR/GBP exchange rate (Bloomberg) on Friday, 18 May 2018 at 3:00pm GMT.

Tax treatment for shareholders on the South African register

South African tax resident shareholders on the South African register:

In terms of the Company's Dividend Access Trust structure, eligible South African tax resident shareholders on the South African register set out below will receive the full dividend, namely 79.52400 cents per share, from the Dividend Access Trust and therefore regarded as a local South African dividend. For purposes of South African dividend withholding tax, the entire dividend of 79.52400 cents per share is taxable at a rate of 20%, unless an applicable exemption applies:

1.

in the case of shares held in certificated form, eligible shareholders who are registered on the South African register with an address in South Africa (other than PLC Nominees Proprietary Limited (or any successor entity through which shares held in dematerialised form are held)); and

2.

in the case of shares held in dematerialised form, in respect of whom the South African transfer secretaries of the Company have determined, in good faith and by reference to the information provided to them by the eligible shareholders and/or their brokers and/or central securities depository participants, that such eligible shareholders are either (i) tax resident in South Africa or (ii) have an address in South Africa and have not expressly indicated that they are not tax resident in South Africa as at the dividend record date.

Non-South African tax resident shareholders on the South African register:

Non-South African tax resident shareholders on the South African register will be paid the dividend by the Company in the usual way and not through the Dividend Access Trust. The entire dividend of 79.52400 cents per share payable to such shareholders will therefore be regarded as a foreign dividend and exempt from South African dividend withholding tax, provided that the relevant exemption forms have been completed and submitted as prescribed.

About Mediclinic International plc

Mediclinic is an international private healthcare services group with operating divisions in Switzerland, Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia) and the United Arab Emirates. Its core purpose is to enhance the quality of life of patients by providing acute care, specialist-orientated, multi-disciplinary healthcare services. Mediclinic also holds a 29.9% interest in Spire Healthcare Group plc, an LSE-listed and UK-based private healthcare group.

Mediclinic comprises 75 hospitals and 28 clinics. Hirslanden operates 17 private acute care facilities and 4 clinics in Switzerland with more than 1 800 inpatient beds; Mediclinic Southern Africa operates 49 hospitals and 2 day clinics throughout South Africa and 3 hospitals in Namibia with more than 8 100 inpatient beds in total; and Mediclinic Middle East operates 6 hospitals and 22 clinics with more than 700 inpatient beds in the United Arab Emirates.

Mediclinic has a primary listing on the Main Market of the LSE in the United Kingdom, with secondary listings on the JSE in South Africa and the NSX in Namibia.

For further information, please contact:

Company Secretary, Link Company Matters Limited

Jayne Meacham / Caroline Emmet

[phone]

Investor Relations, Mediclinic International plc

James Arnold, Head of Investor Relations

[e-mail]

[phone]

Media queries

FTI Consulting

Brett Pollard/Debbie Scott - UK

[phone]

Sherryn Schooling - South Africa

[phone]

Registered address: 6^th Floor, 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ, United Kingdom

Website: www.mediclinic.com 

Joint corporate brokers: Morgan Stanley & Co International plc and UBS Investment Bank

JSE sponsor: Rand Merchant Bank (A division of FirstRand Bank Limited)

NSX sponsor: Simonis Storm Securities (Pty) Ltd

 

END

 

 

MSCUAVURWBANUAR