Certain Excise Taxes Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if Employee is a “disqualified individual” (as defined in Section 280G(c) of the Code), and the payments and benefits provided for in this Agreement, together with any other payments and benefits which Employee has the right to receive from the Company or any of its affiliates, would constitute a “parachute payment” (as defined in Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code), then the payments and benefits provided for in this Agreement shall be either (a) reduced (but not below zero) so that the present value of such total amounts and benefits received by Employee from the Company or any of its affiliates shall be one dollar ($1.00) less than three times Employee’s “base amount” (as defined in Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) and so that no portion of such amounts and benefits received by Employee shall be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code or (b) paid in full, whichever produces the better net after-tax position to Employee (taking into account any applicable excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code and any other applicable taxes). The reduction of payments and benefits hereunder, if applicable, shall be made by reducing, first, payments or benefits to be paid in cash hereunder in the order in which such payment or benefit would be paid or provided (beginning with such payment or benefit that would be made last in time and continuing, to the extent necessary, through to such payment or benefit that would be made first in time) and, then, reducing any benefit to be provided in-kind hereunder in a similar order. The determination as to whether any such reduction in the amount of the payments and benefits provided hereunder is necessary shall be made by the Company in good faith. If a reduced payment or benefit is made or provided and through error or otherwise that payment or benefit, when aggregated with other payments and benefits from the Company or any of its affiliates used in determining if a “parachute payment” exists, exceeds one dollar ($1.00) less than three times Employee’s base amount, then Employee shall immediately repay such excess to the Company upon notification that an overpayment has been made. Nothing in this Section 24 shall require the Company to be responsible for, or have any liability or obligation with respect to, Employee’s excise tax liabilities under Section 4999 of the Code.
Excise Tax In the event you become entitled to any amounts payable hereunder or any other amounts in connection with a change in control (whether or not such amounts are payable pursuant to this Agreement) (the "Severance Payments"), if any of such Severance Payments are subject to the tax (the "Excise Tax") imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (or any similar federal, state or local tax that may hereafter be imposed), the Company shall pay to you at the time specified in Section 7 hereof an additional amount (the "Gross-Up Payment") such that the net amount retained by you, after deduction of any Excise Tax on the Total Payments (as hereinafter defined) and any federal, state and local income tax and Excise Tax upon the payment provided for by this Section 6, shall be equal to the Total Payments. For purposes of determining whether any of the Severance Payments will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) any other payments or benefits received or to be received by you in connection with a Change in Control or your termination of employment (whether pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any other plan, arrangement or agreement with the Company, any Person whose actions result in a Change in Control or any Person affiliated with the Company or such Person) (which, together with the Severance Payments, constitute the "Total Payments") shall be treated as "parachute payments" within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code, and all "excess parachute payments" within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code shall be treated as subject to the Excise Tax, unless in the opinion of nationally-recognized tax counsel selected by you such other payments or benefits (in whole or in part) do not constitute parachute payments, or such excess parachute payments (in whole or in part) represent reasonable compensation for services actually rendered within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(4) of the Code in excess of the base amount within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code, or are otherwise not subject to the Excise Tax; (ii) the amount of the Total Payments which shall be treated as subject to the Excise Tax shall be equal to the lesser of (A) the total amount of the Total Payments and (B) the amount of excess parachute payments within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code (after applying Section 6(i) hereof); and (iii) the value of any non-cash benefits or any deferred payments or benefit shall be determined by a nationally-recognized accounting firm selected by you in accordance with the principles of Sections 280G(d)(3) and (4) of the Code. For purposes of determining the amount of the Gross-Up Payment, you shall be deemed to pay federal income taxes at the highest marginal rate of federal income taxation in the calendar year in which the Gross-Up Payment is to be made and state and local income taxes at the highest marginal rate of taxation in the state and locality of your residence, net of the maximum reduction in federal income taxes which could be obtained from deduction of such state and local taxes. In the event that the Excise Tax is subsequently determined to be less than the amount taken into account hereunder, you shall repay to the Company within ten days after the time that the amount of such reduction in Excise Tax is finally determined the portion of the Gross-Up Payment attributable to such reduction (plus the portion of the Gross-Up Payment attributable to the Excise Tax and federal and state and local income tax imposed on the Gross-Up Payment being repaid by you if such repayment results in a 5 5 reduction in Excise Tax and/or federal and state and local income tax deduction) plus interest on the amount of such repayment at the rate provided in Section 1274(b)(2)(B) of the Code. In the event that the Excise Tax is determined to exceed the amount taken into account hereunder (including by reason of any payment the existence or amount of which cannot be determined at the time of the Gross-Up Payment), the Company shall make an additional gross-up payment in respect of such excess) within ten days after the time that the amount of such excess is finally determined.
