Company: LAZ
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-007441
Chunk: 138

Company: Lazard, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 138
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 adversely affected to the extent that such provisions discourage potential takeover attempts that our stockholders may favor.

Our subsidiaries may be required to make payments under the Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement. The IRS may challenge the tax basis increases upon which payments are based and, under certain circumstances, our subsidiaries may have made or could make payments under the Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of our subsidiaries’ cash tax savings.

As further discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Income Taxes” and Note 21 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the Second Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of October 26, 2015 (the “Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement”), between Lazard and LTBP Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), provides for the payment by our subsidiaries to the Trust of a significant portion of the cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax or franchise tax that we actually realize as a result of certain tax benefits that are subject to the Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement. Any amount paid by our subsidiaries to the Trust will generally be distributed to the owners of the Trust, which includes certain of our executive officers, in proportion to their beneficial interests in the Trust. If the IRS successfully challenges the tax basis increases we receive, under certain circumstances, our subsidiaries may have made or could make payments under the Amended and Restated Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of our subsidiaries’ cash tax savings.

Risks Relating to Our Capital Structure

Lazard, Inc. is a holding company and, accordingly, depends upon distributions from Lazard Group to pay dividends and taxes and other expenses.

Lazard, Inc. is a holding company and has no independent means of generating significant revenue or cash. We control Lazard Group through our indirect control of both of the managing members of Lazard Group. Following the Conversion, all of our operating income is subject to U.S. federal corporate income taxes. In addition, our subsidiaries incur income taxes on the net taxable income of Lazard Group in their respective tax jurisdictions. We intend to continue to cause Lazard Group to make distributions to our subsidiaries in an amount sufficient to cover all applicable taxes payable by us and dividends, if any, declared by us. To the extent that our subsidiaries need funds to pay taxes on their share of Lazard Group’s net taxable income, or if Lazard,