Information for share owners

A register of share owners’ interests is kept at the Company’s registrar’s office in Jersey and is available for inspection on request. The register includes information on nominee accounts and their beneficial owners.

Issued share capital as at 31 December 2011: 1,266,373,821 ordinary shares.

• 

  2010 revenue by geography %

  Region	Percentage
  North America	35
  UK	12
  Western Continental Europe	26
  Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe	27

• 

  2010 headline PBIT^1,2 by geography %

  Region	Percentage
  North America	39
  UK	13
  Western Continental Europe	19
  Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe	29

^*

In addition 2.07% of the Company’s share capital is under option to employees.

Ordinary share owners have received the following dividends in respect of each financial year:

Income access share arrangements have been put in place by the Company. The mechanics of the income access share arrangements mean that the Company will declare a second interim rather than a final dividend. The Board has no plans to announce any additional dividend in respect of the year ended 31 December 2011. Share owners who hold more than 100,000 shares and who wish to receive their dividend from a UK source must make an election and should contact Computershare Investor Services for the relevant forms. Share owners who held 100,000 or fewer WPP ordinary shares on the date of admission of the Company’s shares to the London Stock Exchange or (if later) on the first dividend record date after they became share owners in the Company, will be automatically deemed to have elected to receive a UK-sourced dividend. All elections remain in force indefinitely unless revoked. Unless share owners have made, or are deemed to have made, an election under the Dividend Access Plan, their dividend will be paid from an Irish source and will be taxed accordingly.

Each ADR represents five ordinary shares.

ADR holders receive the annual and interim reports issued by WPP plc.

WPP plc is subject to the informational requirements of the US securities laws applicable to foreign companies and files an annual report on Form 20-F and other information with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. These documents are available at the Commission’s website, www.sec.gov. Our reports on Form 20-F are also available from our Investor Relations department in New York.

ADR dividends

ADR holders are eligible for all stock dividends or other entitlements accruing on the underlying WPP plc shares and receive all cash dividends in US dollars. These are normally paid twice a year.

Dividend cheques are mailed directly to the ADR holder on the payment date if ADRs are registered with WPP’s US depositary. Dividends on ADRs that are registered with brokers are sent to the brokers, who forward them to ADR holders. WPP’s US depositary is Citibank N.A. (address here).

Dividends per ADR in respect of each financial year are set out below.

Notes

¹

Prior to 2008, final dividend.

²

These figures have been translated for convenience purposes only, using the approximate average rate for the year shown in the consolidated income statement. This conversion should not be construed as a representation that the pound sterling amounts actually represent, or could be converted into, US dollars at the rates indicated.

Dollar amounts paid to ADR holders depend on the sterling/dollar exchange rate at the time of payment.

No withholding tax is imposed on dividends paid to ADR holders and there will be no entitlement to offset any part of the notional UK taxation credit against any US taxation liability. The dividends received will be subject to US taxation.

• The 2011 second interim dividend will be paid on 9 July 2012 to share owners on the register at 8 June 2012.
• Interim statements for the half-year ending 30 June are issued in August.
• Quarterly trading announcements are issued in April and October.
• First interim dividends are paid in November.
• Preliminary announcements of results for the financial year ending 31 December are issued in the first quarter.
• Annual Reports are posted to share owners in April.
• Annual General Meetings are held in Dublin in June.

The closing price of the shares at 31 December was as follows:

Within the UK, the latest ordinary share price information is available on the Cityline service operated by the Financial Times (telephone 0905 817 1690; calls charged at 75p per minute at all times).

Share price information is also available online at www.wpp.com/investor.

WPP’s public website, www.wpp.com, provides current and historical financial information, news releases, trading reports and share price information. Go to www.wpp.com/investor.

Computershare Investor Services (Jersey) Limited
Queensway House
Hilgrove Street
St Helier
Jersey
JE1 1ES Enquiry number: 0870 707 1411

Citibank N.A.
PO Box 43077
Providence
RI 02940-3077
Telephone enquiries: within the US +1 877 248 4237
Telephone enquiries: outside the US +1 781 575 4555
E-mail enquiries: citibank@shareholders-online.com

22 Grenville Street
St Helier
Jersey JE4 8PX
The Company’s registered number is 101749.

The Company continues to operate the Dividend Access Plan which allows share owners who have elected (or, by virtue of holding 100,000 or fewer shares, are deemed to have elected) to participate in the plan to receive cash dividends from a UK source (WPP DAS Limited) without being subject to any Irish or UK withholding taxes. Following share owner approval at the 2011 Company’s General Meeting, the Board has put in place a Scrip Dividend Scheme which enables share owners to elect to receive new fully paid ordinary shares in the Company instead of cash dividends, this scheme commenced with the second interim dividend for 2010.

UK taxation

Income tax on cash dividends

Cash dividends received from WPP plc or from WPP DAS Limited via the Dividend Access Plan, by individual share owners resident in the UK will generally be subject to UK income tax on the gross amount of any dividends paid by WPP before deduction of Irish withholding tax (if any) with a tax credit equal to one-ninth of the dividend received; tax credits are not repayable to UK holders with no tax liability. Individuals whose income is within the lower or basic tax rate bands are liable to tax at 10% on the dividend income and the tax credit will satisfy their income tax liability on UK dividends. For higher tax rate payers the rate of tax on dividend income for dividends is either 32.5% or 42.5% for individuals with income of £150,000 or more, with relief available for the tax credit referred to above. The gross amount of the cash dividend will be regarded as the top slice of the WPP share owner’s income and will be subject to UK income tax as set out above.

Dividends paid by WPP plc will generally be subject to Irish dividend withholding tax (DWT) at the standard rate of income tax (currently 20%) unless the share owner is within one of the categories of exempt share holders as provided in Irish law or by virtue of a relevant tax treaty. UK resident WPP share owners may be able to apply for an exemption from withholding taxes under Irish domestic law or the UK-Ireland double tax treaty. DWT is not payable where an exemption applies provided that WPP plc has received all necessary documentation required by the relevant legislation from a WPP share owner prior to the payment of the dividend. Share owners are advised to consult their professional advisors on this point. Where a non-Irish resident share owner is entitled to exemption from DWT but DWT has to be deducted from the dividend by WPP, a claim may be made for a refund of the DWT to the Irish tax authorities. Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs will generally give credit (such credit being limited to the UK-Ireland double tax treaty rate) for any Irish DWT withheld from the payment of a dividend (if any) and not recoverable from the Irish tax authorities against the UK income tax payable in respect of the gross amount of the dividend.

Capital gains tax

The market value of an ordinary share at 31 March 1982 was 39p. Since that date rights issues have occurred in September 1986, August 1987 and April 1993. For capital gains tax purposes the acquisition cost of ordinary shares is adjusted to take account of such rights issues. Since any adjustments will depend on individual circumstances, share owners are advised to consult their professional advisors.

Republic of Ireland taxation

Income tax on cash dividends

An Irish resident or ordinarily resident individual WPP share owner who is an individual who does not make, or is not deemed to have made, an election to receive dividends via the Dividend Access Plan will be subject to Irish income tax on the gross dividend at their marginal rate of tax plus the health levy and, in certain circumstances, PRSI (pay related social insurance). The gross dividend is the dividend received plus DWT withheld. Irish resident individual WPP share owners are generally entitled to credit for the DWT deducted against their income tax liability and to have refunded to them any amount by which DWT exceeds such income tax liability.

If a WPP share owner makes, or is deemed to have made, an election in accordance with the terms of the Dividend Access Plan in respect of dividends to be paid by WPP, such WPP share owner will receive dividends direct from WPP DAS Limited. No DWT will be levied on dividends paid by WPP DAS Limited.

An Irish resident or ordinarily resident individual WPP share owner who receives dividends from WPP DAS Limited via the Dividend Access Plan will be taxed upon the cash dividend received at their marginal rate of tax plus the health levy and, in certain circumstances, PRSI. Irish resident taxpayers will not be entitled to claim credit for, or repayment of, the one-ninth UK tax credit attaching to such dividends for UK tax purposes.

Capital gains

As liability to capital gains tax on a disposal of WPP shares will depend on individual circumstances, share owners are advised to consult their professional advisors.

Scrip dividend

The Company operates a scrip dividend scheme which enables share owners to receive new fully paid ordinary shares in the Company instead of cash dividends. Details of the scrip dividend scheme, including the taxation of the scrip dividend and details of the election date for the proposed scrip dividend alternative in respect of the second interim dividend for 2011 can be found on our website, www.wpp.com.