UPDATE: Bell Canada to be an income trust; says new structure will not impact its ability to compete

MONTREAL – Facing a huge tax burden in 2008 if the company did not alter its structure, Bell Canada announced this morning that it will convert to an income trust. The new Bell trust’s initial annual cash distribution will be $2.55 per unit, compared to the current BCE dividend of $1.32 per share, and represents a targeted payout ratio of 85%. Under federal rules, income trusts pay far less tax than corporations. Holding company BCE would disappear. To be known as the Bell Canada Income Fund, the trust is "designed to create value for shareholders through increased cash distributions and...