The amount shown in Box 6 ("Foreign Tax Paid") of your 2009 Form 1099-DIV is your portion of the foreign taxes paid by the fund. Federal tax rules require us to also include the amount of foreign tax paid in Box 1 of your Form 1099-DIV. This information is provided for those investors who will either take an itemized deduction for foreign taxes paid or will elect to take a foreign tax credit on their federal income tax return.

Disregard this information if you don't intend to deduct Foreign Tax Paid or to claim the Foreign Tax Credit.

Generally, when you've paid income or withholding taxes during the year to a foreign country you can choose either to claim them as a credit against your U.S. income tax or to deduct them as an itemized deduction. In most instances, it is usually better to claim a credit for foreign taxes than to deduct them because credits can reduce your U.S. income tax liability on a dollar for dollar basis, whereas a deduction simply reduces the amount of income subject to tax.

Certain funds that invest in foreign securities can elect to pass the opportunity to claim foreign income taxes paid along to their shareholders. Each shareholder decides whether to claim these taxes paid as a credit or as a deduction. Your share of the fund's foreign income taxes is reported in Box 6 ("Foreign Tax Paid") of your Form 1099-DIV.

For investors taking a deduction for foreign taxes paid: Simply include the amount shown in Box 6 on Form 1099-DIV as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040).

For investors electing to claim the foreign tax credit: If you are an individual, whose only foreign source income is passive income (dividends, interest, etc.) that is reported to you on a Form 1099-DIV or Form 1099-INT and your foreign taxes for the tax year are less than $300 ($600 if filing a joint return) you may elect not to file Form 1116. Instead, simply include the amount shown in Box 6 on Form 1099-DIV as a credit on Form 1040, Line 47.

For those individuals who are required to file Form 1116 (and for corporations filing Form 1118), the requirement to report foreign source income and foreign taxes paid information on a country-by-country basis has been eliminated.

For federal tax purposes, the following funds hereby designate their respective per share amounts of foreign taxes paid and foreign source income during the year ended December 31, 2009. If your fund does not appear in the table below, please review your year-end statement with your tax advisor to verify if the fund qualifies for this deduction/credit and how to properly take it.

We suggest that you consult your tax advisor to determine whether a foreign tax credit or deduction is better for you, and how this credit or deduction should be calculated and reported.

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