General

The Company's Articles contain provisions allowing the Directors to decline to register a person as a holder of any class of ordinary shares or other securities of the Company or to require the transfer of those securities (including by way of a disposal effected by the Company itself) if they believe that the person:

  1. Is a "US person" (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended) and not a "qualified purchaser" (as defined in the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended);
  2. Is a "Benefit Plan Investor" (as described under "Prohibition on Benefit Plan Investors and Restrictions on Non-ERISA Plan" below); or
  3. Is, or is related to, a citizen or resident of the United States, a US partnership, a US corporation or a certain type of estate or trust and that ownership of any class of ordinary shares or any other equity securities of the Company by the person would materially increase the risk that the Company could be or become a "controlled foreign corporation" (as described under "US Tax Matters" below").

In addition, the Directors may require any holder of any class of ordinary shares or other securities of the Company to show to their satisfaction whether or not the holder is a person described in paragraphs (A), (B) or (C) above.

US Securities Laws

The Company (a) is not subject to the reporting requirements of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and does not intend to become subject to such reporting requirements and (b) is not registered as an investment company under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and investors in the Company are not benefited by the protections provided by the 1940 Act.

Prohibition on Benefit Plan Investors and Restrictions on Non-ERISA Plans

Investment in the Company by "Benefit Plan Investors" is prohibited so that the assets of the Company will not be deemed to constitute "plan assets" of a "Benefit Plan Investor". The term "Benefit Plan Investor" shall have the meaning contained in Section 3(42) of the US Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), and includes (a) an "employee benefit plan" as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA that is subject to Part 4 of Title I of ERISA; (b) a "plan" described in Section 4975(e)(1) of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), that is subject to Section 4975 of the Code; and (c) an entity whose underlying assets include "plan assets" by reason of an employee benefit plan's or a plan's investment in such entity. For purposes of the foregoing, a "Benefit Plan Investor" does not include a governmental plan (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA), a non-US plan (as defined in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA) or a church plan (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA) that has not elected to be subject to ERISA.

Each purchaser and subsequent transferee of any class of ordinary shares (or any other class of equity interest in the Company) will be required to represent, warrant and covenant, or will be deemed to have represented, warranted and covenanted that it is not, and is not acting on behalf of or with the assets of a Benefit Plan Investor, to acquire such ordinary shares (or any other class of equity interest in the Company).

Under the Articles, the directors have the power to require the sale or transfer of the Company's securities in order to avoid the assets of the Company being treated as "plan assets" for the purposes of ERISA.

The fiduciary provisions of pension codes applicable to governmental plans, non-US plans or other employee benefit plans or retirement arrangements that are not subject to ERISA (collectively, "Non-ERISA Plans") may impose limitations on investment in the Company. Fiduciaries of Non-ERISA Plans, in consultation with their advisors, should consider, to the extent applicable, the impact of such fiduciary rules and regulations on an investment in the Company. Among other considerations, the fiduciary of a Non-ERISA Plan should take into account the composition of the Non-ERISA Plan's portfolio with respect to diversification; the cash flow needs of the Non-ERISA Plan and the effects thereon of the illiquidity of the investment; the economic terms of the Non- ERISA Plan's investment in the Company; the Non-ERISA Plan’s funding objectives; the tax effects of the investment and the tax and other risks associated with the investment; the fact that the investors in the Company are expected to consist of a diverse group of investors (including taxable, tax-exempt, domestic and foreign entities) and the fact that the management of the Company will not take the particular objectives of any investors or class of investors into account. Non-ERISA Plan fiduciaries should also take into account the fact that, while the Company's board of directors and its investment advisor will have certain general fiduciary duties to the Company, the board and the investment advisor will not have any direct fiduciary relationship with or duty to any investor, either with respect to its investment in Shares or with respect to the management and investment of the assets of the Company. Similarly, it is intended that the assets of the Company will not be considered plan assets of any Non-ERISA Plan or be subject to any fiduciary or investment restrictions that may exist under pension codes specifically applicable to such Non-ERISA Plans. Each Non-ERISA Plan will be required to acknowledge and agree in connection with its investment in any securities to the foregoing status of the Company, the board and the investment advisor that there is no rule, regulation or requirement applicable to such investor that is inconsistent with the foregoing description of the Company, the board and the investment advisor.

Each purchaser or transferee that is a Non-ERISA Plan will be deemed to have represented, warranted and covenanted as follows:

  1. The Non-ERISA Plan is not a Benefit Plan Investor;
  2. The decision to commit assets of the Non-ERISA Plan for investment in the Company was made by fiduciaries independent of the Company, the Board, the Investment Advisor and any of their respective agents, representatives or affiliates, which fiduciaries (i) are duly authorized to make such investment decision and have not relied on any advice or recommendations of the Company, the Board, the Investment Advisor or any of their respective agents, representatives or affiliates and (ii) in consultation with their advisers, have carefully considered the impact of any applicable federal, state or local law on an investment in the Company;
  3. None of the Company, the Board, the Investment Advisor or any of their respective agents, representatives or affiliates has exercised any discretionary authority or control with respect to the Non-ERISA Plan’s investment in the Company, nor has the Company, the Board, the Investment Advisor or any of their respective agents, representatives or affiliates rendered individualized investment advice to the Non-ERISA Plan based upon the Non-ERISA Plan’s investment policies or strategies, overall portfolio composition or diversification with respect to its commitment to invest in the Company and the investment program thereunder; and
  4. It acknowledges and agrees that it is intended that the Company will not hold plan assets of the Non-ERISA Plan and that none of the Company, the Board, the Investment Advisor or any of their respective agents, representatives or affiliates will be acting as a fiduciary to the Non-ERISA Plan under any applicable federal, state or local law governing the Non-ERISA Plan, with respect to either (i) the Non-ERISA Plan’s purchase or retention of its investment in the Company or (ii) the management or operation of the business or assets of the Company. It also confirms that there is no rule, regulation, or requirement applicable to such purchaser or transferee that is inconsistent with the foregoing description of the Company, the Board and the Investment Advisor.

US Tax Matters

This discussion does not constitute tax advice and is not intended to be a substitute for tax advice and planning. Prospective holders of the Company's securities must consult their own tax advisers concerning the US federal, state and local income tax and estate tax consequences in their particular situations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of any of the Company's securities, as well as any consequences under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

The Company's directors are entitled to decline to register a person as, or to require such person to cease to be, a holder of any class of ordinary shares or other equity securities of the Company if they believe that: such person is, or is related to, a citizen or resident of the United States, a US partnership, a US corporation or a certain type of estate or trust and that ownership of any class of ordinary shares or any other equity securities of the Company by such person would materially increase the risk that the Company could be or become a "controlled foreign corporation" (a "CFC").

In general, a foreign corporation is treated as a "CFC" only if its "US shareholders" collectively own more than 50% of the total combined voting power or total value of the corporation's stock. A "US shareholder" means any US person who owns, directly or indirectly through foreign entities, or is considered to own (by application of certain constructive ownership rules), 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a foreign corporation, such as the Company.

There is a risk that the Company will decline to register a person as, or to require such person to cease to be, a holder of the Company's the Company if the Company could be or become a CFC. The Company's treatment as a CFC could have adverse tax consequences for US taxpayers.

The Company has been advised that it is not a passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for the years ended 29 February 2016 and 2015. A classification as a PFIC would likely have an adverse tax consequences for US taxpayers.

The entire 2015 distribution was out of current earnings and profits and should therefore be treated as a dividend for United States federal income tax purposes.

The taxation of a US taxpayer's investment in the Company's securities is highly complex. Prospective holders of the Company's securities must consult their own tax advisers concerning the US federal, state and local income tax and estate tax consequences in their particular situations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of any of the Company's securities, as well as any consequences under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.