LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Home nursing care provider Almost Family Inc. said Monday that it will join the ranks of companies paying special dividends in December, with a payment of $2 per share.
The special dividend is payable Dec. 28 to shareholders of record on Dec. 20. Almost Family will return about $18.7 million to shareholders with the payment, as the company had around 9.3 million shares on the market as of Nov. 2.
Almost Family operates over 160 locations in 11 U.S. states.
Over the last few weeks, many companies have declared special late-2012 dividends or moved early-2013 dividend payments into this year to shield investors from a potential increase in taxes on dividends next year.
Since 2003 investors have paid a maximum of 15 percent on dividend income. That historically low rate will expire in January unless Congress and President Barack Obama reach a compromise on taxes and government spending. As it stands, dividends will be taxed as ordinary income in 2013, the same as wages, so tax rates will go up depending on which income bracket a taxpayer is in. For the highest earners, the dividend tax rate would jump to 43.4 percent.
