Transocean Ltd
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 18, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 18, 2025
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Exemption
Exemption—Distributions to shareholders in the form of a par value reduction or out of qualifying additional paid-in capital for Swiss statutory purposes are exempt from Swiss withholding tax. On December 31, 2024, the aggregate amount of par value of our outstanding shares was $87.6 million, and the aggregate amount of qualifying additional paid-in capital of our outstanding shares was $17.4 billion. Consequently, we expect that a substantial amount of any potential future distributions may be exempt from Swiss withholding tax.
Refund available to Swiss holders—A Swiss tax resident, corporate or individual, can recover the withholding tax in full if such resident is the beneficial owner of our shares at the time the dividend or other distribution becomes due and provided that such resident reports the gross distribution received on such resident’s income tax return, or in the case of an entity, includes the taxable income in such resident’s income statement.
Refund available to non-Swiss holders—If the shareholder that receives a distribution from us is not a Swiss tax resident, does not hold our shares in connection with a permanent establishment or a fixed place of business maintained in Switzerland, and resides in a country that has concluded a treaty for the avoidance of double taxation with Switzerland for which the conditions for the application and protection of and by the treaty are met, then the shareholder may be entitled to a full or partial refund of the withholding tax described above. Switzerland has entered into bilateral treaties for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to income taxes with numerous countries, including the U.S., whereby under certain circumstances all or part of the withholding tax may be refunded. The procedures for claiming treaty refunds, and the time frame required for obtaining a refund, may differ from country to country.
Refund available to U.S. residents—The Swiss-U.S. tax treaty provides that U.S. residents eligible for benefits under the treaty can seek a refund of the Swiss withholding tax on dividends for the portion exceeding 15 percent, leading to a refund of 20 percent, or a 100 percent refund in the case of qualified pension funds. As a general rule, the refund will be granted under the treaty if the U.S. resident can show evidence of the following: (a) beneficial ownership, (b) U.S. residency and (c) meeting the U.S.-Swiss tax treaty’s limitation on benefits requirements. The claim for refund must be filed with the Swiss federal tax authorities (Eigerstrasse 65, 3003 Bern, Switzerland), not later than December 31 of the third year following the year in which the dividend payments became due. The relevant Swiss tax form is Form 82C for companies, 82E for other entities and 82I for individuals. These forms can be obtained from any Swiss Consulate General in the U.S. or from the Swiss federal tax authorities at the above address or can be downloaded from the webpage of the Swiss federal tax administration. Each form must be completed in triplicate, with each copy duly completed and signed before a notary public in the U.S. Evidence that the withholding tax was withheld at the source must also be included.
Stamp duties in relation to the transfer of shares—The purchase or sale of our shares may be subject to Swiss federal stamp taxes on the transfer of securities irrespective of the place of residency of the purchaser or seller if the transaction takes place through or with a Swiss bank or other Swiss securities dealer, as those terms are defined in the Swiss Federal Stamp Tax Act and no exemption applies in the specific case. If a purchase or sale is not entered into through or with a Swiss bank or other Swiss securities dealer, then no stamp tax will be due. The applicable stamp tax rate is 0.075 percent for each of the two parties to a transaction and is calculated based on the purchase price or sale proceeds. If the transaction does not involve cash consideration, the transfer stamp duty is computed on the basis of the market value of the consideration.
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Share repurchases
Overview—Shares repurchased for the purpose of capital reduction are treated as a partial liquidation subject to a 35 percent Swiss withholding tax based on the difference between the repurchase price and the related amount of par value and the related amount of qualifying additional paid-in capital, if any. We would be required to remit on a net basis the purchase price with the Swiss withholding tax deducted to a holder of our shares and pay the withholding tax to the Swiss federal tax authorities. However, for such repurchased shares, the portions of the repurchase price that are attributable to the par value and the qualifying additional paid-in capital for Swiss statutory reporting purposes are not subject to the Swiss withholding tax.
If we repurchase shares, we expect to use an alternative procedure pursuant to which we repurchase our shares via a "virtual second trading line" from market players, such as banks and institutional investors, who are generally entitled to receive a full refund of the Swiss withholding tax. The use of such “virtual second trading line” with respect to share repurchase programs is subject to approval of the competent Swiss tax and other authorities. We may not be able to repurchase as many shares as we would like to repurchase for purposes of capital reduction on the “virtual second trading line” without subjecting the selling shareholders to Swiss withholding taxes. The repurchase of shares for purposes other than for cancellation, such as to retain as treasury shares for use in connection with stock incentive plans, convertible debt or other instruments within certain periods, are not generally subject to Swiss withholding tax. In addition, in December 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released proposed regulations under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, whereby an excise tax of one percent would be imposed on stock repurchases in the event one of our U.S. subsidiaries funds the stock repurchase.
Under Swiss corporate law, the right of a company and its subsidiaries to repurchase and hold its own shares is limited. A company may repurchase its shares to the extent it has freely distributable reserves as shown on its Swiss statutory balance sheet in the amount of the purchase price and if the aggregate par value of all shares held by the company as treasury shares does not exceed 10 percent of the company’s share capital recorded in the Swiss Commercial Register, whereby for purposes of determining whether the 10 percent threshold has been reached, shares repurchased under a share repurchase program for cancellation purposes authorized by the company’s shareholders are disregarded. As of February 11, 2025, together, Transocean Ltd. and Transocean International Limited, a Bermuda exempted company and our wholly owned subsidiary (formerly known as Transocean Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company), held as treasury shares 6.58 percent of our issued shares. Our board of directors could, to the extent freely distributable reserves are available, authorize the repurchase of additional shares for purposes other than cancellation, such as to retain treasury shares for use in satisfying our obligations in connection with incentive plans or other rights to acquire our shares. Based on the number of shares held as treasury shares as of February 11, 2025, 3.42 percent of our issued shares could be repurchased for purposes of retention as additional treasury shares. Although our board of directors has not approved such a share repurchase program for the purpose of retaining repurchased shares as treasury shares, if it did so, any such shares repurchased would be in addition to any shares repurchased under the currently approved program.
Share repurchase program—In May 2009, at our annual general meeting, shareholders approved and authorized our board of directors, at its discretion, to repurchase for cancellation any amount of our shares for an aggregate purchase price of up to CHF 3.50 billion. On February 12, 2010, our board of directors authorized our management to implement the share repurchase program. At December 31, 2024, the authorization remaining under the share repurchase program was for the repurchase of our outstanding shares for an aggregate purchase price of up to CHF 3.24 billion, equivalent to $3.57 billion. We intend to fund any repurchases using available cash balances and cash from operating activities. The share repurchase program could be suspended or discontinued by our board of directors or company management, as applicable, at any time. We may decide, based on our ongoing capital requirements, the price of our shares, regulatory and tax considerations, cash flow generation, the amount and duration of our contract backlog, general market conditions, debt rating considerations and other factors, that we should retain cash, reduce debt, make capital investments or acquisitions or otherwise use cash for general corporate purposes. Decisions regarding the amount, if any, and timing of any share repurchases will be made from time to time based on these factors. Any repurchased shares under the share repurchase program would be held by us for cancellation by the shareholders at a future general meeting of shareholders.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| · · · · · · · Total number of shares · · Approximate dollar value · | |||||||||||
| · · Total number · · Average · · purchased as part · · of shares that may yet · | |||||||||||
| · · of shares · · price paid · · of publicly announced · · be purchased under the plans · | |||||||||||
| Period · purchased · per share · plans or programs · or programs (in millions) (a) | |||||||||||
| October 2024 | | — | | $— | | — | $3,574 | | |||
| November 2024 | | — | | | — | | — | | | 3,574 | |
| December 2024 | | — | | | — | | — | | | 3,574 | |
| Total | | — | | $— | | — | $3,574 | | |||
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.