In the past, we have acquired companies that operated in a manner intended to allow them to qualify as REITs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If any such REIT previously acquired by MAA, referred to as a Merged REIT, is determined to have lost its REIT status at any time prior to its merger with MAA, MAA would be subject to serious adverse tax consequences, including:
MAA would be required to pay U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the taxable income of such Merged REIT without the benefit of the dividends paid deduction for the taxable years that the Merged REIT did not qualify as a REIT and for which the statute of limitations period remains open; and
MAA would be required to pay U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the taxable income of such Merged REIT without the benefit of the dividends paid deduction for the taxable years that the Merged REIT did not qualify as a REIT and for which the statute of limitations period remains open; and
MAA would be required to pay any federal alternative minimum tax liability of the Merged REIT and any applicable state and local tax liability, in each case, for all taxable years that remain open under the applicable statute of limitations periods.
MAA would be required to pay any federal alternative minimum tax liability of the Merged REIT and any applicable state and local tax liability, in each case, for all taxable years that remain open under the applicable statute of limitations periods.
MAA is liable for any tax liability of a Merged REIT with respect to any periods prior to the merger of such Merged REIT with MAA. If a Merged REIT failed to qualify as a REIT, then in the event of a taxable disposition by MAA of an asset previously held by the Merged REIT during a specified period of up to five years following the merger of the Merged REIT with MAA, MAA will be subject to corporate income tax with respect to any built-in gain inherent in such asset as of the date of such merger. In addition, unless an applicable statutory relief provision applies, if a Merged REIT failed to qualify as a REIT for a taxable year, then the Merged REIT would not have been entitled to re-elect to be taxed as a REIT until the fifth taxable year following the year during which it was disqualified. Furthermore, if both MAA and a Merged REIT were “investment companies” under the “investment company” rules set forth in Section 368 of the Code at the time of the merger of MAA and such Merged REIT, the failure of MAA or such Merged REIT to have qualified as a REIT at the time of their merger could result in such merger being treated as taxable for federal income tax purposes. As a result of all these factors, the failure by a Merged REIT to have qualified as a REIT could jeopardize MAA’s qualification as a REIT and require the Operating Partnership to provide material amounts of cash to MAA to satisfy MAA’s additional tax liabilities and, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on MAA’s business prospects, financial condition or results of operations and on MAA’s ability to make payments on our debt and to make distributions.