BP (BP)

US federal income taxation
A US holder is subject to US federal income taxation on the gross amount of any dividend paid by the company out of its current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for US federal income tax purposes). Dividends paid to a non-corporate US holder in taxable years beginning before 1 January 2011 that constitute qualified dividend income will be taxable to the holder at a maximum tax rate of 15%, provided that the holder has a holding period in the ordinary shares or ADSs of more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date and meets other holding period requirements. Dividends paid by the company with respect to the shares or ADSs will generally be qualified dividend income.
     As noted above in UK taxation, a US holder will not be subject to UK withholding tax. A US holder will include in gross income for US federal income tax purposes the amount of the dividend actually received from the company and the receipt of a dividend will not entitle the US holder to a foreign tax credit.
     For US federal income tax purposes, a dividend must be included in income when the US holder, in the case of ordinary shares, or the Depositary, in the case of ADSs, actually or constructively receives the dividend, and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to US corporations in respect of dividends received from other US corporations. Dividends will be income from sources outside the US, and generally will be ‘passive income’ or, in the case of certain US holders, ‘financial services income’ (or, for tax years beginning after 31 December 2006, ‘general category income’), which is treated separately from other types of income for purposes of computing the allowable foreign tax credit.
     The amount of the dividend distribution on the ordinary shares or ADSs that is paid in pounds sterling will be the US dollar value of the pounds sterling payments made, determined at the spot pounds sterling/US dollar rate on the date the dividend distribution is includible in income, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into US dollars. Generally, any gain or loss resulting from currency exchange fluctuations during the period from the date the pounds sterling dividend payment is includible in income to the date the payment is converted into US dollars will be treated as ordinary income or loss. The gain or loss generally will be income or loss from sources within the US for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.
     Distributions in excess of the company’s earnings and profits, as determined for US federal income tax purposes, will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the US holder’s basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs and thereafter as capital gain, subject to taxation as described in Taxation of capital gains – US federal income taxation.