Stora Enso's proposed fund distribution and its tax treatment
STORA ENSO OYJ STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 23 March 2010 at 7.00 GMT
Stora Enso's Board of Directors will, as announced on 4 February 2010, propose to the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on 31 March 2010 that EUR 0.20 per share be distributed to the shareholders from the parent company's invested unrestricted equity fund. Stora Enso has received a legally final advance ruling from the Finnish tax authorities on how the proposed fund distribution of EUR 0.20 per share from the parent company's invested unrestricted equity fund will be treated for tax purposes. The advance ruling only concerns Stora Enso's tax withholding obligations as a distributor of funds. According to the ruling, EUR 0.035 per share will be treated taxwise as dividend and EUR 0.165 per share will be treated taxwise as repayment of invested equity at the point of payment. Stora Enso is liable to withhold due taxes on the part that will be treated as dividend. The fund distribution will be treated partly as dividend because part of the funds in the invested unrestricted equity fund originated from earlier years' retained earnings. For further information, please contact: Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, Head of Investor Relations, tel. +358 2046 21242 www.storaenso.com www.storaenso.com/investors Stora Enso is the world leader in forest industry sustainability. We offer our customers solutions based on renewable raw materials. Our products provide a climate-friendly alternative to many non-renewable materials, and have a smaller carbon footprint. Stora Enso is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. Stora Enso employs some 27 000 people worldwide, and our sales in 2009 amounted to EUR 8.9 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY) in the International OTCQX over-the-counter market. STORA ENSO OYJ Jari Suvanto Ulla Paajanen-Sainio