Mediclinic International plc Tax Treatment for South African Dividends (6115J)

TIDMMDC

RNS Number : 6115J

Mediclinic International plc

29 June 2017

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")

29 June 2017

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 2017 and declaration of dividend announcement released on the Stock Exchange News Service and on the Regulatory News Service on 24 May 2017, 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 2017 for approval by the Company's shareholders at the annual general meeting on Tuesday, 25 July 2017.

The final dividend will be paid on Monday, 31 July 2017 to all ordinary shareholders who are on the register of members at the close of business on the record date of Friday, 23 June 2017.

Shareholders on the South African register will be paid the ZAR cash equivalent of 80.60500 cents (64.48400 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: GBP1: ZAR17.15, being the five-day average ZAR/GBP exchange rate on Friday, 19 May 2017 at 3:00pm GMT Bloomberg.

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 a component of the dividend, namely 68.64369 cents per share, from the Dividend Access Trust and therefore regarded as a local South African dividend, with the remaining component, namely 11.96131 cents per share, being received from the Company and therefore regarded as a foreign non-South African dividend. For purposes of South African dividend withholding tax, the entire dividend of 80.60500 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 80.60500 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 group with operating platforms in Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia), Switzerland 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, a LSE listed and UK-based private healthcare group.

Mediclinic comprises 74 hospitals and 37 clinics. Mediclinic Southern Africa operates 49 hospitals and 2 day clinics throughout South Africa and 3 hospitals in Namibia with more than 8 000 inpatient beds in total; Hirslanden operates 16 private acute care facilities and 4 clinics in Switzerland with more than 1 600 inpatient beds; and Mediclinic Middle East operates 6 hospitals and 31 clinics with more than 700 inpatient beds in the United Arab Emirates.

The platforms' contributions to Group revenue for the financial year ended 31 March 2017 were 48% by Hirslanden, 28% by Mediclinic Southern Africa and 24% by Mediclinic Middle East.

During February 2016, the combination of the Company (previously named Al Noor Hospitals Group plc), with operations mainly in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Mediclinic International Limited was completed. Mediclinic International Limited was a South African based international private healthcare group founded in 1983 and listed on the JSE, the South African stock exchange, since 1986, with operations in South Africa, Namibia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates (mainly in Dubai). The combination resulted in the renaming of the enlarged group to Mediclinic International plc.

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

For further information, please contact:

Capita Company Secretarial Services Limited

Victoria Dalby

[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]

Frank Ford (South Africa)

[phone]

Registered address: 1st Floor, 40 Dukes Place, London, EC3A 7NH, United Kingdom

Website: www.mediclinic.com

Corporate broker: Morgan Stanley & Co International plc

JSE sponsor: RAND MERCHANT BANK (A division of FirstRand Bank Limited)

NSX sponsor: Simonis Storm Securities (Pty) Ltd

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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June 29, 2017 09:00 ET (13:00 GMT)