Valaris Ltd 10-K

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Market Information As a result of the Chapter 11 Cases and in accordance with Section 802.01D of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, on August 19, 2020, we were notified by NYSE of its determination to indefinitely suspend trading of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares and to commence proceedings to delist the Company’s Class A ordinary shares from the NYSE. Our Class A ordinary shares were delisted from the NYSE effective September 14, 2020. Since that time, the shares have been quoted on the OTC Pink Open Market under the symbol “VALPQ.” We can provide no assurance that our ordinary shares will continue to trade on this market, whether broker-dealers will continue to provide public quotes of our ordinary shares on this market, whether the trading volume of our ordinary shares will be sufficient to provide for an efficient trading market or whether quotes for our ordinary shares will continue on this market in the future. These recent developments could result in significantly lower trading volumes and reduced liquidity for investors seeking to buy or sell shares of our ordinary shares. Many of our shareholders hold shares electronically, all of which are owned by a nominee of DTC. We had 204 shareholders of record on February 1, 2021. Dividends The declaration and amount of dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors. No dividends have been declared since the first quarter of 2019. Exchange Controls There are no U.K. government laws, decrees or regulations that restrict or affect the export or import of capital, including but not limited to, foreign exchange controls on remittance of dividends on our ordinary shares or on the conduct of our operations. U.K. Taxation The following paragraphs are intended to be a general guide to current U.K. tax law and what is understood to be HMRC practice applying as of the date of this report (both of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retrospective effect) in respect of the taxation of capital gains, the taxation of dividends paid by us and stamp duty and SDRT on the transfer of our shares. In addition, the following paragraphs relate only to persons who for U.K. tax purposes are beneficial owners of the shares. These paragraphs may not relate to certain classes of holders or beneficial owners of shares, such as our employees or directors, persons who are connected with us, persons who could be treated for U.K. tax purposes as holding their shares as carried interest, insurance companies, charities, collective investment schemes, pension schemes, trustees or persons who hold shares other than as an investment, or U.K. resident individuals who are not domiciled in the U.K. or who are subject to split-year treatment. These paragraphs do not describe all of the circumstances in which shareholders may benefit from an exemption or relief from taxation. It is recommended that all shareholders obtain their own taxation advice. In particular, any shareholders who are non-U.K. resident or domiciled are advised to consider the potential impact of any relevant double tax treaties, including the Convention between the United States of America and the United Kingdom for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on Income, to the extent applicable. 56 U.K. Taxation of Dividends U.K. Withholding Tax - Dividends paid by us will not be subject to any withholding or deduction for, or on account of, U.K. tax, irrespective of the residence or the individual circumstances of the shareholders. U.K. Income Tax - An individual shareholder who is resident in the U.K. may, depending on his or her individual circumstances, be subject to U.K. income tax on dividends received from us. An individual shareholder who is not resident in the U.K. will not be subject to U.K. income tax on dividends received from us, unless that shareholder carries on (whether alone or in partnership) any trade, profession or vocation through a branch or agency in the U.K. and shares are used by, or held by or for, that branch or agency. In these circumstances, the non-U.K. resident shareholder may, depending on his or her individual circumstances, be subject to U.K. income tax on dividends received from us. The tax treatment of dividends paid by the Company to individual shareholders is as follows: • dividends paid by the Company will not carry a tax credit, • all dividends received by an individual shareholder from the Company (or from other sources) will, except to the extent that they are earned through an Individual Savings Account, self-invested personal pension plan or other regime which exempts the dividends from income tax, form part of the shareholder's total income for income tax purposes, • a nil rate of income tax will apply to the first £2,000 of taxable dividend income received by an individual shareholder in the tax year 2020/2021 (the "Nil Rate Amount"), regardless of what tax rate would otherwise apply to that dividend income, • any taxable dividend income received by an individual shareholder in a tax year in excess of the Nil Rate Amount will be taxed at a special rate, as set out below, and • that tax will be applied to the amount of the dividend income actually received by the individual shareholder (rather than to a grossed-up amount). Where a shareholder’s taxable dividend income for a tax year exceeds the Nil Rate Amount, the excess amount will, subject to the availability of any income tax personal allowance, be subject to income tax at the following rates for the tax year 2020/2021: • at the rate of 7.5%, to the extent that the excess amount falls below the threshold for the higher rate of income tax, • at the rate of 32.5%, to the extent that the excess amount falls above the threshold for the higher rate of income tax but below the threshold for the additional rate of income tax, or • at the rate of 38.1%, to the extent that the excess amount falls above the threshold for the additional rate of income tax. In determining whether and, if so, to what extent the relevant dividend income falls above or below the threshold for the higher rate of income tax or, as the case may be, the additional rate of income tax, the shareholder’s total dividend income for the tax year in question (including the part within the Nil Rate Amount) will be treated as the highest part of the shareholder’s total income for income tax purposes. U.K. Corporation Tax - Unless an exemption is available, as discussed below, a corporate shareholder that is resident in the U.K. will be subject to U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us. A corporate shareholder that is not resident in the U.K. will not be subject to U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from 57 us, unless that shareholder carries on a trade in the U.K. through a permanent establishment in the U.K. and the shares are used by, for or held by or for, the permanent establishment. In these circumstances, the non-U.K. resident corporate shareholder may, depending on its individual circumstances (and if no exemption is available), be subject to U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us. The main rate of corporation tax payable with respect to dividends received from us in the financial year 2020 is 19%. If dividends paid by us fall within any of the exemptions from U.K. corporation tax set out in Part 9A of the U.K. Corporation Tax Act 2009, the receipt of the dividend by a corporate shareholder generally will be exempt from U.K. corporation tax. Generally, the conditions for one or more of those exemptions from U.K. corporation tax on dividends paid by us should be satisfied, although the conditions that must be satisfied in any particular case will depend on the individual circumstances of the relevant corporate shareholder. Shareholders that are regarded as small companies should generally be exempt from U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us, unless the dividends are received as part of a tax advantage scheme. Shareholders that are not regarded as small companies should generally be exempt from U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us on the basis that the shares should be regarded as non-redeemable ordinary shares. Alternatively, shareholders that are not small companies should also generally be exempt from U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us if they hold shares representing less than 10% of our issued share capital, would be entitled to less than 10% of the profits available for distribution to our equity-holders and would be entitled on a winding up to less than 10% of our assets available for distribution to such equity-holders. In certain limited circumstances, the exemption from U.K. corporation tax will not apply to such shareholders if a dividend is made as part of a scheme that has a main purpose of falling within the exemption from U.K. corporation tax. U.K. Taxation of Capital Gains U.K. Withholding Tax - Capital gains accruing to non-U.K. resident shareholders on the disposal of shares will not be subject to any withholding or deduction for or on account of U.K. tax, irrespective of the residence or the individual circumstances of the relevant shareholder. U.K. Capital Gains Tax - A disposal of shares by an individual shareholder who is resident in the U.K. may, depending on his or her individual circumstances, give rise to a taxable capital gain or an allowable loss for the purposes of U.K. capital gains tax (“CGT”). An individual shareholder who temporarily ceases to be resident in the U.K. for a period of five years or less and who disposes of his or her shares during that period of temporary non-residence may be liable for CGT on a taxable capital gain accruing on the disposal on his or her return to the U.K. under certain anti-avoidance rules. An individual shareholder who is not resident in the U.K. will not be subject to CGT on capital gains arising on the disposal of their shares, unless that shareholder carries on a trade, profession or vocation in the U.K. through a branch or agency in the U.K. and the shares were acquired, used in or for the purposes of the branch or agency or used in or for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation carried on by the shareholder through the branch or agency. In these circumstances, the relevant non-U.K. resident shareholder may, depending on his or her individual circumstances, be subject to CGT on chargeable gains arising from a disposal of his or her shares. The rate of CGT in the tax year 2020/2021 is: • 10%, to the extent that the shareholder's total taxable gains and taxable income in a given year, including any chargeable gains arising from a disposal of his or her shares ("Total Taxable Gains and Income"), are less than or equal to the upper limit of the income tax basic rate band applicable to that shareholder in respect of that tax year (the "Band Limit"), and • 20%, to the extent that the shareholder's Total Taxable Gains and Income are more than the Band Limit. 58 U.K. Corporation Tax - A disposal of shares by a corporate shareholder resident in the U.K. may give rise to a chargeable gain or an allowable capital loss for the purposes of U.K. corporation tax. A corporate shareholder not resident in the U.K. will not be liable for U.K. corporation tax on chargeable gains accruing on the disposal of its shares, unless that shareholder carries on a trade in the U.K. through a permanent establishment in the U.K. and the shares were acquired, used in or for the purposes of the permanent establishment or used in or for the purposes of the trade carried on by the shareholder through the permanent establishment. In these circumstances, the relevant non-U.K. resident shareholder may, depending on its individual circumstances, be subject to U.K. corporation tax on chargeable gains arising from a disposal of its shares. The financial year for U.K. corporation tax purposes runs from April 1 to March 31. The main rate of U.K. corporation tax on chargeable gains is 19% in the financial year 2020. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to an indexation allowance in computing the amount of a chargeable gain accruing on a disposal of the shares, which provides relief for the effects of inflation by reference to movements in the U.K. retail price index. Such indexation allowance is calculated only up to and including December 2017. From January 1, 2018, indexation allowance is frozen. Indexation allowance will be calculated for assets acquired before January 1, 2018, irrespective of the date of disposal of the asset. If the conditions of the substantial shareholding exemption are satisfied in relation to a chargeable gain accruing to a corporate shareholder on a disposal of its shares, the chargeable gain will be exempt from U.K. corporation tax. The conditions of the substantial shareholding exemption that must be satisfied will depend on the individual circumstances of the relevant corporate shareholder. One of the conditions of the substantial shareholding exemption that must be satisfied is that the corporate shareholder must have held a substantial shareholding in the Company throughout a 12-month period beginning not more than six years before the day on which the disposal takes place. Ordinarily, a corporate shareholder will not be regarded as holding a substantial shareholding in us unless it (whether alone, or together with other group companies) holds more than 10% of our ordinary share capital. U.K. Stamp Duty and SDRT The discussion below relates to shareholders wherever resident but not to holders such as market makers, brokers, dealers and intermediaries, to whom special rules apply. Special rules also apply in relation to certain stock lending and repurchase transactions. Transfer of Shares held in book entry form via DTC - A transfer of shares held in book entry (i.e., electronic) form within the facilities of the DTC system will not be subject to U.K. stamp duty or SDRT. Transfers of Shares out of, or outside of, DTC - Subject to an exemption for certain low value transactions, a transfer of shares from within the DTC system out of that system or any transfer of shares that occurs entirely outside the DTC system generally will be subject to a charge to ad valorem U.K. stamp duty (normally payable by the transferee) at 0.5% of the purchase price of the shares (rounded up to the nearest multiple of £5). SDRT generally will be payable on an unconditional agreement to transfer such shares at 0.5% of the amount or value of the consideration for the transfer. However, such liability for SDRT generally will be cancelled and any SDRT paid will be refunded if the agreement is completed by a duly-stamped transfer within six years of either the date of the agreement or, if the agreement was conditional, the date when the agreement became unconditional. We have put in place arrangements to require that shares held outside the facilities of DTC cannot be transferred into such facilities (including where shares are re-deposited into DTC by an existing shareholder) until the transferor of the shares has first delivered the shares to a depository we specify, so that stamp duty and/or SDRT may be collected in connection with the initial delivery to the depository. Before such transfer can be registered in our books, the transferor will be required to put in the depository funds to settle the resultant liability for stamp duty and/or SDRT, which will be 1.5% of the value of the shares, and to pay the transfer agent such processing fees as may be established from time to time. 59 Following decisions of the European Court of Justice and the U.K. First-tier Tax Tribunal, HMRC announced that it would not seek to apply a charge to stamp duty or SDRT on the issuance of shares (or, where it is integral to the raising of new capital, the transfer of new shares) into a depositary receipt facility or clearance system provider, such as DTC. Further, in its 2017 Autumn Budget, the U.K. government announced that it would not reintroduce the Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax 1.5% charge on the issue of shares (and transfers integral to capital raising) into overseas clearance services and depositary receipt systems following the U.K.’s exit from the E.U., and HMRC has since confirmed that this charge will remain disapplied under the terms of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 following the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. However, it is possible that the U.K. government may change or enact laws applicable to stamp duty or SDRT, which could have a material effect on the cost of trading in our shares. The above statements are intended only as a general guide to the current U.K. stamp duty and SDRT position. Transfers to certain categories of persons are not liable to U.K. stamp duty or SDRT and transfers to others may be liable at a higher rate than discussed above. Equity Compensation Plans For information on shares issued or to be issued in connection with our equity compensation plans, see "Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters." Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities The following table provides a summary of our repurchases of our equity securities during the quarter ended December 31, 2020. Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities Period Total Number of Securities Repurchased (1) Average Price Paid per Security Total Number of Securities Repurchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (2) Approximate Dollar Value of Securities that May Yet Be Repurchased Under Plans or Programs October 1 - October 31 17,313 $ 0.11 — $ 500,000,000 November 1 - November 30 14,685 $ 0.08 — $ 500,000,000 December 1 - December 31 5,549 $ 0.06 — $ 500,000,000 Total 37,547 $ 0.09 — (1) During the quarter ended December 31, 2020, equity securities were repurchased from employees and non-employee directors by an affiliated employee benefit trust in connection with the settlement of income tax withholding obligations arising from the vesting of share awards. Such securities remain available for re-issuance in connection with employee share awards. (2) Our shareholders approved a repurchase program at our annual shareholder meeting held in May 2018. Subject to certain provisions under English law, including the requirement for Valaris plc to have sufficient distributable reserves and for the Board to conclude that a repurchase is in the best interests of Valaris plc taking into account the interests of relevant stakeholders, we may repurchase up to a maximum of $500.0 million in the aggregate from one or more financial intermediaries under the program, but in no case more than 16.3 million shares. The program terminates in May 2023. As of December 31, 2020, there had been no share repurchases under the repurchase program. Our DIP Facility only permits the repurchase of shares of our common stock in certain circumstances and the repurchase of shares would likely require approval of 60 the bankruptcy court. We do not currently expect to make repurchases under the program while Valaris plc remains subject to chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.. Item 6. Selected Financial Data Not applicable.