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The following summary
contains a description of material U.K. and U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our ADSs. This summary should not be considered a comprehensive description of all the tax considerations that may be
relevant to beneficial owners of ADSs.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders
The following is a description of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to the U.S. Holders (as defined below) of owning and
disposing of our ADSs. It is not a comprehensive description of all tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular person s decision to acquire securities. This discussion applies only to a U.S. Holder that holds our ADSs as a capital
asset for tax purposes (generally, property held for investment). In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a U.S. Holder s particular circumstances, including state and local tax
consequences, estate tax consequences, alternative minimum tax consequences, the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax, and tax consequences applicable to U.S. Holders subject to special rules, such as:
If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds ADSs,
the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding ADSs and partners in such partnerships are encouraged to consult their tax advisers as
to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding and disposing of ADSs.
U.S. Holders that own (directly, indirectly, or
constructively through the application of attribution rules) 10% or more of our total combined voting power or value could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences pursuant to the controlled foreign corporation rules due to our
ownership of a U.S. subsidiary. Such prospective holders should consult with their tax advisors as to the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our ADSs.
The discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code,
administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions, final, temporary and proposed Treasury Regulations, and the income tax treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States, or the Treaty, all as of the date hereof, changes to any of which may
affect the tax consequences described herein- possibly with retroactive effect.
A U.S. Holder is a holder who, for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of ADSs who is eligible for the benefits of the Treaty and is:
U.S. Holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisers concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of owning and
disposing of ADSs in their particular circumstances.
THESE PARAGRAPHS ARE A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. TAX CONSIDERATIONS AND ARE INTENDED AS A GENERAL
GUIDE ONLY. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL HOLDERS OF ADSs OBTAIN ADVICE AS TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSAL OF THE ADSs IN THEIR OWN SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES FROM THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS.
The discussion below assumes that the representations contained in the deposit agreement are true and that the obligations in the deposit
agreement and any related agreement will be complied with in accordance with their terms. A U.S. Holder of ADSs will generally be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the owner of the underlying ordinary shares that such ADSs represent.
Accordingly, no gain or loss will be recognized if a U.S. Holder exchanges ADSs for the underlying shares represented by those ADSs. The U.S. Treasury has expressed concern that parties to whom ADSs are released before shares are delivered to the
Depositary or intermediaries in the chain of ownership between holders and the issuer of the security underlying the ADSs, may be taking actions that are inconsistent with the claiming of foreign tax credits by U.S. Holders of ADSs. These actions
would also be inconsistent with the claiming of the reduced rate of tax, described below, applicable to dividends received by certain non-corporate U.S. Holders. Accordingly, the creditability of non-U.S. withholding taxes (if any), and the availability of the reduced tax rate for dividends received by certain non-corporate U.S. Holders, each described below, could be
affected by actions taken by such parties or intermediaries.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, or a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder will be subject to special rules generally intended
to reduce or eliminate any benefits from the deferral of U.S. federal income tax that a U.S. Holder could derive from investing in a non-U.S. company that does not distribute all of its earnings on a current
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after applying certain
look-through rules, either:
We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our
proportionate share of the income of any other corporation, the equity of which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value).
We do not believe we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2021. Based on our current estimates of expected gross assets
and income, we do not believe we will be a PFIC for our taxable year ending December 31, 2022. However, no assurances regarding our PFIC status can be provided for any past, current or future taxable years. The determination of whether we are a
PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis and the applicable law is subject to varying interpretation. In particular, the characterization of our assets as active or passive may depend in part on our current and intended future
business plans, which are subject to change. In addition, for our current and future taxable years, the total value of our assets for PFIC testing purposes may be determined in part by reference to the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs
from time to time, which may fluctuate considerably.
Under the income test, our status as a PFIC depends on the composition of our income
which will depend on the transactions we enter into in the future and our corporate structure. The composition of our income and assets is also affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in any offering. Our U.S. counsel expresses
no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for our taxable year ended December 31, 2021, and also expresses no opinion with regard to our expectations regarding our PFIC status in the future.
If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. Holder owns ADSs, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with
respect to such U.S. Holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder owns the ADSs, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above unless (i) we cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder has made a deemed
sale election under the PFIC rules, (ii) we cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder has a valid mark-to- market election in effect (as described below) or
(iii) the U.S. Holder makes a Qualified Electing Fund Election, or QEF Election, with respect to all taxable years during such U.S. Holders holding period in which we are a PFIC. However, a U.S. Holder may make a QEF Election with respect to
our ADSs only if we annually provide such U.S. Holder with certain tax information, and we currently do not intend to prepare or provide such information. As a result, the QEF Election is not expected to be available to a U.S. Holder and the
remainder of this discussion assumes that such election will not be available. If the deemed sale election is made, a U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold the ADSs the U.S. Holder holds at their fair market value and any gain from
such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described below. After the deemed sale election, so long as we do not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, the U.S. Holder s ADSs with respect to which such election was made will not be
treated as shares in a PFIC and the U.S. Holder will not be subject to the rules described below with respect to any excess distribution the U.S. Holder receives from us or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs.
U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if we cease to be a PFIC and such election becomes available.
For each taxable year we are treated as a PFIC with respect to U.S. Holders, U.S. Holders will be subject to special tax rules with respect to
any excess distribution such U.S. Holder receives and any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of ADSs, unless (i) such U.S. Holder makes a QEF Election with respect to all taxable
years of a U.S. Holder s holding period during which we are a PFIC or makes a purging election to cause a deemed sale of the ADSs at their fair market value in conjunction with a QEF election (however, as discussed above, such elections are
expected and assumed not to be available) or (ii) our ADSs constitute marketable securities, and such U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election as
discussed below. Distributions a U.S. Holder receives in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions a U.S. Holder received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or the U.S. Holder s holding
period for the ADSs will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:
The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or the year of an excess distribution cannot be
offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the ADSs cannot be treated as capital, even if a U.S. Holder holds the ADSs as capital assets.
If we are a PFIC, a U.S. Holder will generally be subject to similar rules with respect to distributions we receive from, and our dispositions
of the stock of, any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries that also are PFICs, as if such distributions were indirectly received by, and/or dispositions were indirectly carried out by, such U.S. Holder. U.S. Holders should consult their tax
advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to our subsidiaries.
U.S. Holders can avoid the interest charge on excess
distributions or gain relating to the ADSs by making a mark-to-market election with respect to the ordinary shares, provided that the ADSs are marketable.
ADSs will be marketable if they are regularly traded on certain U.S. stock exchanges or on a foreign stock exchange that meets certain conditions. For these purposes, the ordinary shares or ADSs will be considered regularly traded during
any calendar year during which they are traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. Any trades that have as their principal purpose meeting this requirement will be disregarded. Our ADSs are listed
on Nasdaq, which is a qualified exchange for these purposes. Consequently, if our ADSs remain listed on Nasdaq and are regularly traded, and you are a holder of ADSs, we expect the
mark-to-market election would be available to U.S. Holders if we are a PFIC. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisor as to the whether a mark-to-market election is available or advisable with respect to the ADSs.
A U.S. Holder that makes a mark-to-market election must
include as ordinary income for each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ADSs at the close of the taxable year over the U.S. Holder s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs. Accordingly, such mark-to-market election may accelerate the recognition of income without a corresponding receipt of cash. An electing holder may also claim an ordinary loss deduction for the
excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder s adjusted basis in the ADSs over the fair market value of the ADSs at the close of the taxable year, but this deduction is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years. Gains from an actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs will be treated as ordinary income, and any losses incurred on a sale or other disposition of the ADSs will be
treated as an ordinary loss to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years. Once made, the election cannot be revoked without the consent of the Internal
Revenue Service, or the IRS, unless the ADSs cease to be marketable.
However, a mark-to-market election generally cannot be made for equity interests in any lower- tier PFICs that we own, unless shares of such lower-tier PFIC are themselves marketable. As a result, even if a
U.S. Holder validly makes a mark-to-market election with respect to our ADSs, the U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules (described above) with respect
to its indirect interest in any of our investments that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the availability and desirability of a mark-to-market election, as well as the impact of such election on interests in any lower-tier PFICs.
Unless otherwise provided by the U.S. Treasury, each U.S. shareholder of a PFIC is required to file an annual report containing such
information as the U.S. Treasury may require. A U.S. Holder s failure to file the annual report will cause the statute of limitations for such U.S. Holder s U.S. federal income tax return to remain open with regard to the items required to
be included in such report until three years after the U.S. Holder files the annual report, and, unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the statute of limitations for the U.S. Holder s entire U.S. federal income
tax return will remain open during such period. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the requirements of filing such information returns under these rules.
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the discussion above under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, distributions paid on ADSs, other than certain pro
rata distributions of ADSs, will generally be treated as dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Because we may not calculate our earnings and
profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, we expect that distributions generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as dividends. Subject to applicable limitations, dividends paid to certain
non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxable at preferential rates applicable to qualified dividend income. However, the qualified dividend income treatment will not apply if we are treated as a PFIC
with respect to the U.S. Holder for the taxable year in which a dividend is paid or the preceding year. The amount of the dividend will be treated as foreign-source dividend income to U.S. Holders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received
deduction generally available to U.S. corporations under the Code. Dividends will generally be included in a U.S. Holder s income on the date of the U.S. Holder s receipt of the dividend. The amount of any dividend income paid in foreign
currency will be the U.S. dollar amount calculated by reference to the exchange rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. If the dividend is converted into
U.S. dollars on the date of receipt, a U.S. Holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend income. A U.S. Holder may have foreign currency gain or loss if the dividend is converted into U.S.
dollars after the date of receipt. Such gain or loss would generally be treated as U.S.-source ordinary income or loss. The amount of any distribution of property other than cash (and other than certain pro rata distributions of ADSs or rights to
acquire ADSs) will be the fair market value of such property on the date of distribution.
For foreign tax credit limitation purposes, our
dividends will generally be treated as passive category income. Because no U.K. income taxes will be withheld from dividends on ADSs, there will be no creditable foreign taxes associated with any dividends that a U.S. Holder will receive.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of ADSs
Subject to the discussion above under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, gain or loss realized on the sale or other taxable
disposition of ADSs will be capital gain or loss, and will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the ADSs for more than one year. The amount of the gain or loss will equal the difference between the U.S. Holder s tax basis
in the ADSs disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition, in each case as determined in U.S. dollars. This gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is
subject to limitations.