<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS
FEBRUARY 23, 1995
Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund (the "Fund") is an
open-end, diversified management investment company whose investment objective
is to provide a high level of current income exempt from federal, New York State
and New York City income tax, consistent with the preservation of capital. The
Fund invests principally in New York tax-exempt fixed-income securities which
are rated in the four highest categories by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or
Standard & Poor's Corporation. (See "Investment Objective and Policies.")
Shares of the Fund are continuously offered at net asset value
without the imposition of a sales charge. However, redemptions and/or
repurchases are subject in most cases to a contingent deferred sales charge,
scaled down from 5% to 1% of the amount redeemed, if made within six years of
purchase, which charge will be paid to the Fund's Distributor, Dean Witter
Distributors Inc. See "Redemptions and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge." In addition, the Fund pays the Distributor a distribution fee pursuant
to a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 at the annual rate of 0.75% of the lesser of the (i) average daily
aggregate net sales or (ii) average daily net assets of the Fund. See "Purchases
of Fund Shares--Plan of Distribution."
This prospectus sets forth concisely the information you should
know before investing in the Fund. It should be read and retained for future
reference. Additional information about the Fund is contained in the Statement
of Additional Information, dated February 23, 1995, which has been filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, and which is available at no charge upon
request of the Fund at the address or telephone number listed on this page. The
Statement of Additional Information is incorporated herein by reference.
DEAN WITTER DISTRIBUTORS INC.
DISTRIBUTOR
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Summary/2
Summary of Fund Expenses/3
Financial Highlights/4
The Fund and its Management/5
Investment Objective and Policies/5
Risk Considerations/7
Investment Restrictions/11
Purchase of Fund Shares/11
Shareholder Services/13
Redemptions and Repurchases/16
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes/18
Performance Information/19
Additional Information/20
SHARES OF THE FUND ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED
BY, ANY BANK, AND THE SHARES ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT
INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, OR ANY OTHER AGENCY.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
Dean Witter
New York Tax-Free Income Fund
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550 or
(800) 526-3143
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
The The Fund is organized as a Trust, commonly known as a Massachusetts business trust, and is an open-end,
Fund diversified management investment company investing principally in New York tax-exempt fixed-income securities
which are rated in the four highest categories by Moody's Investors Service Inc. or Standard and Poor's
Corporation (see page 5).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shares Offered Shares of beneficial interest with $0.01 par value (see page 20).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Offering At net asset value without sales charge (see page 11). Shares redeemed within six years of purchase are subject
Price to a contingent deferred sales charge under most circumstances (see page 16).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum Minimum initial investment, $1,000; minimum subsequent investment, $100 (see page 11).
Purchase
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment The investment objective of the Fund is to provide a high level of current income exempt from federal, New York
Objective State and New York City income tax, consistent with preservation of capital.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment The Fund will invest principally in New York tax-exempt fixed-income securities. However, it may also invest in
Policies taxable money market instruments, non-New York tax-exempt securities, futures and options.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment Dean Witter InterCapital Inc., the Investment Manager of the Fund, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dean Witter
Manager Services Company Inc., serve in various investment management, advisory, management and administrative
capacities to ninety-one investment companies and other portfolios with assets of approximately $66.9 billion at
December 31, 1994 (see page 5).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management The Investment Manager receives a monthly fee at the annual rate of .55 of 1% of daily net assets scaled down on
Fee assets over $500 million. The fee should not be compared with fees paid by other investment companies without
also considering applicable sales loads and distribution fees, including those noted below.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dividends Dividends are declared daily, and either paid monthly as additional shares of the Fund or, at the shareholder's
option, paid monthly in cash (see page 18).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributor and Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"). The Distributor receives from the Fund, pursuant to a Rule
Distribution Fee 12b-1 Plan of Distribution, a distribution fee accrued daily and payable monthly at the rate of .75% per annum
of the lesser of (i) the Fund's average daily aggregate net sales or (ii) the Fund's average daily net assets.
This fee compensates the Distributor for the services provided in distributing shares of the Fund and for its
sales-related expenses. The Distributor also receives the proceeds of any contingent deferred sales charges (see
pages 12).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redemption At net asset value; redeemable involuntarily if total value of the account is less than $100. Redemptions within
six years of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge under most circumstances (see page 16).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent Although no commission or sales charge is imposed upon the purchase of shares, a contingent deferred sales
Deferred Sales charge (scaled down from 5% to 1%) is imposed on any redemption of shares if after such redemption the aggregate
Charge current value of an account with the Fund falls below the aggregate amount of the investor's purchase payments
made during the six years preceding the redemption. However, there is no charge imposed on redemption of shares
purchased through reinvestment of dividends or distributions (see pages 16).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risks The value of the Fund's portfolio securities, and therefore the Fund's net asset value per share, may increase
or decrease due to various factors, principally changes in prevailing interest rates and the ability of the
issuers of the Fund's portfolio securities to pay interest and principal on such obligations. The Fund also may
invest in futures and options for portfolio hedging purposes. Futures and options may be considered speculative
in nature and may involve greater risks than those customarily assumed by certain other investment companies
which do not invest in such instruments. Since the Fund concentrates its investments in New York tax-exempt
securities, the Fund is affected by any political, economic or regulatory developments affecting the ability of
New York issuers to pay interest or repay principal (see page 7).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
THE ABOVE IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY THE DETAILED INFORMATION APPEARING
ELSEWHERE
IN THIS PROSPECTUS AND IN THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
2
<PAGE>
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following table illustrates all expenses that a shareholder of the Fund
will incur. The expenses and fees set forth in the table are for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 1994.
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases.............................................. None
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends................................... None
Deferred Sales Charge
(as a percentage of the lesser of original purchase price or redemption proceeds).... 5.0%
A contingent deferred sales charge is imposed at the following declining rates:
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
YEAR SINCE PURCHASE
PAYMENT MADE PERCENTAGE
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------
<S> <C>
First....................................................................................... 5.0%
Second...................................................................................... 4.0%
Third....................................................................................... 3.0%
Fourth...................................................................................... 2.0%
Fifth....................................................................................... 2.0%
Sixth....................................................................................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter...................................................................... None
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Redemption Fees....................................................................... None
Exchange Fee.......................................................................... None
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management Fee........................................................................ 0.55%
12b-1 Fees............................................................................ 0.74%
Other Expenses........................................................................ 0.11%
Total Fund Operating Expenses......................................................... 1.40%
<FN>
- ------------
* A PORTION OF THE 12B-1 FEE EQUAL TO 0.20% OF THE FUND'S AVERAGE DAILY NET
ASSETS IS CHARACTERIZED AS A SERVICE FEE WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC. ("NASD") GUIDELINES (SEE "PURCHASE OF
FUND SHARES").
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXAMPLE 1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming
(1) 5% annual return and (2) redemption at the end of each time
period............................................................... $ 64 $ 74 $ 97 $ 168
You would pay the following expenses on the same investment, assuming
no redemption........................................................ $ 14 $ 44 $ 77 $ 168
</TABLE>
THE ABOVE EXAMPLE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR
FUTURE EXPENSES OR PERFORMANCE. ACTUAL EXPENSES OF THE FUND MAY BE GREATER OR
LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The purpose of this table is to assist the investor in understanding the
various costs and expenses that an investor in the Fund will bear directly or
indirectly. For a more complete description of these costs and expenses, see
"The Fund and its Management", "Plan of Distribution" and "Redemption and
Repurchases."
Long-term shareholders of the Fund may pay more in sales charges and
distribution fees than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales
charge permitted by the NASD.
3
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period have been audited by Price Waterhouse LLP,
independent accountants. The financial highlights should be read in conjunction
with the financial statements, notes thereto and the unqualified report of
independent accountants which are contained in the Statement of Additional
Information. Further information about the performance of the Fund is contained
in the Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders, which may be obtained without
charge upon request from the Fund.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE
PERIOD
APRIL
25,
1985*
THROUGH
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31,
1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
PER SHARE OPERATING
PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value,
beginning of
period............. $ 12.50 $ 11.98 $ 11.68 $ 11.00 $ 11.25 $ 10.94 $ 10.50 $ 11.57 $ 10.57 $10.00
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Net investment
income............. 0.57 0.65 0.65 0.68 0.68 0.68 0.68 0.70 0.72 0.51
Net realized and
unrealized gain
(loss) on
investment......... (1.51) 0.72 0.34 0.70 (0.25) 0.31 0.44 (0.93) 1.09 0.57
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Total from
investment
operations......... (0.94) 1.37 0.99 1.38 0.43 0.99 1.12 (0.23) 1.81 1.08
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Less dividends and
distributions from:
Net investment
income........... (0.57) (0.65) (0.65) (0.68) (0.68) (0.68) (0.67) (0.70) (0.72) (0.51)
Net realized
gain............. (0.16) (0.20) (0.04) (0.02) -- -- (0.01) (0.14) (0.09) --
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Total dividends and
distributions...... (0.73) (0.85) (0.69) (0.70) (0.68) (0.68) (0.68) (0.84) (0.81) (0.51)
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Net asset value, end
of period.......... $ 10.83 $ 12.50 $ 11.98 $ 11.68 $ 11.00 $ 11.25 $ 10.94 $ 10.50 $ 11.57 $10.57
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
TOTAL INVESTMENT
RETURN+............ (7.74)% 11.72% 8.70% 12.94% 4.01% 9.34% 10.91% (1.89)% 17.62% 11.04%(1)
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA:
Net assets, end of
period (in
thousands)......... $207,047 $246,461 $208,516 $181,714 $158,075 $147,363 $128,600 $112,795 $113,321 $73,408
Ratios to average
net assets:
Expenses.......... 1.40% 1.27% 1.40% 1.32% 1.37% 1.37% 1.41% 1.40% 1.41% 1.16%(2)(3)
Net investment
income........... 4.96% 5.20% 5.48% 6.00% 6.13% 6.09% 6.28% 6.44% 6.36% 7.02%(2)(3)
Portfolio turnover
rate............... 10% 25% 16% 17% 23% 4% 18% 40% 23% 24%(1)
<FN>
- -----------------
* COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS.
+ DOES NOT REFLECT THE DEDUCTION OF SALES CHARGE.
(1) NOT ANNUALIZED.
(2) ANNUALIZED.
(3) IF THE FUND HAD BORNE ALL ITS EXPENSES THAT WERE ASSUMED OR WAIVED BY THE
INVESTMENT MANAGER AND THE DISTRIBUTOR, THE
ABOVE EXPENSE AND NET INVESTMENT INCOME RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.58% AND
6.60%, RESPECTIVELY.
</TABLE>
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
4
<PAGE>
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end,
diversified management investment company. The Fund is a trust of the type
commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust" and was organized under the
laws of Massachusetts on January 17, 1985.
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. ("InterCapital" or the "Investment Manager"),
whose address is Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048, is the Fund's
Investment Manager. The Investment Manager, which was incorporated in July,
1992, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Witter, Discover & Co. ("DWDC"), a
balanced financial services organization providing a broad range of nationally
marketed credit and investment products.
InterCapital and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dean Witter Services Company
Inc., serve in various investment management, advisory, management and
administrative capacities to a total of ninety-one investment companies, thirty
of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with combined total assets
including this Fund of approximately $64.9 billion as of December 31, 1994. The
Investment Manager also manages portfolios of pension plans, other institutions
and individuals which aggregated approximately $2.0 billion at such date.
The Fund has retained the Investment Manager to provide administrative
services, manage its business affairs and manage the investment of the Fund's
assets, including the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities. InterCapital has retained Dean Witter Services Company Inc. to
perform the aforementioned administrative services for the Fund. The Fund's
Board of Trustees reviews the various services provided by or under the
direction of the Investment Manager to ensure that the Fund's general investment
policies and programs are being properly carried out and that administrative
services are being provided to the Fund in a satisfactory manner.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and for expenses of the Fund assumed by the Investment Manager, the Fund pays
the Investment Manager monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the
following annual rates to the net assets of the Fund determined as of the close
of each business day: 0.55% of the portion of the daily net assets not exceeding
$500 million and 0.525% of the portion of the daily net assets exceeding $500
million. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, the Fund accrued total
compensation to the Investment Manager amounting to 0.55% of the Fund's average
daily net assets and the Fund's total expenses amounted to 1.40% of the Fund's
average daily net assets.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment objective of the Fund is to provide a high level of current
income which is exempt from federal, New York State and New York City income
tax, consistent with the preservation of capital. There is no assurance that
this objective will be achieved. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment
objective by investing its assets in accordance with the following policies:
1. As a fundamental policy the Fund must
have at least 80% of its total assets invested in New York tax-exempt
securities, except as stated in paragraph (3) below. New York tax-exempt
securities consist of obligations of New York State, its political subdivisions,
authorities and corporations, as well as any debt obligations (certain
governmental entities and territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin
Islands) that generate interest income which is exempt from federal, New York
State and New York City income taxes. New York tax-exempt securities consist of
Municipal Bonds and Municipal Notes ("Municipal Obligations") and Municipal
Commercial Paper. Only New York tax-exempt securities which satisfy the
following standards may be purchased by the Fund: (a) Municipal Bonds which
5
<PAGE>
are rated at the time of purchase within the four highest grades by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P");
(b) Municipal Notes of issuers which at the time of purchase are rated in the
two highest grades by Moody's or S&P, or, if not rated, have outstanding one or
more issues of Municipal Bonds rated as set forth in clause (a) of this
paragraph; (c) Municipal Commercial Paper which at the time of purchase is rated
P-1 by Moody's or A-1 by S&P; and (d) unrated securities which at the time of
purchase are judged by the Investment Manager to be of comparable quality to the
securities described above. For a description of Moody's and S&P's ratings, see
the Appendix to the Statement of Additional Information.
2. In accordance with the current position of
the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, tax-exempt securities which
are subject to the federal alternative minimum tax for individual shareholders
("AMT") will not be included in the 80% total described in paragraph 1 above.
(See "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes," page 18.) As such, the remaining
portion of the Fund's total assets may be invested in tax-exempt securities
subject to the AMT.
3. Up to 20% of the Fund's total assets may be
invested in taxable money market instruments, non-New York tax-exempt
securities, futures and options and tax-exempt securities subject to the AMT.
However, the Fund may temporarily invest more than 20% of its total assets in
taxable money market instruments, non-New York tax-exempt securities and
tax-exempt securities subject to the AMT, in order to maintain a "defensive"
posture when, in the opinion of the Investment Manager, it is advisable to do so
because of market conditions. Only those non-New York tax-exempt securities
which satisfy the standards set forth in paragraph (1) for New York tax-exempt
securities may be purchased by the Fund. The types of taxable money market
instruments in which the Fund may invest are limited to the following short-term
fixed income securities (maturing in one year or less from the time of
purchase): (i) obligations of the United States Government, its agencies,
instrumentalities or authorities; (ii) commercial paper rated P-1 or higher by
Moody's or A-1 or higher by S&P; (iii) certificates of deposit of domestic banks
with assets of $1 billion or more; and (iv) repurchase agreements with respect
to portfolio securities.
Municipal Obligations are debt obligations of a state, its cities,
municipalities and municipal agencies which generally have maturities, at the
time of their issuance, of either one year or more (Bonds) or from six months to
three years (Notes). Municipal Commercial Paper is a short-term obligation of a
municipality. Any Municipal Obligation which depends directly or indirectly on
the credit of the Federal Government, its agencies or instrumentalities shall be
considered to have a rating of Aaa/AAA. An obligation shall be considered a New
York tax-exempt security only if, in the opinion of bond counsel, the interest
payable thereon is exempt from federal, New York State and New York City income
tax. The Fund may also purchase Municipal Obligations which had originally been
issued by the same issuer as two separate series of the same issue with
different interest rates, but which are now linked together to form one series.
The two principal classifications of Municipal Obligations and Commercial
Paper are "general obligation" and "revenue" bonds, notes or commercial paper.
General obligation bonds, notes or commercial paper are secured by the issuer's
pledge of its faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and
interest. Issuers of general obligation bonds, notes or commercial paper include
a state, its counties, cities, towns and other governmental units. Revenue
bonds, notes or commercial paper are payable from the revenues derived from a
particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from specific
revenue sources. Revenue bonds, notes or commercial paper are issued for a wide
variety of purposes, including the financing of electric, gas, water and sewer
systems and other public utilities; industrial development and pollution control
facilities; single and multi-family housing units; public buildings and
facilities; air and marine ports; transportation facilities such as toll roads,
bridges and tunnels; and health and
edu-
6
<PAGE>
cational facilities such as hospitals and dormitories. They rely primarily on
user fees to pay debt service, although the principal revenue source is often
supplemented by additional security features which are intended to enhance the
creditworthiness of the issuer's obligations. In some cases, particularly
revenue bonds issued to finance housing and public buildings, a direct or
implied "moral obligation" of a governmental unit may be pledged to the payment
of debt service. In other cases, a special tax or other charge may augment user
fees.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS
Investments in municipal bonds rated either Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P
(investment grade bonds--the lowest rated permissible investments by the Fund)
may have speculative characteristics and, therefore, changes in economic
conditions or other circumstances are more likely to weaken their capacity to
make principal and interest payments than would be the case with investments in
securities with higher credit ratings.
Included within the revenue category of bonds described above are
participations in lease obligations or installment purchase contracts
(hereinafter collectively called "lease obligations") of municipalities. State
and local governments issue lease obligations to acquire equipment and
facilities.
Lease obligations may have risks not normally associated with general
obligation or other revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or
conditional sale contracts (which may provide for title to the leased asset to
pass eventually to the issuer) have developed as a means for governmental
issuers to acquire property and equipment without the necessity of complying
with the constitutional and statutory requirements generally applicable for the
issuance of debt. Certain lease obligations contain "non-appropriation" clauses
that provide that the governmental issuer has no obligation to make future
payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such
purpose by the appropriate legislative body on an annual or other periodic
basis. Consequently, continued lease payments on those lease obligations
containing "non-appropriation" clauses are dependent on future legislative
actions. If such legislative actions do not occur, the holders of the lease
obligation may experience difficulty in exercising their rights, including
disposition of the property.
Lease obligations represent a relatively new type of financing that has not
yet developed the depth of marketability associated with more conventional
municipal obligations, and, as a result, certain of such lease obligations may
be considered illiquid securities. To determine whether or not the Fund will
consider such securities to be illiquid (the Fund may not invest more than ten
percent of its net assets in illiquid securities), the Trustees of the Fund have
established guidelines to be utilized by the Fund in determining the liquidity
of a lease obligation. The factors to be considered in making the determination
include: 1) the frequency of trades and quoted prices for the obligation; 2) the
number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of
other potential purchasers; 3) the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a
market in the security; and 4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including,
the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and
the mechanics of the transfer.
The value of the Fund's portfolio securities, and therefore the Fund's net
asset value per share, may increase or decrease due to various factors,
principally changes in prevailing interest rates and the ability of the issuers
of the Fund's portfolio securities to pay interest and principal on such
obligations on a timely basis. Generally a rise in interest rates will result in
a decrease in the Fund's net asset value per share, while a drop in interest
rates will result in an increase in the Fund's net asset value per share.
VARIABLE RATE OBLIGATIONS. The interest rates payable on certain securities
in which the Fund may invest are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes
in market rates. Obligations of this type are called "variable rate"
obligations. The interest rate payable on a variable rate obligation is adjusted
either at predesignated periodic intervals or
when-
7
<PAGE>
ever there is a change in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate
payable is based.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. From
time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Fund may purchase
securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, or may purchase or sell
securities on a forward commitment basis. When such transactions are negotiated,
the price is fixed at the time of the commitment, but delivery and payment can
take place a month or more after the date of the commitment. There is no overall
limit on the percentage of the Fund's assets which may be committed to the
purchase of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment
basis. An increase in the percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the
purchase of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment
basis may increase the volatility of the Fund's net asset value.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which
may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, and which typically
involve the acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a selling financial
institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer. The
agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the institution, and that the
institution will repurchase, the underlying security at a specified price and at
a fixed time in the future, usually not more than seven days from the date of
applicable regulations and that are at least equal to the market value
determined daily, of the loaned securities. As with any extensions of credit,
there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in
the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However,
loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the
Investment Manager to be creditworthy and when the income which can be earned
from such loans justifies the attendant risks.
The Fund may enter into financial futures contracts, options on such futures
and municipal bond index futures contracts for hedging purposes.
FINANCIAL FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES. The Fund may invest in
financial futures contracts and related options thereon. The Fund may sell a
financial futures contract, or purchase a put option on such futures contract,
if the Investment Manager anticipates interest rates to rise, as a hedge against
a decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. If the Investment
Manager anticipates that interest rates will decline, the Fund may purchase a
financial futures contract or a call option thereon to protect against an
increase in the price of the securities the Fund intends to purchase. These
futures contracts and related options thereon will be used only as a hedge
against anticipated interest rate changes. A futures contract sale creates an
obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver the specific type of instrument
called for in the contract at a specified future time for a specified price. A
futures contract purchase would create an obligation by the Fund, as purchaser,
to take delivery of the specific type of financial instrument at a specified
future time at a specified price. The specific securities delivered or taken,
respectively, at settlement date, would not be determined until or near that
date. The determination would be in accordance with the rules of the exchange on
which the futures contract sale or purchase was effected.
Although the terms of financial futures contracts specify actual delivery or
receipt of securities, in most instances the contracts are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery of the securities.
Closing out of a futures contract is effected by entering into an offsetting
purchase or sale transaction.
Unlike a financial futures contract, which requires the parties to buy and
sell a security on a set date, an option on such a futures contract entitles its
holder to decide on or before a future date whether to enter into such a
contract (a long position in the case of a call option and a short position in
the case of a put option). If the holder decides not to enter into the contract,
the premium paid for the option on the contract is lost. Since the value of the
option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily payments of cash to
reflect the change in the value
8
<PAGE>
of the underlying contract as there is by a purchaser or seller of a futures
contract. The value of the option does change and is reflected in the net asset
value of the Fund.
A risk in employing financial futures contracts to protect against the price
volatility of portfolio securities is that the prices of securities subject to
futures contracts may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash prices
of the Fund's portfolio securities. The risk of imperfect correlation will be
increased by the fact that financial futures contracts in which the Fund may
invest are on taxable securities rather than on tax-exempt securities, and there
is no guarantee that the prices of taxable securities will move in a similar
manner to the prices of tax-exempt securities. The correlation may be distorted
by the fact that the futures market is dominated by short-term traders seeking
to profit from the difference between a contract or security price objective and
their cost of borrowed funds. Such distortions are generally minor and would
diminish as the contract approached maturity.
Another risk is that the Fund's manager could be incorrect in his
expectations as to the direction or extent of various interest rate movements or
the time span within which the movements take place. For example, if the Fund
sold financial futures contracts for the sale of securities in anticipation of
an increase in interest rates, and then interest rates went down instead,
causing bond prices to rise, the Fund would lose money on the sale.
In addition to the risks that apply to all options transactions (see the
Statement of Additional Information for a description of the characteristics of,
and the risks of investing in, options on debt securities), there are several
special risks relating to options on futures; in particular, the ability to
establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the
development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that
this market will develop or be maintained.
MUNICIPAL BOND INDEX FUTURES. The Fund may utilize municipal bond index
futures contracts for hedging purposes. The Fund's strategies in employing such
contracts will be similar to that discussed above with respect to financial
futures and options thereon. A municipal bond index is a method of reflecting in
a single number the market value of many different municipal bonds and is
designed to be representative of the municipal bond market generally. The index
fluctuates in response to changes in the market values of the bonds included
within the index. Unlike futures contracts on particular financial instruments,
transactions in futures on a municipal bond index will be settled in cash, if
held until the close of trading in the contract. However, like any other futures
contract, a position in the contract may be closed out by purchase or sale of an
offsetting contract for the same delivery month prior to expiration of the
contract.
The Fund may not enter into futures contracts or related options thereon if
immediately thereafter the amount committed to margin plus the amount paid for
option premiums exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets. The Fund may
not purchase or sell futures contracts or related options if immediately
thereafter more than one-third of its net assets would be hedged.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO NEW YORK
TAX-EXEMPT SECURITIES
Since the Fund concentrates its investments in New York tax-exempt
securities, the Fund is affected by any political, economic or regulatory
developments affecting the ability of New York tax-exempt issuers to pay
interest or repay principal. Investors should be aware that certain issuers of
New York tax-exempt securities have experienced serious financial difficulties
in recent years. A reoccurrence of these difficulties may impair the ability of
certain New York issuers to maintain debt service on their obligations.
The fiscal stability of New York State (the "State") is related to the
fiscal stability of the State's municipalities, its Agencies and Authorities
(which generally finance, construct and operate revenue-producing public benefit
facilities). This is due in part to the fact that Agencies, Authorities and
local governments in financial trouble often seek State
9
<PAGE>
financial assistance. The experience has been that if New York City (the "City")
or any of the Agencies or Authorities suffers serious financial difficulty, both
the ability of the State, the City, the State's political subdivisions, the
Agencies and the Authorities to obtain financing in the public credit markets
and the market price of outstanding New York tax-exempt securities are adversely
affected.
Over the long term, the State and City face potential economic problems. The
City accounts for a large portion of the State's population and personal income,
and the City's financial health affects the State in numerous ways. The State
has historically been one of the wealthiest states in the nation. For decades,
however, the State has grown more slowly than the nation as a whole, gradually
eroding its relative economic affluence. The causes of this relative decline are
varied and complex, in many cases involving national and international
developments beyond the State's control. Statewide, urban centers have
experienced significant changes involving migration of the more affluent to the
suburbs and an influx of generally less affluent residents. Regionally, the
older Northeast cities have suffered because of the relative success that the
South and the West have had in attracting people and business. The City has also
had to face greater competition as other major cities have developed financial
and business capabilities which make them less dependent on the specialized
services traditionally available almost exclusively in the City.
The State has for many years had a very high State and local tax burden
relative to other states. The existence of this tax burden limits the State's
ability to impose higher taxes in the event of future financial difficulties.
The State and its localities have used these taxes to develop and maintain their
transportation network, public schools and colleges, public health systems,
other social services and recreational facilities. Despite these benefits, the
burden of State and local taxation, in combination with the many other causes of
regional economic dislocation, has contributed to the decisions of some business
and individuals to relocate outside, or not to locate within, the State. Certain
manufacturing facilities have re-located to other states. This trend has been
partially offset by the location of some manufacturing facilities in the State
and by the expansion of existing facilities in the State. While no sustained
reversal of the State's relative economic position has been projected, the
actions taken to date, in combination with many other causes of regional
economic changes, have slowed this trend. Further reduction in Federal spending
could materially and adversely affect the financial condition and budget
projections of the State's localities.
On January 6, 1992, Moody's lowered to Baa-1 from A its ratings on about
$14.2 billion of New York State appropriations backed debt. Moody's also
announced that it had put New York State general obligation debt rated A under
review for possible downgrade in the coming months. On June 27, 1994, Moody's
reconfirmed its A rating on the State's general obligation long-term
indebtedness.
On January 13, 1992, S&P lowered its rating on New York State's general
obligation bonds from A to A-. On November 12, 1992, S&P continued its January
rating and reiterated its negative rating outlook assessment on the State's
general obligation debt. On April 26, 1993, S&P raised its outlook to positive
and, on June 27, 1994, confirmed its A- rating.
For a more detailed discussion of the risks of investing in New York
tax-exempt securities, see the Statement of Additional Information.
The summary information furnished above and in the Statement of Additional
Information is based on official statements prepared by the State of New York
and the City of New York and their authorities in connection with their
borrowings and contains such information as the Fund deems relevant in
considering an investment in the Fund. It does not purport to be a complete
description of the considerations contained therein.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The Fund is managed by the Investment Manager with a view to achieving its
investment
objec-
10
<PAGE>
tive. In determining which securities to purchase for the Fund or hold in the
Fund's portfolio, the Investment Manager will rely on information from various
sources, including research, analysis and appraisals of brokers and dealers,
including Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"), a broker-dealer affiliate of
InterCapital; the views of Trustees of the Fund and others regarding economic
developments and interest rate trends; and the Investment Manager's own analysis
of factors it deems relevant. The Fund is managed within InterCapital's
Municipal Fixed-Income Group, which manages 39 tax-exempt municipal funds and
fund portfolios, with approximately $10.3 billion in assets as of December 31,
1994. James F. Willison, Senior Vice President of InterCapital and Manager of
InterCapital's Municipal Fixed Income Group, has been the primary portfolio
manager of the Fund since its inception and has been a portfolio manager at
InterCapital for over five years.
Securities are purchased and sold principally in response to the Investment
Manager's current evaluation of an issuer's ability to meet its debt obligations
in the future, and the Investment Manager's current assessment of future changes
in the levels of interest rates on tax-exempt securities of varying maturities,
qualities and purpose. Securities purchased by the Fund are, generally, sold by
dealers acting as principal for their own accounts.
Pursuant to an order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
Fund may effect principal transactions in certain taxable money market
instruments with DWR. In addition, the Fund may incur brokerage commissions on
transactions conducted through DWR.
Except as specified, the investment policies noted above are not fundamental
policies and may be changed without shareholder approval.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment restrictions listed below are among the restrictions that
have been adopted by the Fund as fundamental policies. Under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), a fundamental policy may not be
changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the Fund, as defined in the Act.
The Fund may not:
1. With respect to 75% of its total assets,
purchase securities of any issuer if immediately thereafter more than 5% of the
Fund's total assets would be invested in securities of such issuer (other than
obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies
or instrumentalities or by the State of New York or its political subdivisions).
2. Purchase more than 10% of all outstanding
taxable debt securities of any one issuer (other than obligations issued, or
guaranteed as to principal and interest, by the United States Government, its
agencies or instrumentalities).
3. Invest more than 25% of the value of its total
assets in securities of issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not
apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its
agencies or instrumentalities, or issued by the State of New York or its
political subdivisions (industrial development and pollution control bonds are
grouped into industries based upon the business in which the issuers of such
obligations are engaged).
If a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later
increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in values of
portfolio securities or amount of total or net assets will not be considered a
violation of any of the foregoing restrictions.
PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund offers its shares for sale to the public on a continuous basis.
Shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the
"Distributor"), an affiliate of the Investment Manager,
11
<PAGE>
pursuant to a Distribution Agreement between the Fund and the Distributor and
are offered by DWR and other dealers who have entered into agreements with the
Distributor ("Selected Broker-Dealers"). The principal executive office of the
Distributor is located at Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048.
The minimum initial purchase is $1,000. Subsequent purchases of $100 or more
may be made by sending a check, payable to Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income
Fund, directly to Dean Witter Trust Company ("Transfer Agent") at P.O. Box 1040,
Jersey City, New Jersey 07303 or by contacting a DWR or another Selected
Broker-Dealer account executive. Certificates for shares purchased will not be
issued unless a request is made by the shareholder in writing to the Transfer
Agent. Shares are sold through the Distributor or a Selected Broker-Dealer on a
normal five business day settlement basis; that is, payment generally is due on
or before the fifth business day (settlement date) after the order is placed
with the Distributor or a Selected Broker-Dealer. Shares of the Fund purchased
through the Distributor or a Selected Broker-Dealer are entitled to dividends
beginning on the next business day following settlement date. Since DWR and
other Selected Broker-Dealers forward investors' funds on settlement date, they
will benefit from the temporary use of the funds when payment is made prior
thereto. Shares purchased through the Transfer Agent are entitled to dividends
beginning on the next business day following receipt of an order. As noted
above, orders placed directly with the Transfer Agent must be accompanied by
payment. Investors will be entitled to receive capital gains distributions if
their order is received by the close of business on the day prior to the record
date for such distributions. The offering price will be the net asset value per
share next determined following receipt of an order (see "Determination of Net
Asset Value" below). While no sales charge is imposed at the time shares are
purchased, a contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed at the time of
redemption (see "Redemptions and Repurchases"). Sales personnel are compensated
for selling shares of the Fund at the time of their sale by the Distributor
and/or Selected Broker-Dealer. In addition, some sales personnel of the Selected
Broker-Dealer will receive various types of non-cash compensation as special
incentives, including trips, educational and/or business seminars and
merchandise. The Fund and the Distributor reserve the right to reject any
purchase orders.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 of the
Act (the "Plan"), under which the Fund pays the Distributor a fee, which is
accrued daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the lesser of:
(a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's shares since the
inception of the Fund (not including reinvestments of dividends or capital gains
distributions), less the average daily aggregate net asset value of the Fund's
shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a contingent deferred
sales charge has been imposed or waived, or (b) the Fund's average daily net
assets. Of the amount accrued under the Plan, 0.20% of the Fund's average daily
net assets is characterized as a service fee within the meaning of the NASD
guidelines. The service fee is a payment made for personal service and/or the
maintenance of shareholder accounts. The 12b-1 fee is treated by the Fund as an
expense in the year it is accrued. Amounts paid under the Plan are paid to the
Distributor to compensate it for the services provided and the expenses borne by
the Distributor and others in the distribution of the Fund's shares, including
the payment of commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive
compensation to and expenses of DWR and its affiliates and other Selected
Broker-Dealers account executives and other employees who engage in or support
distribution of shares or who service shareholder accounts, including overhead
and telephone expenses; printing and distribution of prospectuses and reports
used in connection with the offering of the Fund's shares to other than current
shareholders; and preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature and
advertising materials. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, the Fund
12
<PAGE>
accrued payments under the Plan amounting to $1,687,792, which amount is equal
to 0.74% of the Fund's average daily net assets for the fiscal year. The
payments accrued under the Plan were calculated pursuant to clause (a) of the
compensation formula under the Plan.
At any given time, the expenses of distributing shares of the Fund may be in
excess of the total of (i) the payments made by the Fund pursuant to the Plan
and (ii) the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors
upon redemption of shares (see "Redemptions and Repurchases-- Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge"). For example, if $1 million in expenses in distributing
shares of the Fund had been incurred and $750,000 had been received as described
in (i) and (ii) above, the excess expense would amount to $250,000. The
Distributor has advised the Fund that such excess amount, including the carrying
charge described above, totalled $4,174,007 at December 31, 1994, which was
equal to 2.02% of the Fund's net assets on such date.
Because there is no requirement under the Plan that the Distributor be
reimbursed for all its expenses or any requirement that the Plan be continued
from year to year, this excess amount does not constitute a liability of the
Fund. Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses
incurred in excess of payments made under the Plan, if for any reason the Plan
is terminated the Trustees will consider at that time the manner in which to
treat such expenses. Any cumulative expenses incurred, but not yet recovered
through distribution fees or contingent deferred sales charges, may or may not
be recovered through future distribution fees or contingent deferred sales
charges.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value per share of the Fund is determined once daily at 4:00
p.m. New York time on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open by
taking the value of all assets of the Fund, subtracting its liabilities,
dividing by the number of shares outstanding and adjusting to the nearest
cent. The net asset value per share will not be deter-
mined on Good Friday and on such other federal and non-federal holidays as are
observed by the New York Stock Exchange.
Certain of the Fund's portfolio securities may be valued for the Fund by an
outside independent pricing service approved by the Fund's Trustees. The service
utilizes a computerized grid matrix of tax-exempt securities and evaluations by
its staff in determining what it believes is the fair value of the Fund's
portfolio securities. The Board believes that timely and reliable market
quotations are generally not readily available to the Fund for purposes of
valuing tax-exempt securities and that the valuations supplied by the pricing
service are more likely to approximate the fair value of such securities.
Short-term taxable debt securities with remaining maturities of sixty days
or less to maturity at time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, unless the
Board determines such does not reflect the securities' fair value, in which case
these securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined by the
Board of Trustees. The value of other assets will be determined in good faith
under procedures established by and under the supervision of the Trustees.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. All income dividends
and capital gains distributions are automatically paid in full and fractional
shares of the Fund, (or, if specified by the shareholder, any other open-end
investment company for which InterCapital serves as investment manager
(collectively, with the Fund, the "Dean Witter Funds")), unless the shareholder
requests they be paid in cash. Shares so acquired are not subject to the
imposition of a contingent deferred sales
13
<PAGE>
charge upon their redemption (see "Redemptions and Repurchases").
EASYINVEST-SM-. Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an automatic
purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to be
transferred automatically from a checking or savings account, on a semi-monthly,
monthly or quarterly basis, to the Transfer Agent for investment in shares of
the Fund.
INVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED IN CASH. Any shareholder
who receives a cash payment representing a dividend or capital gains
distribution may invest such dividend or distribution at the net asset value per
share next determined after receipt by the Transfer Agent, by returning the
check or the proceeds to the Transfer Agent within thirty days after the payment
date. Shares so acquired are not subject to the imposition of a contingent
deferred sales charge upon their redemption (see "Redemptions and Repurchases.")
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN. A systematic withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal
Plan") is available for shareholders who own or purchase shares of the Fund
having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon the then current net asset value.
The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or quarterly (March, June, September
and December) checks in any dollar amount, not less than $25 or in any whole
percentage of the account balances on an annualized basis. Any applicable
contingent deferred sales charge will be imposed on shares redeemed under the
Withdrawal Plan (See "Redemptions and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge"). Therefore, any shareholder participating in the Withdrawal Plan will
have sufficient shares redeemed from his or her account so that the proceeds
(net of any applicable contingent deferred sales charge) to the shareholder will
be the designated monthly or quarterly dollar amount.
Shareholders should contact their DWR or Selected Broker-Dealer Account
Executive or the Transfer Agent for further information about any of the above
services.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
The Fund makes available to its shareholders an "Exchange Privilege"
allowing the exchange of shares of the Fund for shares of other Dean Witter
Funds sold with a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC funds"), and for
shares of Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust, Dean Witter Limited Term
Municipal Trust and Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund and for five Dean Witter
Funds which are money market funds (the foregoing eight non-CDSC or FESC funds
are hereinafter collectively referred to in this section as the "Exchange
Funds"). Exchanges may be made after the shares of the Fund acquired by purchase
(not by exchange or dividend reinvestment) have been held for thirty days. There
is no waiting period for exchanges of shares acquired by exchange or dividend
reinvestment.
An exchange to another CDSC fund or any Exchange Fund that is not a money
market fund is on the basis of the next calculated net asset value per share of
each fund after the exchange order is received. When exchanging into a money
market fund from the Fund, shares of the Fund are redeemed out of the Fund at
their next calculated net asset value and the proceeds of the redemption are
used to purchase shares of the money market fund at their net asset value
determined the following business day. Subsequent exchanges between any of the
money market funds and any of the CDSC funds can be effected on the same basis.
No contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") is imposed at the time of any
exchange, although any applicable CDSC will be imposed upon ultimate redemption.
Shares of the Fund acquired in exchange for shares of another CDSC fund having a
different CDSC schedule than that of this Fund will be subject to the CDSC
schedule of this Fund, even if such shares are subsequently re-exchanged for
shares of the CDSC fund originally purchased. During the period of time the
shareholder remains in the Exchange Funds (calculated from the last day of the
month in which the shares were acquired), the holding period (for the purpose of
determining the rate of the CDSC) is frozen. If those shares are
subse-
14
<PAGE>
quently reexchanged for shares of a CDSC fund, the holding period previously
frozen when the first exchange was made resumes on the last day of the month in
which shares of the CDSC fund are reacquired. Thus, the CDSC is based upon the
time (calculated as described above) the shareholder was invested in a CDSC fund
(see "Redemptions and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge"). However,
in the case of shares of the Fund exchanged into the Exchange Funds on or after
April 23, 1990, upon a redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being
imposed, a credit (not to exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an
amount equal to the Exchange Funds 12b-1 distribution fees incurred on or after
that date which are attributable to those shares. (Exchange Funds' 12b-1
distribution fees are described in the prospectus for those funds).
In addition, shares of the Fund may be acquired in exchange for shares of
Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end sales charge ("FESC funds"), but shares
of the Fund, however acquired, may not be exchanged for shares of FESC funds.
Shares of a CDSC fund acquired in exchange for shares of a FESC Fund (or in
exchange for shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of a FESC fund
have been exchanged) are not subject to any CDSC upon their redemption.
Purchases and exchanges should be made for investment purposes only. A
pattern of frequent exchanges may be deemed by the Investment Manager to be
abusive and contrary to the best interests of the Fund's other shareholders and,
at the Investment Manager's discretion, may be limited by the Fund's refusal to
accept additional purchases and/ or exchanges from the investor. Although the
Fund does not have any specific definition of what constitutes a pattern of
frequent exchanges, and will consider all relevant factors in determining
whether a particular situation is abusive and contrary to the best interests of
the Fund and its other shareholders, investors should be aware that the Fund and
each of the other Dean Witter Funds may in their discretion limit or otherwise
restrict the number of times this Exchange Privilege may be exercised by any
investor. Any such restriction will be made by the Fund on a prospective basis
only, upon notice to the shareholder not later than ten days following such
shareholder's most recent exchange.
Also, the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or revised at any time by the
Fund and/or any of such Dean Witter Funds for which shares of the Fund may be
exchanged, upon such notice as may be required by applicable regulatory
agencies. Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with DWR or another Selected
Broker-Dealer are referred to their account executive regarding restrictions on
exchange of shares of the Fund pledged in their margin account.
The current prospectus for each fund describes its investment objective(s)
and policies, and shareholders should obtain one and read it carefully before
investing. Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement and any
other conditions imposed by each fund. An exchange will be treated for federal
income tax purposes the same as a repurchase or redemption of shares on which
the shareholder has realized a capital gain or loss. However, the ability to
deduct capital losses on an exchange may be limited in situations where there is
an exchange of shares within ninety days after the shares are purchased. The
Exchange Privilege is only available in states where an exchange may legally be
made.
If DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer is the current dealer of record and
its account numbers are part of the account information, shareholders may
initiate an exchange of shares of the Fund for shares of any of the Dean Witter
Funds (for which the Exchange Privilege is available) pursuant to this Exchange
Privilege by contacting their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer account
executive (no Exchange Privilege Authorization Form is required). Other
shareholders (and those shareholders who are clients of DWR or another Selected
Broker-Dealer but who wish to make exchanges directly by writing or telephoning
the Transfer Agent) must complete and forward to the Transfer Agent an Exchange
Privilege Authorization Form, copies of
15
<PAGE>
which may be obtained from the Transfer Agent, to initiate an exchange. If the
Authorization Form is used, exchanges may be made in writing or by contacting
the Transfer Agent at (800) 526-3143 (toll free). The Fund will employ
reasonable procedures to confirm that exchange instructions communicated over
the telephone are genuine. Such procedures may include requiring various forms
of personal identification such as name, mailing address, social security or
other tax identification number and DWR or other Selected Dealer account number
(if any). Telephone instructions may also be recorded. If such procedures are
not employed, the Fund may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or
fraudulent instructions.
Telephone exchange instructions will be accepted if received by the Transfer
Agent between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. New York time, on any day the New York
Stock Exchange is open. Any shareholder wishing to make an exchange who is
unable to reach the Fund by telephone should contact his or her DWR or other
Selected Broker-Dealer account executive, if appropriate, or make a written
exchange request. Shareholders are advised that during periods of drastic
economic or market changes, it is possible that the telephone exchange
procedures may be difficult to implement, although this has not been the case
with the Dean Witter Funds in the past.
Additional information concerning the Exchange Privilege is available from a
DWR or other Selected Dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REDEMPTION. Shares of the Fund can be redeemed for cash at any time at the
net asset value per share next determined; however, such redemption proceeds may
be reduced by the amount of any applicable contingent deferred sales charges
(see below). If shares are held in a shareholder's account without a share
certificate, a written request for redemption to the Fund's Transfer Agent at
P.O. Box 983, Jersey City, NJ 07303 is required. If certificates are held by the
shareholder(s), the shares may be redeemed by surrendering the certificate(s)
with a written request of redemption, along with any additional information
required by the Transfer Agent.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE. Shares of the Fund which are held for six
years or more after purchase (calculated from the last day of the month in which
the shares were purchased) will not be subject to any charge upon redemption.
Shares redeemed sooner than six years after purchase may, however, be subject to
a charge upon redemption. This charge is called a "contingent deferred sales
charge" ("CDSC"), which will be a percentage of the dollar amount of shares
redeemed and will be assessed on an amount equal to the lesser of the current
market value or the cost of the shares being redeemed. The size of this
percentage will depend upon how long the shares have been held, and is set forth
in the table below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CONTINGENT DEFERRED
YEAR SINCE SALES CHARGE
PURCHASE ON A PERCENTAGE OF
PAYMENT MADE AMOUNT REDEEMED
- ---------------------------------------- --------------------------
<S> <C>
First................................... 5.0%
Second.................................. 4.0
Third................................... 3.0%
Fourth.................................. 2.0%
Fifth................................... 2.0%
Sixth................................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter.................. None
</TABLE>
A CDSC will not be imposed on: (i) any amount which represents an increase
in value of shares purchased within the six years preceding the redemption; (ii)
the current net asset value of shares purchased more than six years prior to the
redemption; and (iii) the current net asset value of shares purchased through
reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares acquired in exchange
for shares of Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end sales charge or of other
Dean Witter Funds acquired
16
<PAGE>
in exchange for such shares. Moreover, in determining whether a CDSC is
applicable it will be assumed that amounts described in (i), (ii), and (iii)
above (in that order) are redeemed first. In addition, no CDSC will be imposed
on redemptions which were purchased by certain Unit Investment Trusts (on which
a sales charge has been paid) or which are attributable to reinvestment of
dividends or distributions from, or the proceeds of, such Unit Investment
Trusts.
In addition, the CDSC, if otherwise applicable, will be waived in the case
of (i) redemptions of shares held at the time a shareholder dies or becomes
disabled, only if the shares are (a) registered either in the name of an
individual shareholder (not a trust), or in the names of such shareholder and
his or her spouse as joint tenants with right of survivorship, or (b) held in a
qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan, Individual Retirement
Account or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue
Code, provided in either case that the redemption is requested within one year
of the death or initial determination of disability, and (ii) redemptions in
connection with the following retirement plan distributions: (a) lump-sum or
other distributions from a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan
following retirement (or in the case of a "key employee" of a "top heavy" plan,
following attainment of age 59 1/2); (b) distributions from an Individual
Retirement Account or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal
Revenue Code following attainment of age 59 1/2; and (c) a tax-free return of an
excess contribution to an IRA. For the purpose of determining disability, the
Distributor utilizes the definition of disability contained in Section 72(m)(7)
of the Internal Revenue Code, which relates to the inability to engage in
gainful employment. All waivers will be granted subject to receipt by the
Distributor of confirmation of the investor's entitlement.
REPURCHASE. DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers are authorized to
repurchase shares, represented by a share certificate which is delivered to any
of their offices. Shares held in a shareholder's account without a share
certificate may also be repurchased by DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers upon
the telephonic request of the shareholder. The repurchase price is the net asset
value next computed (see "Purchase of Fund Shares") after such repurchase order
is received by DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers are, reduced by any
applicable CDSC.
The CDSC, if any, will be the only fee imposed upon repurchase by either the
Fund, the Distributor or DWR. The offer by DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers
to repurchase shares may be suspended without notice by them at any time. In
that event, shareholders may redeem their shares through the Fund's Transfer
Agent as set forth above under "Redemption."
PAYMENT FOR SHARES REDEEMED OR REPURCHASED. Payment for shares presented
for repurchase or redemption will be made by check within seven days after
receipt by the Transfer Agent of the certificate and/or written request in good
order. Such payment may be postponed or the right of redemption suspended under
unusual circumstances. If the shares to be redeemed have recently been purchased
by check, payment of the redemption proceeds may be delayed for the minimum time
needed to verify that the check used for investment has been honored (not more
than fifteen days from the time of receipt of the check by the Transfer Agent).
Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with DWR or other Selected
Broker-Dealers are referred to their account executive regarding restrictions on
redemption of shares of the Fund pledged in the margin account.
REINSTATEMENT PRIVILEGE. A shareholder who has had his or her shares
redeemed or repurchased and has not previously exercised this reinstatement
privilege may, within thirty days after the date of the redemption or
repurchase, reinstate any portion or all of the proceeds of such redemption or
repurchase in shares of the Fund at the net asset value next determined after a
reinstatement request, together with the proceeds, is received by the Transfer
Agent and receive a pro-rata credit for any CDSC
17
<PAGE>
paid in connection with such redemption or repurchase.
INVOLUNTARY REDEMPTION. The Fund reserves the right to redeem, on sixty
days notice and at net asset value, the shares of any shareholder (other than
shares held in an Individual RetirementAccount or custodial account under
Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code) whose shares have a value of
less than $100 as a result of redemptions or repurchases, or such lesser amount
as may be fixed by the Board of Trustees. However, before the Fund redeems such
shares and sends the proceeds to the shareholder, it will notify the shareholder
that the value of the shares is less than $100 and allow him or her sixty days
to make an additional investment in an amount which will increase the value of
his or her account to $100 or more before the redemption is processed. No CDSC
will be imposed on any involuntary redemption.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. The Fund declares dividends from net
investment income on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business
(see "Purchase of Fund Shares"). Such dividends are payable monthly. The Fund
intends to distribute substantially all of the Fund's net investment income on
an annual basis.
The Fund will distribute at least once each year all net short-term capital
gains, if there are any. The Fund may, however, determine either to distribute
or to retain all or part of any net long-term capital gains in any year for
reinvestment. All dividends and capital gains distributions will be paid in
additional Fund shares (without sales charge) and automatically credited to the
shareholder's account without issuance of a share certificate unless the
shareholder requests in writing that they be paid in cash. (See "Shareholder
Services--Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions".) Taxable capital
gains may be generated by transactions in options and futures contracts engaged
in by the Fund. Any dividends or distributions declared in the last quarter of
any calendar year which are paid in the following calendar year prior to
February 1, will be deemed received by shareholders of record in the prior year.
TAXES. Because the Fund currently intends to distribute substantially all
of its net investment income and capital gains to shareholders and intends to
otherwise comply with all the provisions of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code (the "Code") to qualify as a regulated investment company, it is not
expected that the Fund will be required to pay any federal income tax.
The Fund intends to continue to qualify to pay "exempt-interest dividends"
to its shareholders by maintaining, as of the close of each quarter of its
taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets in tax-exempt
securities. If the Fund satisfies such requirement, distributions from net
investment income to shareholders, whether taken in cash or reinvested in
additional shares, will be excludable from gross income for federal income tax
purposes to the extent net investment income is represented by interest on
tax-exempt securities.
Individual shareholders who are New York residents will not incur any
federal, New York State or New York City income tax on the amount of
exempt-interest dividends received by them from the Fund which represents a
distribution of income from New York tax-exempt securities whether taken in cash
or reinvested in additional shares. Exempt-interest dividends are included,
however, in determining what portion, if any, of a person's Social Security
benefits are subject to federal income tax. Within sixty days after the end of
its taxable year, the Fund will mail to shareholders a statement indicating the
percentage of the dividend distributions for such taxable year which constitutes
exempt-interest dividends and the percentage, if any, that is taxable.
The Code may subject interest received on certain otherwise tax-exempt
securities to an alternative minimum tax. This alternative minimum tax may be
18
<PAGE>
incurred due to interest received on "private activity bonds" (in general, bonds
that benefit non-government entities) issued after August 7, 1986 which,
although tax-exempt, are used for purposes other than those generally performed
by governmental units (e.g., bonds used for commercial or housing purposes).
Income received on such bonds is classified as a "tax preference item", under
the alternative minimum tax, for both individual and corporate investors. A
portion of the Fund's investments may be made in such "private activity bonds,"
with the result that a portion of the exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund
will be an item of tax preference to shareholders subject to the alternative
minimum tax. In addition, certain corporations which are subject to the
alternative minimum tax may have to include a portion of exempt-interest
dividends in calculating their alternative minimum taxable income in situations
where the "adjusted current earnings" of the corporation exceeds its alternative
minimum taxable income.
Under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993, all or a portion of the Fund's
gain from the sale or redemption of tax-exempt obligations purchased at a market
discount after April 30, 1993 will be treated as ordinary income rather than
capital gain. This rule may increase the amount of ordinary income dividends
received by shareholders.
Shareholders will normally be subject to federal, New York State or New York
City income tax on dividends paid from interest income derived from taxable
securities and on distributions of net capital gains. For federal and New York
State or New York City income tax purposes, distributions of net long-term
capital gains, if any, are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains,
regardless of how long the shareholder has held the Fund shares and regardless
of whether the distribution is received in additional shares or in cash.
Distributions from investment income and capital gains, including
exempt-interest dividends, may be subject to New York franchise taxes if
received by a corporation doing business in New York, to state taxes in states
other than New York and to local taxes. To avoid being subject to a 31% backup
withholding tax on taxable dividends and capital gains distributions and the
proceeds of redemptions and repurchases, shareholders' taxpayer identification
numbers must be furnished and certified as to accuracy.
Any loss on the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund which are held for
six months or less is disallowed to the extent of the amount of any
exempt-interest dividend paid with respect to such shares. Treasury Regulations
may provide for a reduction in such required holding periods. If a shareholder
receives a distribution that is taxed as a long-term capital gain on shares held
for six moths or less and sells those shares at a loss, the loss will be treated
as a long-term capital loss.
Interest on indebtedness incurred by shareholders or related parties to
purchase or carry shares of an investment company paying exempt-interest
dividends, such as the Fund, will not be deductible by the investor for federal
or state or city personal income tax purposes.
The foregoing relates to federal income taxation and to New York State and
New York City personal income taxation as in effect as of the date of this
prospectus. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the
applicability of the above to their own tax situation.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From time to time the Fund may quote its "yield" and/or its "total return"
in advertisements and sales literature. Both the yield and the total return of
the Fund are based on historical earnings and are not intended to indicate
future performance. The yield of the Fund will be computed by dividing the
Fund's net investment income over a 30-day period by an average value (using the
average number of shares entitled to receive dividends and the net asset value
per share at the end of the period), all in accordance with applicable
regulatory requirements. Such amount is compounded for six months
19
<PAGE>
and then annualized for a twelve-month period to derive the Fund's yield. The
Fund may also quote its tax-equivalent yield, which is calculated by determining
the pre-tax yield which, after being taxed at a stated rate, would be equivalent
to the yield determined as described above.
The "average annual total return" of the Fund refers to a figure reflecting
the average annualized percentage increase (or decrease) in the value of an
initial investment in the Fund of $1,000 over a period of one, five and ten
years. Average annual total return reflects all income earned by the Fund, any
appreciation or depreciation of the Fund's assets, all expenses incurred by the
Fund and all sales charges which would be incurred by redeeming shareholders,
for the stated periods. It also assumes reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions paid by the Fund.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return over
different periods of time by means of aggregate, average, year-by-year or other
types of total return figures. Such calculations may or may not reflect the
deduction of the contingent deferred sales charge which, if reflected, would
reduce the performance quoted. The Fund may also advertise the growth of
hypothetical investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of the Fund.
The Fund from time to time may also advertise its performance relative to
certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by independent organizations
(such as mutual fund performance rankings of Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOTING RIGHTS. All shares of beneficial interest of the Fund are of $0.01
par value and are equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges.
The Fund is not required to hold Annual Meetings of Shareholders and, under
ordinary circumstances, the Fund does not intend to hold such meetings. The
Trustees may call Special Meetings of Shareholders for action by shareholder
vote as may be required by the Act or the Declaration of Trust. Under certain
circumstances the Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees or by the
Shareholders.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations of the
Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of
shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund, requires that Fund
obligations include such disclaimer and provides for indemnification and
reimbursement of expenses out of the Fund's property for any shareholder held
personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a
shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would be unable to meet its
obligations. Given the above limitations on shareholder personal liability and
the nature of the Fund's assets and operations, the possibility of the Fund's
being unable to meet its obligations is remote and, in the opinion of
Massachusetts counsel to the Fund, the risk to Fund shareholders of personal
liability is remote.
CODE OF ETHICS. Directors, officers and em-
ployees of InterCapital, Dean Witter Services Company Inc. and the Distributor
are subject to a strict Code of Ethics adopted by those companies. The Code of
Ethics is intended to ensure that the interests of shareholders and other
clients are placed ahead of any personal interest, that no undue personal
benefit is obtained from a person's employment activities and that actual and
potential conflicts of interest are avoided. To achieve these goals and comply
with regulatory requirements, the Code of Ethics requires, among other things,
that personal securities transactions by employees of the companies be subject
to an advance clearance process to monitor that no Dean Witter Fund is engaged
at the same time in a purchase or sale of the same security. The Code of Ethics
bans the purchase of
securi-
20
<PAGE>
ties in an initial public offering, and also prohibits engaging in futures and
option transactions and profiting on short-term trading (that is, a purchase
within sixty days of a sale or a sale within sixty days of a purchase) of a
security. In addition, investment personnel may not purchase or sell a security
for their personal account within thirty days before or after any transaction in
any Dean Witter Fund managed by them. Any violations of the Code of Ethics are
subject to sanctions, including reprimand, demotion or suspension or termination
of employment. The Code of Ethics comports with regulatory requirements and the
recommendations in the recent report by the Investment Company Institute
Advisory Group on Personal Investing.
SHAREHOLDER INQUIRIES. All inquiries regarding the Fund should be directed
to the Fund at the telephone numbers or address set forth on the front cover of
this prospectus.
21
<PAGE>
THE DEAN WITTER FAMILY OF FUNDS
MONEY MARKET FUNDS DEAN WITTER RETIREMENT SERIES
Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc. Liquid Asset Series
Dean Witter U.S. Government Money U.S. Government Money Market Series
Market Trust U.S. Government Securities Series
Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust Intermediate Income Securities Series
Dean Witter California Tax-Free Daily American Value Series
Income Trust Capital Growth Series
Dean Witter New York Municipal Money Dividend Growth Series
Market Trust Strategist Series
EQUITY FUNDS Utilities Series
Dean Witter American Value Fund Value-Added Market Series
Dean Witter Natural Resource Global Equity Series
Development Securities Inc. ASSET ALLOCATION FUNDS
Dean Witter Dividend Growth Securities Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust
Inc. Dean Witter Strategist Fund
Dean Witter Developing Growth Dean Witter Global Asset Allocation
Securities Trust Fund
Dean Witter World Wide Investment Trust ACTIVE ASSETS ACCOUNT PROGRAM
Dean Witter Value-Added Market Series Active Assets Money Trust
Dean Witter Utilities Fund Active Assets Tax-Free Trust
Dean Witter Capital Growth Securities Active Assets California Tax-Free Trust
Dean Witter European Growth Fund Inc. Active Assets Government Securities
Dean Witter Precious Metals and Trust
Minerals Trust
Dean Witter Pacific Growth Fund Inc.
Dean Witter Health Sciences Trust
Dean Witter Global Dividend Growth
Securities
Dean Witter Global Utilities Fund
Dean Witter International SmallCap Fund
Dean Witter Mid-Cap Growth Fund
FIXED-INCOME FUNDS
Dean Witter High Yield Securities Inc.
Dean Witter Tax-Exempt Securities Trust
Dean Witter U.S. Government Securities
Trust
Dean Witter Federal Securities Trust
Dean Witter Convertible Securities
Trust
Dean Witter California Tax-Free Income
Fund
Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income
Fund
Dean Witter World Wide Income Trust
Dean Witter Intermediate Income
Securities
Dean Witter Global Short-Term Income
Fund Inc.
Dean Witter Multi-State Municipal
Series Trust
Dean Witter Premier Income Trust
Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury
Trust
Dean Witter Diversified Income Trust
Dean Witter Limited Term Municipal
Trust
Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund
Dean Witter National Municipal Trust
Dean Witter High Income Securities
<PAGE>
Dean Witter
New York Tax-Free Income Fund
Dean Witter
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
TRUSTEES New York
Jack F. Bennett Tax-Free
Michael Bozic Income Fund
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
Edwin J. Garn
John R. Haire
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson
Paul Kolton
Michael E. Nugent
Philip J. Purcell
John L. Schroeder
OFFICERS
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer
Sheldon Curtis
Vice President, Secretary and
General Counsel
James F. Willison
Vice President
Thomas F. Caloia
Treasurer
CUSTODIAN
The Bank of New York
90 Washington Street
New York, New York 10286
TRANSFER AGENT AND DIVIDEND
DISBURSING AGENT
Dean Witter Trust Company
Harborside Financial Center
Plaza Two
Jersey City, New Jersey 07311
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
Price Waterhouse LLP
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
INVESTMENT MANAGER
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc.
PROSPECTUS -- FEBRUARY 23, 1995
<PAGE>
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FEBRUARY 23, 1995 DEAN WITTER
NEW YORK TAX-FREE
INCOME FUND
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end,
diversified management investment company whose investment objective is to
provide a high level of current income exempt from federal, New York State and
New York City income tax, consistent with preservation of capital. The Fund
invests principally in New York tax-exempt fixed-income securities which are
rated in the four highest categories by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or
Standard & Poor's Corporation. (See "Investment Practices and Policies".)
A Prospectus for the Fund dated February 23, 1995, which provides the basic
information you should know before investing in the Fund, may be obtained
without charge from the Fund at the address or telephone number listed below or
from the Fund's Distributor, Dean Witter Distributors Inc., or from Dean Witter
Reynolds Inc., at any of its branch offices. This Statement of Additional
Information is not a Prospectus. It contains information in addition to and more
detailed than that set forth in the Prospectus. It is intended to provide you
additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Fund, and
should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.
Dean Witter
New York Tax-Free Income Fund
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
The Fund and its Management............................................................ 3
Trustees and Officers.................................................................. 6
Investment Practices and Policies...................................................... 12
Investment Restrictions................................................................ 19
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage................................................... 20
The Distributor........................................................................ 28
Shareholder Services................................................................... 32
Redemptions and Repurchases............................................................ 36
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes..................................................... 39
Performance Information................................................................ 41
Shares of the Fund..................................................................... 43
Custodian and Transfer Agent........................................................... 43
Independent Accountants................................................................ 43
Reports to Shareholders................................................................ 44
Legal Counsel.......................................................................... 44
Experts................................................................................ 44
Registration Statement................................................................. 44
Report of Independent Accountants...................................................... 45
Financial Statements--December 31, 1994................................................ 46
Appendix............................................................................... 54
</TABLE>
2
<PAGE>
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FUND
The Fund is a Fund of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business
trust" and was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on
January 17, 1985.
THE INVESTMENT MANAGER
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Investment
Manager" or "InterCapital"), whose address is Two World Trade Center, New York,
New York 10048, is the Fund's Investment Manager. InterCapital is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Dean Witter, Discover & Co. ("DWDC"), a Delaware Corporation. In
an internal reorganization which took place in January, 1993, InterCapital
assumed the investment advisory, administrative and management activities
previously performed by the InterCapital Division of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc.
("DWR"), a broker-dealer affiliate of InterCapital. (As hereinafter used in this
Statement of Additional Information, the terms "InterCapital" and "Investment
Manager" refer to DWR's InterCapital Division prior to the internal
reorganization and Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. thereafter.) The daily
management of the Fund and research relating to the Fund's portfolio is
conducted by or under the direction of officers of the Fund and of the
Investment Manager, subject to periodic review by the Fund's Board of Trustees.
In addition, Trustees of the Fund provide guidance on economic factors and
interest rate trends. Information as to these trustees and officers is contained
under the caption, "Trustees and Officers."
InterCapital is also the investment manager or investment adviser of the
following management investment companies: Active Assets Money Trust, Active
Assets Tax-Free Trust, Active Assets Government Securities Trust, Active Assets
California Tax-Free Trust, Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc., InterCapital
Income Securities Inc., Dean Witter High Yield Securities Inc., Dean Witter
Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, Dean Witter Developing Growth Securities Trust,
Dean Witter American Value Fund, Dean Witter Dividend Growth Securities Inc.,
Dean Witter Natural Resource Development Securities Inc., Dean Witter U.S.
Government Money Market Trust, Dean Witter Tax-Exempt Securities Trust, Dean
Witter Variable Investment Series, Dean Witter World Wide Investment Trust, Dean
Witter Select Municipal Reinvestment Fund, Dean Witter U.S. Government
Securities Trust, Dean Witter California Tax-Free Income Fund, Dean Witter
Convertible Securities Trust, Dean Witter Federal Securities Trust, Dean Witter
Value-Added Market Series, High Income Advantage Trust, Dean Witter Government
Income Trust, Dean Witter Utilities Fund, Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust, Dean
Witter Strategist Fund, Dean Witter California Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, High
Income Advantage Trust II, Dean Witter World Wide Income Trust, Dean Witter
Intermediate Income Securities, Dean Witter Capital Growth Securities, Dean
Witter European Growth Fund Inc., Dean Witter Pacific Growth Fund Inc., Dean
Witter Precious Metals and Minerals Trust, Dean Witter Global Short-Term Income
Fund Inc., Dean Witter Multi-State Municipal Series Trust, Dean Witter New York
Municipal Money Market Trust, InterCapital Insured Municipal Bond Trust,
InterCapital Quality Municipal Investment Trust, Dean Witter Premier Income
Trust, Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust, InterCapital Insured
Municipal Trust, InterCapital Quality Municipal Income Trust, InterCapital
California Insured Municipal Income Trust, Dean Witter Diversified Income Trust,
Dean Witter Health Sciences Trust, Dean Witter Retirement Series, InterCapital
Quality Municipal Securities, InterCapital California Quality Municipal
Securities, InterCapital New York Quality Municipal Securities, Dean Witter
Global Dividend Growth Securities, Dean Witter Limited Term Municipal Trust,
Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund, Dean Witter National Municipal Trust, Dean
Witter High Income Securities, Dean Witter International SmallCap Fund, Dean
Witter Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Dean Witter Select Dimensions Investment Series,
Dean Witter Global Utilities Fund, Dean Witter Global Asset Allocation Fund,
InterCapital Insured Municipal Securities, InterCapital Insured California
Municipal Securities, InterCapital Insured Municipal Income Trust, High Income
Advantage Trust III, Municipal Income Trust, Municipal Income Trust II,
Municipal Income Trust III, Municipal Income Opportunities Trust, Municipal
Income Opportunities Trust II, Municipal Income Opportunities Trust III, Prime
Income Trust and Municipal Premium Income Trust. The foregoing investment
companies, together with the Fund, are collectively referred to as the Dean
Witter Funds. In addition, Dean Witter Services Company
3
<PAGE>
Inc. ("DWSC"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of InterCapital, serves as manager for
the following companies for which TCW Funds Management Inc. is the investment
adviser: TCW/DW Core Equity Trust,
TCW/DW North American Government Income Trust, TCW/DW Latin American Growth
Fund, TCW/DW Income and Growth Fund, TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund, TCW/DW
Balanced Fund, TCW/DW North American Intermediate Income Trust, TCW/DW Global
Convertible Trust, TCW/DW Total Return Trust, TCW/DW Emerging Markets
Opportunities Trust, TCW/DW Term Trust 2000, TCW/DW Term Trust 2002 and TCW/DW
Term Trust 2003 (the "TCW/DW Funds"). InterCapital also serves as: (i)
sub-adviser to Templeton Global Opportunities Trust, an open-end investment
company; (ii) administrator of The BlackRock Strategic Term Trust Inc., a
closed-end investment company; and (iii) sub-administrator of MassMutual
Participation Investors and Templeton Global Governments Income Trust,
closed-end investment companies.
The Investment Manager also serves as an investment adviser for Dean Witter
World Wide Investment Fund, an investment company organized under the laws of
Luxembourg, shares of which may not be offered in the United States or purchased
by American citizens outside of the United States.
Pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement (the "Agreement") with the
Investment Manager, the Fund has retained the Investment Manager to manage the
investment of the Fund's assets, including the placing of orders for the
purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Investment Manager obtains and
evaluates such information and advice relating to the economy, securities
markets, and specific securities as it considers necessary or useful to
continuously manage the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with its
investment objective and policies.
Under the terms of the Agreement, in addition to managing the Fund's
investments, the Investment Manager maintains certain of the Fund's books and
records and furnishes, at its own expense, such office space, facilities,
equipment, clerical help, bookkeeping and certain legal services as the Fund may
reasonably require in the conduct of its business, including the preparation of
prospectuses, proxy statements and reports required to be filed with federal and
state securities commissions (except insofar as the participation or assistance
of independent accountants and attorneys is, in the opinion of the Investment
Manager, necessary or desirable). In addition, the Investment Manager pays the
salaries of all personnel, including officers of the Fund, who are employees of
the Investment Manager. The Investment Manager also bears the cost of telephone
service, heat, light, power and other utilities provided to the Fund.
Effective December 31, 1993, pursuant to a Services Agreement between
InterCapital and DWSC, DWSC began to provide the administrative services to the
Fund which were previously performed directly by InterCapital. The foregoing
internal reorganization did not result in any change in the nature or scope of
the administrative services being provided to the Fund or any of the fees being
paid by the Fund for the overall services being performed under the terms of the
existing Agreement.
Expenses not expressly assumed by the Investment Manager under the Agreement
or by the Distributor of the Fund's shares, Dean Witter Distributors Inc.
("Distributors" or the "Distributor") (see "The Distributor") will be paid by
the Fund. The expenses borne by the Fund include, but are not limited to: fees
pursuant to any plan of distribution, charges and expenses of any registrar,
custodian, stock transfer and dividend disbursing agent; brokerage commissions;
taxes; engraving and printing stock certificates; registration costs of the Fund
and its shares under federal and state securities laws; the cost and expense of
printing, including typesetting, and distributing prospectuses and statements of
additional information of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's
shareholders; all expenses of shareholders' and Trustees' meetings and of
preparing, printing and mailing of proxy statements and reports to shareholders;
fees and travel expenses of Trustees or members of any advisory board or
committee who are not employees of the Investment Manager or any corporate
affiliate of the Investment Manager; all expenses incident to any dividend,
withdrawal or redemption options; charges and expenses of any outside service
used for pricing of the Fund's shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel,
including counsel to the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund or
of the Investment Manager (not including compensation or expenses of attorneys
who are employees of the
4
<PAGE>
Investment Manager) and independent accountants; membership dues of industry
associations; interest on Fund borrowings; postage; insurance premiums on
property or personnel (including officers and trustees) of the Fund which inure
to its benefit; extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal
claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification relating
thereto); and all other costs of the Fund's operation.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and expenses of the Fund assumed by the Investment Manager, the Fund pays the
Investment Manager monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the annual
rate of 0.55% to the Fund's net assets not exceeding $500 million and the annual
rate of 0.525% to the Fund's net assets exceeding $500 million. For the fiscal
years ended December 31, 1992, 1993 and 1994, the Fund accrued to the Investment
Manager total compensation under the Agreements in the amounts of $1,070,437,
$1,268,826 and $1,254,000, respectively. The Investment Manager has voluntarily
undertaken that, if in any fiscal year the Fund's total operating expenses,
exclusive of taxes, interest, distribution fees, brokerage fees and
extraordinary expenses, exceed 1 1/2%, of average daily net assets, the
Investment Manager will reimburse the Fund for the amount of such excess. Such
amount, if any, will be calculated daily and credited on a monthly basis. This
undertaking can be revoked by the Investment Manager at any time. For the fiscal
year ended December 31, 1994, the Fund's expenses did not exceed such
limitation.
The Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the
Investment Manager is not liable to the Fund or any of its investors for any act
or omission by the Investment Manager or for any losses sustained by the Fund or
its investors. The Agreement does not restrict the Investment Manager from
acting as investment manager or adviser to others.
The Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees on October 22, 1992 and
by the Shareholders on January 12, 1993. The Agreement is substantially
identical to the prior investment management agreement which was initially
approved by the Board of Trustees on February 13, 1985 and by DWR as the sole
shareholder of the Fund on March 20, 1985. The Agreement took effect on June 30,
1993, upon the spin-off by Sears, Roebuck and Co. of its remaining shares of
DWDC. The Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, on thirty
days' notice, by the Board of Trustees of the Fund, by the holders of a
majority, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"Act"), of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the Investment Manager. The
Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as
defined in the Act). The Agreement may be terminated at any time, without
penalty, on thirty days notice by the Board of Trustees of the Fund, by the
holders of a majority, as defined in the Act, of the outstanding shares of the
Fund, or by the Investment Manager. The Agreement will automatically terminate
in the event of its assignment, as such is defined in the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Act").
Under its terms, the Agreement had an initial term ending April 30, 1994 and
provides that it will continue from year to year thereafter, provided
continuance of the Agreement is approved at least annually by the vote of the
holders of a majority, as defined in the Act, of the outstanding shares of the
Fund, or by the Board of Trustees of the Fund; provided that in either event
such continuance is approved annually by the vote of a majority of the Trustees
of the Fund who are not parties to the Agreement or "interested persons" (as
defined in the Act) of any such party, which vote must be cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. At their meeting held
on April 8, 1994, the Fund's Board of Trustees, including all of the Independent
Trustees, approved continuance of the Agreement until April 30, 1995.
The Fund has acknowledged that the name "Dean Witter" is a property right of
DWR. The Fund has agreed that DWR or its parent company may use or, at any time,
permit others to use, the name "Dean Witter". The Fund has also agreed that in
the event the investment management contract between the Investment Manager and
the Fund is terminated, or if the affiliation between InterCapital and its
parent is terminated, the Fund will eliminate the name "Dean Witter" from its
name if DWR or its parent company shall so request.
5
<PAGE>
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Trustees and Executive Officers of the Fund, their principal business
occupations during the last five years and their affiliations, if any, with
InterCapital, and with the 74 Dean Witter Funds and the 13 TCW/DW Funds, are
shown below.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND
AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>
Jack F. Bennett (71) Retired; Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; formerly Senior
Trustee Vice President and Director of Exxon Corporation (1975-January, 1989)
c/o Gordon Altman Butowsky and Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Monetary Affairs
Weitzen Shalov & Wein (1974-1975); Director of Phillips Electronics N.V. (electronics),
Counsel to the Independent Tandem Computers Inc. and Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company;
Trustees director or trustee of various not-for- profit and business
114 West 47th Street organizations.
New York, New York
Michael Bozic (54) President and Chief Executive Officer of Hills Department Stores (since
Trustee May, 1991); formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (January,
c/o Hills Stores Inc. 1987-August, 1990) and President and Chief Operating Officer (August,
15 Dan Road 1990-February, 1991) of the Sears Merchandise Group of Sears, Roebuck
Canton, Massachusetts and Co.; Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Director of
Eaglemark Financial Services, Company Inc., the United Negro College
Fund and Domain Inc. (home decor retailer).
Charles A. Fiumefreddo* (61) Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer of InterCapital,
Trustee, Chairman, President and Distributors and DWSC; Executive Vice President and Director of DWR;
Chief Executive Officer Trustee or Director, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Two World Trade Center the Dean Witter Funds; Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of
New York, New York the TCW/DW Funds; Chairman and Director of Dean Witter Trust Company
("DWTC"); Director and/or officer of various DWDC subsidiaries and
affiliates; formerly Executive Vice President and Director of DWDC
(until February, 1993).
Edwin J. Garn (62) Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; formerly United States
Trustee Senator (R-Utah) (1974-1992) and Chairman, Senate Banking Committee
c/o Huntsman Chemical (1980-1986); formerly Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah (1971-1974);
Corporation formerly Astronaut, Space Shuttle Discovery (April 12-19, 1985); Vice
2000 Eagle Gate Tower Chairman, Huntsman Chemical Corporation (since January, 1993); Member
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 of the board of various civic and charitable organizations.
John R. Haire (70) Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Committee of
Trustee Independent Directors or Trustees and Director or Trustee of the Dean
Two World Trade Center Witter Funds; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; formerly President, Council
New York, New York for Aid to Education (1978-October, 1989) and Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Anchor Corporation, an Investment Adviser
(1964-1978); Director of Washington National Corporation (insurance).
</TABLE>
6
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND
AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson (46) Senior Partner, Johnson Smick International, Inc., a consulting firm;
Trustee since June, 1985 Koch Professor of International Economics and Director
c/o Johnson Smick of the Center for Global Market Studies at George Mason University
International, Inc. (since September, 1990); Co-Chairman and a founder of the Group of
1133 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Seven Council (G7C), an international economic commission (since
Washington, DC September, 1990); Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Trustee
of the TCW/ DW Funds; Director of Greenwich Capital Markets Inc.
(broker-dealer); formerly Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System (February, 1986-August, 1990) and Assistant
Secretary of the U.S. Treasury (1982-1986).
Paul Kolton (71) Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Chairman of the Audit
c/o Gordon Altman Butowsky Committee and Chairman of the Committee of the Independent Trustees and
Weitzen Shalov & Wein Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; formerly Chairman of the Financial
Counsel to the Independent Accounting Standards Advisory Council and Chairman and Chief Executive
Trustees Officer of the American Stock Exchange; Director of UNUM Corporation
114 West 47th Street (insurance) and UCC Investors Holding Inc. (Uniroyal Chemical Company,
New York, New York Inc.); director or trustee of various not-for-profit organizations.
Michael E. Nugent (58) General Partner, Triumph Capital, L.P., a private investment part-
Trustee nership (since 1988); Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds and
c/o Triumph Capital Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; formerly Vice President, Bankers Trust
237 Park Avenue Company and BT Capital Corporation (1984-1988); Director of various
New York, New York business organizations.
Philip J. Purcell* (51) Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of DWDC,
Trustee DWR and Novus Credit Services, Inc.; Director of InterCapital, DWSC and
Two World Trade Center Distributors; Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Director
New York, New York and/or officier of various DWDC subsidiaries.
John L. Schroeder (64) Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Home
Trustee Insurance Company (since August, 1991); Director or Trustee of the Dean
c/o The Home Insurance Company Witter Funds; Director of Citizens Utilities Company; formerly Chairman
59 Maiden Lane and Chief Investment Officer of Axe-Houghton Management and the
New York, New York Axe-Houghton Funds (April, 1983-June, 1991) and President of USF&G
Financial Services, Inc. (June, 1990-June, 1991).
Sheldon Curtis (63) Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of InterCapital
Vice President, Secretary and and DWSC; Senior Vice President and Secretary of DWTC; Senior Vice
General Counsel President, Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel of
Two World Trade Center Distributors; Assistant Secretary of DWR; Vice President, Secretary and
New York, New York General Counsel of the Dean Witter Funds and TCW/DW Funds.
James F. Willison (51) Senior Vice President of InterCapital; Vice President of various Dean
Vice President Witter Funds.
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York
</TABLE>
7
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND
AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>
Thomas F. Caloia (48) First Vice President (since May, 1991) and Assistant Treasurer (since
Treasurer January, 1993) of InterCapital; First Vice President and Assistant
Two World Trade Center Treasurer of DWSC; Treasurer Dean Witter Funds and TCW/DW Funds;
New York, New York previously Vice President of InterCapital.
<FN>
- ------------------------
*Denotes Trustees who are "interested persons" of the Fund, as defined in the
Act.
</TABLE>
In addition, Robert M. Scanlan, President and Chief Operating Officer of
InterCapital and DWSC, Executive Vice President of Distributors and DWTC, David
A. Hughey, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of
InterCapital, DWSC, Distributors and DWTC and Director of DWTC, and Edmund C.
Puckhaber, Executive Vice President of InterCapital and Director of DWTC and
Jonathan R. Page and Peter M. Avelar, Senior Vice Presidents of InterCapital are
Vice Presidents of the Fund and Marilyn K. Cranney, and Barry Fink, First Vice
Presidents and Assistant General Counsels of InterCapital and DWSC, and Lawrence
S. Lafer, Lou Anne D. McInnis and Ruth Rossi, Vice Presidents and Assistant
General Counsels of InterCapital and DWSC, are Assistant Secretaries of the
Fund.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES; RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPENSATION OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
As mentioned above under the caption "The Fund and its Management," the Fund
is one of the Dean Witter Funds, a group of investment companies managed by
InterCapital. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there
are a total of 74 Dean Witter Funds, comprised of 114 portfolios. As of December
31, 1994, the Dean Witter Funds had total net assets of approximately $59.59
billion and more than five million shareholders.
The Board of Directors or Trustees, consisting of ten (10) directors or
trustees, is the same for each of the Dean Witter Funds. Some of the Funds are
organized as business trusts, others as corporations, but the functions and
duties of directors and trustees are the same. Accordingly, directors and
trustees of the Dean Witter Funds are referred to in this section as Trustees.
Eight Trustees, that is, 80% of the total number, have no affiliation or
business connection with InterCapital or any of its affiliated persons and do
not own any stock or other securities issued by InterCapital's parent company,
DWDC. These are the "disinterested" or "independent" Trustees. Four of the eight
Independent Trustees are also Independent Trustees of the TCW/DW Funds. As of
the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there are a total of 13
TCW/DW Funds. Two of the Funds' Trustees, that is, the management Trustees, are
affiliated with InterCapital.
As noted in a federal court ruling, "[T]he independent directors . . . are
expected to look after the interests of shareholders by 'furnishing an
independent check upon management,' especially with respect to fees paid to the
investment company's sponsor." In addition to their general "watchdog" duties,
the Independent Trustees are charged with a wide variety of responsibilities
under the Act. In order to perform their duties effectively, the Independent
Trustees are required to review and understand large amounts of material, often
of a highly technical and legal nature.
The Dean Witter Funds seek as Independent Trustees individuals of
distinction and experience in business and finance, government service or
academia; that is, people whose advice and counsel are valuable and in demand by
others and for whom there is often competition. To accept a position on the
Funds' Boards, such individuals may reject other attractive assignments because
of the demands made on their time by the Funds. Indeed, to serve on the Funds'
Boards, certain Trustees who would be qualified and in demand to serve on bank
boards would be prohibited by law from serving at the same time as a director of
a national bank and as a Trustee of a Fund.
8
<PAGE>
The Independent Trustees are required to select and nominate individuals to
fill any Independent Trustee vacancy on the Board of any Fund that has a Rule
12b-1 plan of distribution. Since most of the Dean Witter Funds have such a
plan, and since all of the Funds' Boards have the same members, the Independent
Trustees effectively control the selection of other Independent Trustees of all
the Dean Witter Funds.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF THE DEAN WITTER FUNDS
While the regulatory system establishes both general guidelines and specific
duties for the Independent Trustees, the governance arrangements from one
investment company group to another vary significantly. In some groups the
Independent Trustees perform their role by attendance at periodic meetings of
the board of directors with study of materials furnished to them between
meetings. At the other extreme, an investment company complex may employ a
full-time staff to assist the Independent Trustees in the performance of their
duties.
The governance structure of the Dean Witter Funds lies between these two
extremes. The Independent Trustees and the Funds' Investment Manager alike
believe that these arrangements are effective and serve the interests of the
Funds' shareholders. All of the Independent Trustees serve as members of the
Audit Committee and the Committee of the Independent Trustees. Three of them
also serve as members of the Derivatives Committee.
The Committee of the Independent Trustees is charged with recommending to
the full Board approval of management, advisory and administration contracts,
Rule 12b-1 plans and distribution and underwriting agreements, continually
reviewing Fund performance, checking on the pricing of portfolio securities,
brokerage commissions, transfer agent costs and performance, and trading among
Funds in the same complex, and approving fidelity bond and related insurance
coverage and allocations, as well as other matters that arise from time to time.
The Audit Committee is charged with recommending to the full Board the
engagement or discharge of the Fund's independent accountants; directing
investigations into matters within the scope of the independent accountants'
duties, including the power to retain outside specialists; reviewing with the
independent accountants the audit plan and results of the auditing engagement;
approving professional services provided by the independent accountants and
other accounting firms prior to the performance of such services; reviewing the
independence of the independent accountants; considering the range of audit and
non-audit fees; reviewing the adequacy of the Fund's system of internal
controls; advising the independent accountants and Management personnel that
they have direct access to the Committee at all times; and preparing and
submitting Committee meeting minutes to the full Board.
Finally, the Board of each Fund has established a Derivatives Committee to
establish parameters for and oversee the activities of the Fund with respect to
derivative investments, if any, made by the Fund.
During the calendar year ended December 31, 1994, the three Committees held
a combined total of eleven meetings. The Committee meetings are sometimes held
away from the offices of InterCapital and sometimes in the Board room of
InterCapital. These meetings are held without management directors or officers
being present, unless and until they may be invited to the meeting for purposes
of furnishing information or making a report. These separate meetings provide
the Independent Trustees an opportunity to explore in depth with their own
independent legal counsel, independent auditors and other independent
consultants, as needed, the issues they believe should be addressed and resolved
in the interests of the Funds' shareholders.
9
<PAGE>
DUTIES OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
The Chairman of the Committees maintains an office at the Funds'
headquarters in New York. He is responsible for keeping abreast of regulatory
and industry developments and the Funds' operations and management. He screens
and/or prepares written materials and identifies critical issues for the
Independent Trustees to consider, develops agendas for Committee meetings,
determines the type and amount of information that the Committees will need to
form a judgment on the issues, and arranges to have the information furnished.
He also arranges for the services of independent experts to be provided to the
Committees and consults with them in advance of meetings to help refine reports
and to focus on critical issues. Members of the Committees believe that the
person who serves as Chairman of all three Committees and guides their efforts
is pivotal to the effective functioning of the Committees.
The Chairman of the Committees also maintains continuous contact with the
Funds' management, with independent counsel to the Independent Trustees and with
the Funds' independent auditors. He arranges for a series of special meetings
involving the annual review of investment management and other operating
contracts of the Funds and, on behalf of the Committees, conducts negotiations
with the Investment Manager and other service providers. In effect, the Chairman
of the Committees serves as a combination of chief executive and support staff
of the Independent Trustees.
The Chairman of the Committees is not employed by any other organization and
devotes his time primarily to the services he performs as Committee Chairman and
Independent Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds and as an Independent Trustee of
the TCW/DW Funds. The current Committee Chairman has had more than 35 years
experience as a senior executive in the investment company industry.
VALUE OF HAVING SAME INDIVIDUALS AS INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES FOR ALL DEAN WITTER
FUNDS
The Independent Trustees and the Funds' management believe that having the
same Independent Trustees for each of the Dean Witter Funds is in the best
interests of all the Funds' shareholders. This arrangement avoids the
duplication of effort that would arise from having different groups of
individuals serving as Independent Trustees for each of the Funds or even of
sub-groups of Funds. It is believed that having the same individuals serve as
Independent Trustees of all the Funds tends to increase their knowledge and
expertise regarding matters which affect the Fund complex generally and enhances
their ability to negotiate on behalf of each Fund with the Fund's service
providers. This arrangement also precludes the likelihood of separate groups of
Independent Trustees arriving at conflicting decisions regarding operations and
management of the Funds and avoids the cost and confusion that would likely
ensue. Finally, it is believed that having the same Independent Trustees serve
on all Fund Boards enhances the ability of each Fund to obtain, at modest cost
to each separate Fund, the services of Independent Trustees, and a Chairman of
their Committees, of the caliber, experience and business acumen of the
individuals who serve as Independent Trustees of the Dean Witter Funds.
COMPENSATION OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
The Fund pays each Independent Trustee an annual fee of $1,200 plus a per
meeting fee of $50 for meetings of the Board of Trustees or committees of the
Board of Trustees attended by the Trustee (the Fund pays the Chairman of the
Audit Committee an annual fee of $1,000 and pays the Chairman of the Committee
of the Independent Trustees an additional annual fee of $2,400, in each case
inclusive of the Committee meeting fees). The Fund also reimburses such Trustees
for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with
attending such meetings. Trustees and officers of the Fund who are or have been
employed by the Investment Manager or an affiliated company receive no
compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund.
The Fund has adopted a retirement program under which an Independent Trustee
who retires after serving for at least five years (or such lesser period as may
be determined by the Board) as an Independent Director or Trustee of any Dean
Witter Fund that has adopted the retirement program (each
10
<PAGE>
such Fund referred to as an "Adopting Fund" and each such Trustee referred to as
an "Eligible Trustee") is entitled to retirement payments upon reaching the
eligible retirement age (normally, after attaining age 72). Annual payments are
based upon length of service. Currently, upon retirement, each Eligible Trustee
is entitled to receive from the Fund, commencing as of his or her retirement
date and continuing for the remainder of his or her life, an annual retirement
benefit (the "Regular Benefit") equal to 28.75% of his or her Eligible
Compensation plus 0.4791666% of such Eligible Compensation for each full month
of service as an Independent Director or Trustee of any Adopting Fund in excess
of five years up to a maximum of 57.50% after ten years of service. The
foregoing percentages may be changed by the Board.(1) "Eligible Compensation" is
one-fifth of the total compensation earned by such Eligible Trustee for service
to the Fund in the five year period prior to the date of the Eligible Trustee's
retirement. Benefits under the retirement program are not secured or funded by
the Fund. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, 58 Dean
Witter Funds have adopted the retirement program.
The following table illustrates the compensation paid and the retirement
benefits accrued to the Fund's Independent Trustees by the Fund for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 1994 and the estimated retirement benefits for the
Fund's Independent Trustees as of December 31, 1994.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
ESTIMATED RETIREMENT BENEFITS
FUND COMPENSATION ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------- ESTIMATED ESTIMATED
RETIREMENT CREDIT YEARS ESTIMATED ANNUAL
AGGREGATE BENEFITS OF SERVICE AT PERCENTAGE OF ESTIMATED BENEFITS
NAME OF INDEPENDENT COMPENSATION ACCRUED AS RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE ELIGIBLE UPON
TRUSTEE FROM THE FUND FUND EXPENSES (MAXIMUM 10) COMPENSATION COMPENSATION(2) RETIREMENT(3)
- ------------------------- --------------- --------------- ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- -------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Jack F. Bennett.......... $ 1,900 $ 616 8 46.0% $ 2,219 $ 1,021
Michael Bozic............ 1,227 0 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
Edwin J. Garn............ 1,900 440 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
John R. Haire............ 4,900(4) 1,527 10 57.5 5,110 2,938
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson.... 1,850 184 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
Paul Kolton.............. 1,950 695 9 51.3 2,380 1,220
Michael E. Nugent........ 1,750 309 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
John L. Schroeder........ 1,277 0 8 47.9 1,950 934
</TABLE>
- ---------------
(1) An Eligible Trustee may elect alternate payments of his or her retirement
benefits based upon the combined life expectancy of such Eligible Trustee
and his or her spouse on the date of such Eligible Trustee's retirement. The
amount estimated to be payable under this method, through the remainder of
the later of the lives of such Eligible Trustee and spouse, will be the
actuarial equivalent of the Regular Benefit. In addition, the Eligible
Trustee may elect that the surviving spouse's periodic payment of benefits
will be equal to either 50% or 100% of the previous periodic amount, an
election that, respectively, increases or decreases the previous periodic
amount so that the resulting payments will be the actuarial equivalent of
the Regular Benefit.
(2) Based on current levels of compensation.
(3) Based on current levels of compensation. Amount of annual benefits also
varies depending on the Trustee's elections described in Footnote (1) above.
(4) Of Mr. Haire's compensation from the Fund, $3,400 is paid to him as
Chairman of the Committee of the Independent Trustees ($2,400) and as
Chairman of the Audit Committee ($1,000).
11
<PAGE>
CASH COMPENSATION FROM DEAN WITTER FUNDS AND TCW/DW FUNDS
The following table illustrates the compensation paid to the Fund's
Independent Trustees for the calendar year ended December 31, 1994 for services
to the 73 Dean Witter Funds and, in the case of Messrs. Haire, Johnson, Kolton
and Nugent, the 13 TCW/DW Funds that were in operation at December 31, 1994.
With respect to Messrs. Haire, Johnson, Kolton and Nugent, the TCW/DW Funds are
included solely because of a limited exchange privilege between those Funds and
five Dean Witter Money Market Funds.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR SERVICE AS
FOR SERVICE CHAIRMAN OF TOTAL CASH
AS DIRECTOR OR FOR SERVICE AS COMMITTEES OF COMPENSATION
TRUSTEE AND TRUSTEE AND INDEPENDENT FOR SERVICES TO
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMITTEE MEMBER DIRECTORS/ 73 DEAN WITTER
OF 73 DEAN WITTER OF 13 TCW/DW TRUSTEES AND FUNDS AND 13
NAME OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE FUNDS FUNDS AUDIT COMMITTEES TCW/DW FUNDS
- --------------------------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- -------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Jack F. Bennett.............................. $ 125,761 -- -- $ 125,761
Michael Bozic................................ 82,637 -- -- 82,637
Edwin J. Garn................................ 125,711 -- -- 125,711
John R. Haire................................ 101,061 $ 66,950 $ 225,563(5) 393,574
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson........................ 122,461 60,750 -- 183,211
Paul Kolton.................................. 128,961 51,850 34,200(6) 215,011
Michael E. Nugent............................ 115,761 52,650 -- 168,411
John L. Schroeder............................ 85,938 -- -- 85,938
</TABLE>
- ---------------
(5) For the 73 Dean Witter Funds.
(6) For the 13 TCW/DW Funds.
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the aggregate
number of shares of beneficial interest of the Fund owned by the Fund's officers
and Trustees as a group was less than 1 percent of the Fund's shares of
beneficial interest outstanding.
INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND POLICIES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
TAXABLE SECURITIES. As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest up
to 20% of its total assets in taxable money market instruments, non-New York
tax-exempt securities, futures and options. Investments in taxable money market
instruments would generally be made under any one of the following
circumstances: (a) pending investment of proceeds of sales of Fund shares or of
portfolio securities, (b) pending settlement of purchases of portfolio
securities and (c) to maintain liquidity for the purpose of meeting anticipated
redemptions. Only those non-New York tax-exempt securities which satisfy the
standards established for New York tax-exempt securities may be purchased by the
Fund.
In addition, the Fund may temporarily invest more than 20% of its total
assets in non-New York tax-exempt securities and taxable money market
instruments, or in tax-exempt securities subject to the federal alternative
minimum tax for individual shareholders, to maintain a "defensive" posture when,
in the opinion of the Investment Manager, it is advisable to do so because of
market conditions. The types of taxable money market instruments in which the
Fund may invest are limited to the following short-term fixed-income securities
(maturing in one year or less from the time of purchase): (i) obligations of the
United States Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or authorities; (ii)
commercial paper rated P-1 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or A-1
by Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P"); (iii) certificates of deposit of
domestic banks with assets of $1 billion or more; and (iv) repurchase agreements
with respect to portfolio securities.
12
<PAGE>
TAX-EXEMPT SECURITIES. As discussed in the Prospectus, at least 80% of the
Fund's total assets will be invested in New York tax-exempt securities (New York
Municipal Bonds, New York Municipal Notes and New York Municipal Commercial
Paper). In regard to the Moody's and S&P ratings discussed in the Prospectus, it
should be noted that the ratings represent the organizations' opinions as to the
quality of
the securities which they undertake to rate and that the ratings are general and
not absolute standards of quality. For a description of Municipal Bond,
Municipal Note and Municipal Commercial Paper ratings by Moody's and S&P, see
the Appendix to this Statement of Additional Information.
The Fund does not have any minimum quality rating standard for its
downgraded investments. As such, the Fund may hold securities rated as low as
Caa, Ca or C by Moody's or CCC, CC, C or CI by S&P. Bonds rated Caa or Ca by
Moody's may already be in default on payment of interest or principal, while
bonds rated C by Moody's, their lowest bond rating, can be regarded as having
extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing. Bonds
rated CI by S&P, their lowest bond rating, are no longer making interest
payments.
The payment of principal and interest by issuers of certain Municipal
Obligations purchased by the Fund may be guaranteed by letters of credit or
other credit facilities offered by banks or other financial institutions. Such
guarantees will be considered in determining whether a Municipal Obligation
meets the Fund's investment quality requirements. In addition, some issues may
contain provisions which permit the Fund to demand from the issuer repayment of
principal at some specified period(s) prior to maturity.
MUNICIPAL BONDS. Municipal Bonds, as referred to in the Prospectus, are
debt obligations of a United States territory or possession, state, its cities,
municipalities and municipal agencies (all of which are generally referred to as
"municipalities") which generally have a maturity at the time of issuance of one
year or more, and the interest from which is, in the opinion of bond counsel,
exempt from federal income tax. In addition to these requirements, the interest
from New York Municipal Bonds must be, in the opinion of bond counsel, exempt
from New York personal income tax. They are issued to raise funds for various
public purposes, such as construction of a wide range of public facilities, to
refund outstanding obligations and to obtain funds for general operating
expenses or to loan to other public institutions and facilities. In addition,
certain types of industrial development bonds and pollution control bonds are
issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide funding for various
privately operated facilities.
MUNICIPAL NOTES. Municipal Notes are short-term obligations of
municipalities, generally with a maturity at the time of issuance ranging from
six months to three years, the interest from which is, in the opinion of bond
counsel, exempt from federal income tax. In addition to those requirements, the
interest from New York Municipal Notes must be, in the opinion of bond counsel,
exempt from New York personal income tax. The principal types of Municipal Notes
include tax anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, revenue anticipation
notes and project notes, although there are other types of Municipal Notes in
which the Fund may invest. Notes sold in anticipation of collection of taxes, a
bond sale or receipt of other revenues are usually general obligations of the
issuing municipality or agency.
MUNICIPAL COMMERCIAL PAPER. Municipal Commercial Paper refers to short-term
obligations of municipalities the interest from which is, in the opinion of bond
counsel, exempt from federal income tax. In addition to those requirements, the
interest from New York Commercial Paper must be, in the opinion of bond counsel,
exempt from New York personal income tax. They may be issued at a discount and
are sometimes referred to as Short-Term Discount Notes. Municipal Commercial
Paper is likely to be used to meet seasonal working capital needs of a
municipality or interim construction financing and to be paid from general
revenues of the municipality or refinanced with long-term debt. In most cases
Municipal Commercial Paper is backed by letters of credit, lending agreements,
note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks
or other institutions.
Issuers of these obligations are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy,
insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such
as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by
Congress or any state extending the time for payment of principal or interest,
or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations or
upon municipalities to
13
<PAGE>
levy taxes. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or
other conditions the power or ability of any one or more issuers to pay, when
due, principal of and interest on its, or their, Municipal Bonds, Municipal
Notes and Municipal Commercial Paper may be materially affected.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS
Because of the special nature of securities which are rated below investment
grade by national credit rating agencies ("lower-rated securities"), the
Investment Manager must take into account certain special considerations in
assessing the risks associated with such investments. For example, as the
lower-rated securities market is relatively new, its growth has paralleled a
long economic expansion and it has not weathered a recession in its present size
and form. Therefore, an economic downturn or increase in interest rates is
likely to have a negative effect on this market and on the value of the
lower-rated securities held by the Fund, as well as on the ability of the
securities' issuers to repay principal and interest on their borrowings.
The prices of lower-rated securities have been found to be less sensitive to
changes in prevailing interest rates than higher-rated investments, but are
likely to be more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate
developments. During an economic downturn or substantial period of rising
interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which
would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest
payment obligations, to meet their projected business goals or to obtain
additional financing. If the issuer of a fixed-income security owned by the Fund
defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In addition,
periods of economic uncertainty and change can be expected to result in an
increased volatility of market prices of lower rated securities and a
concomitant volatility in the net asset value of a share of the Fund. Moreover,
the market prices of certain of the Fund's portfolio securities which are
structured as zero coupon securities are affected to a greater extent by
interest rate changes and thereby tend to be more volatile than securities which
pay interest periodically and in cash (see "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes"
for a discussion of the tax ramifications of investments in such securities).
The secondary market for lower-rated securities may be less liquid than the
markets for higher quality securities and, as such, may have an adverse effect
on the market prices of certain securities. The limited liquidity of the market
may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund's Trustees to arrive at a fair
value for certain lower-rated securities at certain times and should make it
difficult for the Fund to sell certain securities.
New laws and proposed new laws may have a potentially negative impact on the
market for lower-rated securities. For example, recent legislation requires
federally-insured savings and loan associations to divest their investments in
lower-rated securities. This legislation and other proposed legislation may have
an adverse effect upon the value of lower-rated securities and a concomitant
negative impact upon the net asset value of a share of the Fund.
VARIABLE RATE OBLIGATIONS. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest
in obligations of the type called "variable rate obligations". The interest rate
payable on a variable rate obligation is adjusted either at predesignated
periodic intervals or whenever there is a change in the market rate of interest
on which the interest rate payable is based. Other features may include the
right whereby the Fund may demand prepayment of the principal amount of the
obligation prior to its stated maturity (a "demand feature") and the right of
the issuer to prepay the principal amount prior to maturity. The principal
benefit of a variable rate obligation is that the interest rate adjustment
minimizes changes in the market value of the obligation. The principal benefit
to the Fund of purchasing obligations with a demand feature is that liquidity,
and the ability of the Fund to obtain repayment of the full principal amount of
the obligation prior to maturity, is enhanced.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to
brokers, dealers and financial institutions provided that cash equal to at least
100%, of the market value of the securities loaned is deposited by the borrower
with the Fund and is maintained each business day in a segregated account
pursuant to applicable regulations. While such securities are on loan, the
borrower will pay the Fund any income accruing thereon, and the Fund may invest
the cash collateral in portfolio securities, thereby earning additional income.
The Fund will not lend its portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted
by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for
sale and will not lend more than 25% of the value of its total assets. Loans
will be subject to termination by the Fund in the
14
<PAGE>
normal settlement time, currently five business days after notice, or by the
borrower on one day's notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan
is terminated. Any gain or loss in the market price of the borrowed securities
which occurs during the term of the loan inures to the Fund and its
shareholders. The Fund may pay reasonable finders, borrowers, administrative,
and custodial fees in connection with a loan. The creditworthiness of firms to
which the Fund lends its portfolio securities will be monitored on an ongoing
basis. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, the Fund did not loan its
portfolio securities and it has no current intention to loan its portfolio
securities in the foreseeable future.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. As
discussed in the Prospectus, from time to time, in the ordinary course of
business, the Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery
basis and may purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis. When
such transactions are negotiated, the price is fixed at the time of the
commitment, but delivery and payment can take place a month or more after the
date of the commitment. The securities so purchased are subject to market
fluctuation and no interest accrues to the purchaser during this period. While
the Fund will only purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or
forward commitment basis with the intention of acquiring the securities, the
Fund may sell the securities before the settlement date, if it is deemed
advisable. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund will record the transaction and
thereafter reflect the value, each day, of such security in determining the net
asset value of the Fund. At the time of delivery of the securities, the value
may be more or less than the purchase price. The Fund will also establish a
segregated account with the Fund's custodian bank in which it will continuously
maintain cash or U.S. Government securities or other high grade debt portfolio
securities equal in value to commitments for such when-issued or delayed
delivery securities; subject to this requirement, the Fund may purchase
securities on such basis without limit. An increase in the percentage of the
Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a when-issued or
delayed delivery basis may increase the volatility of the Fund's net asset
value. The Investment Manager and the Trustees do not believe that the Fund's
net asset value or income will be adversely affected by its purchase of
securities on such basis.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. As discussed in the Prospectus, when cash may be
available for only a few days, it may be invested by the Fund in repurchase
agreements until such time as it may otherwise be invested or used for payments
of obligations of the Fund. These agreements, which may be viewed as a type of
secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of
debt securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and
loan association or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will
sell back to the institution, and that the institution will repurchase, the
underlying security ("collateral"), which is held by the Fund's Custodian at a
specified price and at a fixed time in the future which is usually not more than
seven days from the date of purchase. The Fund will receive interest from the
institution until the time when the repurchase is to occur. Although such date
is deemed by the Fund to be the maturity date of a repurchase agreement, the
maturities of securities subject to repurchase agreements are not subject to any
limits and may exceed one year. While repurchase agreements involve certain
risks not associated with direct investments in debt securities, the Fund
follows procedures designed to minimize such risks. These procedures include
effecting repurchase transactions only with large well-capitalized and
well-established financial institutions, whose financial condition will be
continually monitored. In addition, the value of the collateral underlying the
repurchase agreement will always be at least equal to the repurchase price,
including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event
of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund will
seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the Fund's right
to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the
extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to
repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss. It
is the current policy of the Fund not to invest in repurchase agreements that do
not mature within seven days if any such investment, together with any other
illiquid assets held by the Fund, amounts to more than 10% of its total assets.
HEDGING ACTIVITIES
The Fund may enter financial futures contracts, options on such futures and
municipal bond index futures contracts for hedging purposes.
15
<PAGE>
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in financial futures
contracts ("futures contracts") and related options thereon. These futures
contracts and related options thereon will be used only as a hedge against
anticipated interest rate changes. A futures contract sale creates an obligation
by the Fund, as seller, to deliver the specific type of instrument called for in
the contract at a specified future time for a specified price. A futures
contract purchase would create an obligation by the Fund, as purchaser, to take
delivery of the specific type of financial instrument at a specified future time
at a specified price. The specific securities delivered or taken, respectively,
at settlement date, would not be determined until or near that date. The
determination would be in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the
futures contract sale or purchase was effected.
Although the terms of futures contracts specify actual delivery or receipt
of securities, in most instances the contracts are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery of the securities.
Closing out of a futures contract is usually effected by entering into an
offsetting transaction. An offsetting transaction for a futures contract sale is
effected by the Fund entering into a futures contract purchase for the same
aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument at the same
delivery date. If the price in the sale exceeds the price in the offsetting
purchase, the Fund is immediately paid the difference and thus realizes a gain.
If the offsetting purchase price exceeds the sale price, the Fund pays the
difference and realizes the loss. Similarly, the closing out of a futures
contract purchase is effected by the Fund entering into a futures contract sale.
If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price the Fund realizes a
gain, and if the offsetting sale price is less than the purchase price the Fund
realizes a loss.
Unlike a futures contract, which requires the parties to buy and sell a
security on a set date, an option on a futures contract entitles its holder to
decide on or before a future date whether to enter into such a contract. If the
holder decides not to enter into the contract, the premium paid for the option
is lost. Since the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are
no daily payments of cash to reflect the change in the value of the underlying
contract, as discussed below for futures contracts. The value of the option
changes and is reflected in the net asset value of the Fund.
The Fund is required to maintain margin deposits with brokerage firms
through which it effects futures contracts and options thereon. The initial
margin requirements vary according to the type of the underlying security. In
addition, due to current industry practice daily variations in gains and losses
on open contracts are required to be reflected in cash in the form of variation
margin payments. The Fund may be required to make additional margin payments
during the term of the contract.
Currently, futures contracts can be purchased on debt securities such as
U.S. Treasury Bills and Bonds, U.S. Treasury Notes with maturities between 6 1/2
and 10 years, Certificates of the Government National Mortgage Association and
Bank Certificates of Deposit. The Fund may invest in interest rate futures
contracts covering these types of financial instruments as well as in new types
of contracts that become available in the future.
Financial futures contracts are traded in an auction environment on the
floors of several Exchanges--principally the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange and the New York Futures Exchange. Each exchange guarantees
performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a
nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership which is also
responsible for handling daily accounting of deposits or withdrawals of margin.
A risk in employing futures contracts to protect against the price
volatility of portfolio securities is that the prices of securities subject to
futures contracts may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash prices
of the Fund's portfolio securities. The correlation may be distorted by the fact
that the futures market is dominated by short-term traders seeking to profit
from the difference between a contract or security price objective and their
cost of borrowed funds. This would reduce their value for hedging purposes over
a short time period. The correlation may be further distorted since the futures
contracts that are being used to hedge are not based on municipal obligations.
16
<PAGE>
Another risk is that the Fund's manager could be incorrect in its
expectations as to the direction or extent of various interest rate movements or
the time span within which the movements take place. For example, if the Fund
sold futures contracts for the sale of securities in anticipation of an increase
in interest rates, and then interest rates went down instead, causing bond
prices to rise, the Fund would lose money on the sale.
Put and call options on financial futures have similar characteristics as
exchange-traded options. See below for a further description of options.
In addition to the risks associated with investing in options on securities,
there are particular risks associated with investing in options on futures. In
particular, the ability to establish and close out positions on such options
will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market.
It is not certain that this market will develop.
In order to assure that the Fund is entering into transactions in futures
contracts for hedging purposes as such is defined by the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission either: 1) a substantial majority (i.e., approximately 75%)
of all anticipatory hedge transactions (transactions in which the Fund does not
own at the time of the transaction, but expects to acquire, the securities
underlying the relevant futures contract) involving the purchase of futures
contracts will be completed by the purchase of securities which are the subject
of the hedge or 2) the underlying value of all long positions in futures
contracts will not exceed the total value of a) all short-term debt obligations
held by the Fund; b) cash held by the Fund; c) cash proceeds due to the Fund on
investments within thirty days; d) the margin deposited on the contracts; and e)
any unrealized appreciation in the value of the contracts.
The Fund may not enter into futures contracts or related options thereon if
immediately thereafter the amount committed to margin plus the amount paid for
option premiums exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets. In instances
involving the purchase of futures contracts by the Fund, the market value of the
futures contract will be deposited in a segregated account of cash and cash
equivalents to collateralize the position and thereby ensure that the use of
such futures is unleveraged. The Fund may not purchase or sell futures contacts
or related options if immediately thereafter more than one-third of its net
assets would be hedged.
MUNICIPAL BOND INDEX FUTURES. The Fund may utilize municipal bond index
futures contracts for hedging purposes. The Fund's strategies in employing such
contracts will be similar to that discussed above with respect to financial
futures and options thereon. A municipal bond index is a method of reflecting in
a single number the market value of many different municipal bonds and is
designed to be representative of the municipal bond market generally. The index
fluctuates in response to changes in the market values of the bonds included
within the index. Unlike futures contracts on particular financial instruments,
transactions in futures on a municipal bond index will be settled in cash if
held until the close of trading in the contract. However, like any other futures
contract, a position in the contract may be closed out by purchase or sale of an
offsetting contract for the same delivery month prior to expiration of the
contract.
OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase or sell (write) options on debt securities
as a means of achieving additional return or hedging the value of the Fund's
portfolio. The Fund would only buy options listed on national securities
exchanges. The Fund will not purchase options if, as a result, the aggregate
cost of all outstanding options exceeds 10% of the Fund's total assets.
Presently there are no options on New York tax-exempt securities traded on
national securities exchanges and until such time as they become available, the
Fund will not invest in options on debt securities. It is anticipated that such
instruments will not become available during the next year.
A call option is a contract that gives the holder of the option the right to
buy from the writer of the call option, in return for a premium, the security
underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term
of the option. The writer of the call option has the obligation upon exercise of
the option to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price
during the option period. A put
17
<PAGE>
option is a contract that gives the holder of the option the right to sell to
the writer, in return for a premium, the underlying security at a specified
price during the term of the option. The writer of the put has the obligation to
buy the underlying security upon exercise, at the exercise price during the
option period.
The Fund will only write covered call or covered put options. The Fund may
not write covered options in an amount exceeding 20% of the value of its total
assets. A call option is "covered" if the Fund owns the underlying security
subject to the option or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that
security or futures contract without additional cash consideration (or for
additional cash consideration held in a segregated account by its custodian)
upon conversion or exchange of other securities held in its portfolio. A call
option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same security or futures
contract as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i)
equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written or (ii) greater
than the exercise price of the call written if the difference is maintained by
the Fund in cash, Treasury bills or other high grade short-term obligations in a
segregated account with its custodian. A put option is "covered" if the Fund
maintains cash, Treasury bills or other high grade short-term obligations with a
value equal to the exercise price in a segregated account with its custodian, or
else holds a put on the same security or futures contract as the put written
where the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater than the
exercise price of the put written.
If the Fund has written an option, it may terminate its obligation by
effecting a closing purchase transaction. This is accomplished by purchasing an
option of the same series as the option previously written. However, once the
Fund has been assigned an exercise notice, the Fund will be unable to effect a
closing purchase transaction. Similarly, if the Fund is the holder of an option
it may liquidate its position by effecting a closing sale transaction. This is
accomplished by selling an option of the same series as the option previously
purchased. There can be no assurance that either a closing purchase or sale
transaction can be effected when the Fund so desires.
The Fund will realize a profit from a closing transaction if the price of
the transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option or is
more than the premium paid to purchase the option; the Fund will realize a loss
from a closing transaction if the price of the transaction is more than the
premium received from writing the option or is less than the premium paid to
purchase the option. Since call option prices generally reflect increases in the
price of the underlying security, any loss resulting from the repurchase of a
call option may also be wholly or partially offset by unrealized appreciation of
the underlying security. Other principal factors affecting the market value of a
put or a call option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current
market price and price volatility of the underlying security and the time
remaining until the expiration date.
An option position may be closed out only on an exchange which provides a
secondary market for an option of the same series. Although the Fund will
generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an
active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on
an exchange will exist for any particular option. In such event it might not be
possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, so that the Fund
would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would
incur brokerage commissions upon the exercise of call options and upon the
subsequent disposition of underlying securities for the exercise of put options.
If the Fund as a covered call option writer is unable to effect a closing
purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the
underlying security until the option expires or it delivers the underlying
security upon exercise.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The Fund's portfolio turnover rate during the fiscal year ended December 31,
1994 was 10%. It is anticipated that the Fund's portfolio turnover rate will not
exceed 50% during the fiscal year ending December 31, 1994. A 50% turnover rate
would occur, for example, if 50% of the securities held in the Fund's portfolio
(excluding all securities whose maturities at acquisition were one year or less)
were sold and replaced within one year. However, the Fund may engage in
short-term trading consistent with its investment objective. Securities may be
sold in anticipation of a market decline (a rise in interest rates) or purchased
in anticipation of a market rise (a decline in interest rates). In addition, a
security may be sold and another security of comparable quality purchased at
approximately the same time to take
advan-
18
<PAGE>
tage of what the Investment Manager believes to be a temporary disparity in the
normal yield relationship between the two securities. These yield disparities
may occur for reasons not directly related to the investment quality of
particular issues or the general movement of interest rates, such as changes in
the overall demand for, or supply of, various types of tax-exempt securities.
In general, purchases and sales may also be made to restructure the
portfolio in terms of average maturity, quality, coupon yield, or
diversification for any one or more of the following purposes: (a) to increase
income, (b) to improve portfolio quality, (c) to minimize capital depreciation,
(d) to realize gains or losses, or for such other reasons as the Investment
Manager deems relevant in light of economic and market conditions.
The Fund does not generally intend to invest more than 25% of its total
assets in securities of any one governmental unit. Subject to investment
restriction number 3 in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest more than 25% of its
total assets in industrial development and pollution control bonds (two kinds of
tax-exempt Municipal Bonds).
The Fund may invest in obligations customarily sold to institutional
investors in private transactions with the issuers thereof and up to 5% of its
total assets in securities for which a BONA FIDE market does not exist at the
time of purchase. With respect to any securities as to which a BONA FIDE market
does not exist, the Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities promptly at
reasonable prices. It is the Fund's current intention not to invest in such
obligations.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the investment restrictions enumerated in the Prospectus, the
investment restrictions listed below have been adopted by the Fund as
fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the vote of a majority of
the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the Act. Such a
majority is defined as the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares present at a meeting
of shareholders, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of the Fund. For purposes of the following restrictions and
those recited in the Prospectus: (a) an "issuer" of a security is the entity
whose assets and revenues are committed to the payment of interest and principal
on that particular security, provided that securities guaranteed by separate
entities will be considered separate securities; (b) a "taxable security" is any
security the interest on which is subject to federal income tax; and (c) all
percentage limitations apply immediately after a purchase or initial investment,
and any subsequent change in any applicable percentage resulting from market
fluctuations or other changes in total or net assets does not require
elimination of any security from the portfolio.
The Fund may not:
1. Invest in common stock.
2. Invest in securities of any issuer if, to the knowledge of the Fund,
any officer or Trustee of the Fund or officer or director of the Investment
Manager owns more than 1/2 of 1% of the outstanding securities of such
issuer, and such officers and directors who own more than 1/2 of 1% own in
the aggregate more than 5% of the outstanding securities of such issuer.
3. Purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, although it may
purchase securities secured by real estate or interests therein.
4. Purchase or sell commodities except that the Fund may purchase
financial futures contracts and related options in accordance with
procedures adopted by the Trustees described in its Prospectus and Statement
of Additional Information.
5. Purchase oil, gas or other mineral leases, rights or royalty
contracts, or exploration or development programs.
19
<PAGE>
6. Write, purchase or sell puts, calls, or combinations thereof except
options on futures contracts or options on debt securities.
7. Purchase securities of other investment companies, except in
connection with a merger, consolidation, reorganization or acquisition of
assets.
8. Borrow money, except that the Fund may borrow from a bank for
temporary or emergency purposes in amounts not exceeding 5% (taken at the
lower of cost or current value) of the value of its total assets (not
including the amount borrowed).
9. Pledge its assets or assign or otherwise encumber them except to
secure permitted borrowings. (For the purpose of this restriction,
collateral arrangements with respect to the writing of options and
collateral arrangements with respect to initial margin for futures are not
deemed to be pledges of assets and neither such arrangements nor the
purchase or sale of futures are deemed to be the issuance of a senior
security as set forth in restriction 10.)
10. Issue senior securities as defined in the Act except insofar as the
Fund may be deemed to have issued a senior security by reason of: (a)
entering into any repurchase agreement; (b) purchasing any securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis; or (c) borrowing money in accordance
with restrictions described above.
11. Make loans of money or securities, except: (a) by the purchase of
debt obligations in which the Fund may invest consistent with its investment
objective and policies; (b) by investment in repurchase agreements; and (c)
by lending its portfolio securities.
12. Make short sales of securities.
13. Purchase securities on margin, except for such short-term loans as
are necessary for the clearance of purchases of portfolio securities. The
deposit or payment by the Fund of initial or variation margin in connection
with futures contracts or related options thereon is not considered the
purchase of a security on margin.
14. Engage in the underwriting of securities, except insofar as the Fund
may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in disposing
of a portfolio security.
15. Invest for the purpose of exercising control or management of any
other issuer.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Investment Manager is responsible for decisions to buy and sell
securities and commodities for the Fund, the selection of brokers and dealers to
effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any.
The Fund expects that the primary market for the securities in which it intends
to invest will generally be the over-the-counter market. Securities are
generally traded in the over-the-counter market on a "net" basis with dealers
acting as principal for their own accounts without charging a stated commission,
although the price of the security usually includes a profit to the dealer.
Options and futures transactions will usually be effected through a broker and a
commission will be charged. The Fund also expects that securities will be
purchased at times in underwritten offerings where the price includes a fixed
amount of compensation, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or
discount. On occasion, the Fund may also purchase certain money market
instruments directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts
are paid. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 1992, 1993 and 1994, the
Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions.
The Investment Manager currently serves as investment manager to a number of
clients, including other investment companies, and may in the future act as
investment manager or adviser to others. It is the practice of the Investment
Manager to cause purchase and sale transactions to be allocated among the Fund
and others whose assets it manages in such manner as it deems equitable. In
making such allocations among the Fund and other client accounts, the main
factors considered are the respective
20
<PAGE>
investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or
comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment, the size of
investment commitments generally held and the opinions of the persons
responsible for managing the portfolios of the Fund and other client accounts.
The policy of the Fund, regarding purchases and sales of securities for its
portfolio, is that primary consideration be given to obtaining the most
favorable prices and efficient execution of transactions. In seeking to
implement the Fund's policies, the Investment Manager effects transactions with
those brokers and dealers who the Investment Manager believes provide the most
favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions. If the
Investment Manager believes such price and executions are obtainable from more
than one broker or dealer, it may give consideration to placing portfolio
transactions with those brokers and dealers who also furnish research and other
services to the Fund or the Investment Manager. Such services may include, but
are not limited to, any one or more of the following: information as to the
availability of securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual
information or opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals
or evaluations of portfolio securities.
The information and services received by the Investment Manager from brokers
and dealers may be of benefit to the Investment Manager in the management of
accounts of some of its other clients and may not, in every case, benefit the
Fund directly. While the receipt of such information and services is useful in
varying degrees and would generally reduce the amount of research or services
otherwise performed by the Investment Manager and thereby reduce its expenses,
it is of indeterminable value and the Fund will not reduce the management fee it
pays to the Investment Manager by any amount that may be attributable to the
value of such services.
Pursuant to an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund may
effect principal transactions in certain money market instruments with DWR. The
Fund will limit its transactions with DWR to U.S. Government and Government
Agency Securities, Bank Money Instruments (i.e. Certificates of Deposit and
Bankers' Acceptances) and Commercial Paper. Such transactions will be effected
with DWR only when the price available from DWR is better than that available
from other dealers.
Consistent with the policy described above, brokerage transactions in
securities listed on exchanges or admitted to unlisted trading privileges may be
effected through DWR. In order for DWR to effect portfolio transactions for the
Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by DWR must be
reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid
to other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar
securities being purchased or sold on an exchange during a comparable period of
time. This standard would allow DWR to receive no more than the remuneration
which would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated broker in a
commensurate arms-length transaction. Furthermore, the Trustees of the Fund,
including a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested" Trustees, have
adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any
commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to DWR are consistent with the
foregoing standard.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO NEW YORK TAX-EXEMPT SECURITIES
During the mid-1970's, New York State (the "State"), some of its agencies,
instrumentalities and public benefit corporations (the "Authorities"), and
certain of its municipalities faced serious financial difficulties. To address
many of these financial problems, the State developed various programs, many of
which were successful in ameliorating the financial crisis. Any further
financial problems experienced by these Authorities or municipalities could have
a direct adverse effect on the New York Municipal Obligations in which the Fund
invests.
NEW YORK CITY
GENERAL. More than any other municipality, the fiscal health of New York
City (the "City") has a significant effect on the fiscal health of the State.
During the 1990 and 1991 fiscal years, the rate of economic growth in the City
slowed substantially and the City experienced significant shortfalls in almost
all of its major tax sources and increases in services costs. Beginning in 1992,
the improvement in the national economy helped stabilize conditions in the City.
Employment losses moderated and real Gross City Product increased, boosted by
strong wage gains. The City now projects, and its current four-year
21
<PAGE>
financial plan assumes, that the City's economic growth will slow in calendar
years 1995 and 1996 with local employment increasing modestly. In December 1994,
the City experienced substantial shortfalls in payments of non-property tax
revenues from those forecasted. Through December 1994, collections of
non-property taxes were approximately $200 million lower than expected.
For each of the 1981 through 1994 fiscal years, the City achieved balanced
operating results as reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles ("GAAP") and the City's 1995 fiscal year results are projected to be
balanced in accordance with GAAP. The City was required to close substantial
budget gaps in recent fiscal years in order to maintain balanced operating
results. For fiscal year 1995, the City adopted a budget which halted the trend
in recent years of substantial increases in City spending from one year to the
next.
1995-1998 NEW YORK CITY FINANCIAL PLAN. The Mayor is responsible for
preparing the City's four-year financial plan (the "1995-1998 Financial Plan",
the "Financial Plan" or "City Plan"). The Financial Plan is a proposed
modification to a financial plan submitted to the Control Board on July 8, 1994
(the "July Financial Plan").
The July Financial Plan set forth proposed actions for the 1995 fiscal year
to close a previously projected gap of approximately $2.3 billion for the 1995
fiscal year, which included City actions aggregating $1.9 billion, a $288
million increase in State actions over the 1994-1995 fiscal years, and a $200
million increase in Federal assistance.
The 1995-1998 Financial Plan reflects actual receipts and expenditures and
changes in forecast revenues and expenditures since the July Financial Plan and
projects revenues and expenditures for the 1995 fiscal year balanced in
accordance with GAAP. The City Plan includes actions to offset an additional
$1.1 billion budget gap resulting principally from a decrease in the projected
surplus from the 1994 fiscal year to be transferred to the 1995 fiscal year;
reductions from projected tax revenues for the 1995 fiscal year; increased City
pension contributions resulting from lower than expected earnings on pension
fund assets for the 1994 fiscal year; a shortfall in the projected increased
Federal assistance due primarily to the failure to enact national health care
reform; and other decreases in projected revenues and increases in projected
expenditures. The gap-closing actions for the 1995 fiscal year include agency
actions, including, reduced personal service costs resulting from a reduction in
the number of City employees; greater miscellaneous revenues than forecasted;
availability of funds from reserves held for unreported health insurance claims;
and expenditure reductions, including for the Police Department, the Department
of Corrections and in subsidies and allocations to certain City agencies.
The City Plan also sets forth projections for the 1996 through 1998 fiscal
years and outlines a proposed gap-closing program to close projected budget gaps
of $1.0 billion, $1.5 billion and $2.0 billion for the 1995 through 1997 years,
respectively, after successful implementation of the $1.1 billion gap-closing
program for the 1995 fiscal year. These projections take into account expected
increases in Federal and State assistance. These include the proposed extension
of the 14% personal income tax surcharge beyond calendar year 1995 and the
proposed extension of the 12.5% personal income tax surcharge beyond calendar
year 1996 and proposed tort reform. The projections also assume agreement with
the City's unions with respect to savings to be derived from efficiencies in
management of employee health insurance programs and other health benefit
related services for each of the 1996 through 1998 fiscal years. The City Plan
assumes the continuation of the current assumption with respect to wages for
City employees and the assumed 9% earnings on pension fund assets affecting the
City's pension fund contributions. An actuarial audit of the City's pension
system is currently being conducted, which is expected to significantly increase
the City's pension costs.
Various actions proposed in the City Plan are subject to approval by the
Governor and the State Legislature, and the proposed increase in Federal aid is
subject to approval by Congress and the President. The State Legislature has
failed to approve certain of the City's proposals for state assumption of
certain Medicaid costs and mandate relief in previous sessions, thereby
increasing the
uncer-
22
<PAGE>
tainty as to the receipt of the State assistance included in the City Plan. If
these actions cannot be implemented, the City will be required to take other
actions to decrease expenditures or increase revenues to maintain a balanced
financial plan.
Based on currently available results, the Mayor's office of Management and
Budget ("OMB") believes that developments since the publication of the Financial
Plan on October 25, 1994, have caused an additional $650 million budget gap in
the 1995 fiscal year and have caused the $1.0 billion gap projected in the
Financial Plan for the 1996 fiscal year to increase to $2.5 billion. In
February, the Mayor is expected to publish a modification to the Financial Plan
for the City's 1995 through 1998 fiscal years (the "February Modification") and
a preliminary budget for the City's 1996 fiscal year. The February Modification
will reflect changes since the Financial Plan including measures to be taken to
assure balance in the 1995 fiscal year described above and the City's program to
address the currently forecast gap of approximately $2.5 billion in fiscal year
1996. It can be expected that the proposal contained in the February
Modification to close the projected budget gaps for the 1995 and 1996 fiscal
years will engender substantial public debate, and that the public debate
relating to the 1996 fiscal year budget will continue through the time the
budget is scheduled to be adopted in June 1995.
The City depends on the State for State aid both to enable the City to
balance its budget and to meet its cash requirements. The State completed its
1994 fiscal year with a cash-basis balanced budget in its General Fund (the
major operating fund of the State) after depositing $1.5 billion in various
reserve funds. The State's 1994-1995 Financial Plan projects a balanced General
Fund, although it has been reported that the State expects a revenue shortfall
in its General Fund for its 1994-1995 fiscal year. There can be no assurance
that there will not be reduction in State aid to the City from amounts currently
projected or that the State budgets in future fiscal years will be adopted by
the April 1 statutory deadline and that such reductions or delays will not have
adverse effects on the City's cash flow or expenditures. If the State
experiences revenue shortfalls or spending increases beyond its projections
during its 1995 fiscal year or subsequent years, such developments could result
in reductions in anticipated State aid to the City.
The City's projections set forth in the City Plan are based on various
assumptions and contingencies which are uncertain and which may not materialize.
Changes in major assumptions could significantly affect the City's ability to
balance its budget as required by State law and to meet its annual cash flow and
financing requirements. Such assumptions and contingencies include the absence
of wage increases for City employees in excess of the increases assumed in the
City Plan, provision of State and Federal aid and mandate relief, including the
proposed State takeover of certain Medicaid costs; approval of the proposed
continuation of the personal income tax surcharge; the ability of the City to
implement proposed reductions in City personnel and other cost reduction
initiatives, which may require, in certain cases, the cooperation of the City's
municipal unions; the success with which the City controls expenditures; State
legislative approval of future State budgets; adoption of City budgets by the
New York City Council; and approval by the Governor or the State Legislature of
various other actions proposed in the City Plan.
Implementation of the City Plan is also dependent upon the City's ability to
market its securities successfully in the public credit markets. The City's
financing program for fiscal years 1995 through 1998 contemplates the issuance
of $10.7 billion of general obligation bonds primarily to reconstruct and
rehabilitate the City's infrastructure and physical assets and to make capital
investments. In addition, the City issues revenue and tax anticipation notes to
finance its seasonal working capital requirements. The success of projected
public sales of City bonds and notes will be subject to prevailing market
conditions, and no assurance can be given that such sales will be completed. If
the City were unable to sell its general obligation bonds and notes, it would be
prevented from meeting its planned operating and capital expenditures.
The City Comptroller and other agencies and public officials have issued
reports and made public statements which, among other things, state that
projected revenues may be less and future expenditures may be greater than
forecast in the City Plan. In addition, the Control Board staff and others have
23
<PAGE>
questioned whether the City has the capacity to generate sufficient revenues in
the future to meet the costs of its expenditure increases and to provide
necessary services. It is reasonable to expect that such reports and statements
will continue to be issued and to engender public comment.
RATINGS
On January 17, 1995, Standard & Poor's ("S&P") placed the City's general
obligation bonds on CreditWatch with negative implications. S&P stated that it
will review the February Modification for evidence of continued progress toward
long-term structural balance, and eventual elimination of these types of budget
devices, as well as the next State budget proposal, to determine the extent of
the City's relief from State mandates in education, social services, and health
care expenditures. S&P stated that by April 15, 1995, financial plans, which
continue to incorporate budget devices, or fail to reflect ongoing budget relief
from the State, will result in a lowering of the rating to the "BBB" category
for New York City's general obligation bonds. Since February 1991, Moody's has
rated the City's general obligation bonds Baa1. Such ratings reflect only the
views of Moody's and S&P, from which an explanation of the significance of such
ratings may be obtained. There is no assurance that such ratings will continue
for any given period of time or that they will be revised downward or withdrawn
entirely. Any such downward revision or withdrawal could have an adverse effect
on the market prices of bonds.
OUTSTANDING INDEBTEDNESS
As of September 30, 1994, the City and the Municipal Assistance Corporation
for the City of New York had, respectively, $21.673 billion and $4.146 billion
of outstanding net long-term debt.
LITIGATION. The City is a defendant in a significant number of lawsuits.
Such litigation includes, but is not limited to, routine litigation incidental
to the performance of its governmental and other functions, actions commenced
and claims asserted against the City arising out of alleged constitutional
violations, alleged torts, alleged breaches of contracts and other violations of
law and condemnation proceedings and other tax and miscellaneous actions. While
the ultimate outcome and fiscal impact, if any, on the proceedings and claims
are not currently predictable, adverse determination in certain of them might
have a material adverse effect upon the City's ability to carry out the City
Plan. As of June 30, 1994, the City estimated its potential future liability on
account of all outstanding claims against it to be approximately $2.6 billion.
NEW YORK STATE
THE 1994 ELECTION. On November 8, 1994, George Pataki was elected by the
voters of the State to replace Mario Cuomo as Governor upon the expiration of
Mr. Cuomo's four-year term on December 31, 1994. The Annual Information
Statement, dated June 28, 1994 (the "Information Statement") furnished by the
State indicates that the Information Statement will be updated on a quarterly
basis, on or about August 1, November 1 and February 1. Due to the change in the
State administration, it is anticipated that the February update, which is being
prepared by members of Mr. Pataki's staff, will contain revisions of many of the
projections reflected in the Information Statement and the August and November
updates. Accordingly, much of the following information, especially information
concerning future projections, which is derived from the Information Statement
and the updates thereto, will no longer be accurate following the publication of
the February update. As of February 23, 1995, the February update to the
Information was not yet available from the State Division of the Budget.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. The national economy began to expand in 1991, although
the growth rate for the first two years of the expansion was modest by
historical standards. The State economy remained in recession until 1993, when
employment growth resumed. Since early 1993, the State has gained approximately
100,000 jobs. Employment growth has been hindered during recent years by
significant cutbacks in the computer and instrument manufacturing, utility, and
defense industries. Personal income increased substantially in 1992 and 1993,
aided significantly by large bonus payments in banking and financial industries.
24
<PAGE>
The 1994-1995 New York State Financial Plan (the "State Plan") is based on a
projection that New York's economy was expected to expand during 1994.
Industries that export goods and services to the rest of the country and abroad
are expected to benefit from growing national and international markets. Both
upstate and downstate regions are expected to continue to share in this renewed
growth. Employment was expected to increase throughout 1994 and is expected to
increase in 1995 as well. It is anticipated that employment growth will moderate
in 1995 when the pace of national economic growth is projected to slacken and
entire industries adjust to changing markets and the State's economy absorbs the
full impact of these developments. Personal income was estimated to increase by
5.3 percent in 1994, and is estimated to increase at a more moderate rate in
1995.
Many uncertainties exist in forecasts of both the national and State
economies, including consumer attitudes toward spending, Federal financial and
monetary policies, the availability of credit and the condition of the world
economy, which could have an adverse effect on the State. There can be no
assurance that the State economy will not experience worse-than-predicted
results in the 1993-94 fiscal year, with corresponding material and adverse
effects on the State's projections of receipts and disbursements.
1994-95 FISCAL YEAR. The State's General Fund (the major operating fund of
the State) was projected in the State Plan to be balanced on a cash basis for
the 1994-95 fiscal year. The State Plan projected General Fund receipts and
transfers from other funds at $34.321 billion, an increase of $2.092 billion
over total receipts in the prior fiscal year; and disbursements and transfers to
other funds at $34.248 billion, an increase of $2.351 billion over the total
amount disbursed and transferred in the prior fiscal year.
The State issued its second quarterly update to the cash-basis 1994-95 State
Financial Plan on October 28, 1994. Revisions have been made to estimates of
both receipts and disbursements in the General Fund, based on: (1) updated
economic forecasts for both the nation and the State, (2) an analysis of actual
receipts and disbursements through the first six months of the fiscal year, and
(3) an assessment of changing program requirements and cost-savings initiatives.
The update projects a year-end surplus of $14 million in the General Fund, with
estimated receipts reduced by $267 million and estimated disbursements reduced
by $281 million, compared to the State Financial Plan as initially formulated.
The Information Statement indicated that there can be no assurance that the
State will not face substantial potential budget gaps resulting from a
significant disparity between tax revenues projected from a lower recurring
receipts base and the spending required to maintain State programs at current
levels. To address any potential budgetary imbalance, the State may need to take
significant actions to align recurring receipts and disbursements in future
fiscal years. There can be no assurance, however, that the State's actions will
be sufficient to preserve budgetary balance in a given fiscal year or to align
recurring receipts and disbursements in future fiscal years.
The November 4 update to the Information Statement states that the major
uncertainties in the 1994-95 State Plan continue to be those related to the
economy and tax collections, and could produce either favorable or unfavorable
variances during the balance of the year. While adjustments to the forecast have
been made to reflect emerging relative weakness in the financial services
industry, due in large part to currency and credit market volatility, it is
possible that the weakness in that sector could precipitate further
deterioration in State receipts. On the other hand, recent evidence suggests
that the national economy may perform better than projected, with potentially
beneficial short-term results on State receipts.
NEW YORK LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE CORPORATION. In 1990, as part of a
state fiscal reform program, legislation was enacted creating the New York Loan
Government Assistance Corporation ("LGAC"), a public benefit corporation
empowered to issue long-term obligations to fund certain payments to local
governments traditionally funded through the State's annual seasonal borrowing.
The legislation empowered LGAC to issue bonds and notes in an amount not in
excess of $4.7 billion (exclusive of certain refunding bonds) plus certain other
amounts. Over a period of years, the issuance
25
<PAGE>
of those long-term obligations, which will be amortized over no more than 30
years, is expected to result in eliminating the need for continuing short-term
seasonal borrowing for those purposes. The legislation also imposed a cap on the
annual seasonal borrowing of the State at $4.7 billion, less net proceeds of
bonds issued by LGAC, except in cases where the Governor and the legislative
leaders have certified both the need for additional borrowing and provided a
schedule for reducing it to the cap. If borrowing above the cap is thus
permitted in any fiscal year, it is required by law to be reduced to the cap by
the fourth fiscal year after the limit was first exceeded.
As of November 4, 1994, LGAC has issued bonds to provide net proceeds of
$3.856 billion authorized to issue its bonds to provide net proceeds of up to an
additional $315 million during the State's 1994-1995 fiscal year. The impact of
this borrowing, together with the availability of certain cash reserves is that,
for the first time in nearly 35 years, the State Plan included no short-term
seasonal borrowing.
COMPOSITION OF STATE CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS. Substantially all
State non-pension financial operations are accounted for in the State's
governmental funds group. Governmental funds include: (i) the General Fund,
which receives all income not required by law to be deposited in another fund
and which for the State's 1994-95 fiscal year is expected to account for
approximately 52% of the total projected governmental fund receipts and
approximately 51% of total projected government fund disbursements; (ii) Special
Revenue Funds, which receive the preponderance of moneys received by the State
from the Federal government and other income the use of which is legally
restricted to certain purposes and which are expected to comprise approximately
39% of total projected governmental funds receipts and disbursements in the
1994-95 fiscal year; (iii) Capital Projects Funds, used to finance the
acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of major State capital facilities
by the State and to aid in certain of such projects conducted by local
governments or public authorities and which are expected to comprise 5% of total
governmental receipts and 6% of total governmental disbursements in the State's
1994-1995 fiscal year; and (iv) Debt Service Funds, which are used for the
accumulation of moneys for the payment of principal of and interest on long-term
debt and to meet lease-purchase and other contractual-obligation commitments.
Receipts in Debt Service Funds are expected to comprise 4% of total projected
governmental funds receipts and disbursements in the 1994-1995 fiscal year.
TAXATION AND ECONOMIC INCENTIVES. Although the State ranks 22nd in the
nation for its State tax burden, the State has the second highest combined state
and local tax burden in the United States. The State and localities have used
these taxes to develop and maintain their respective transportation networks,
public schools and colleges, public health systems, other social services, and
recreational facilities. Despite these benefits, the burden of State and local
taxation, in combination with the many other causes of regional economic
dislocation, may have contributed to the decisions of some businesses and
individuals to relocate outside, or not locate within, the State. To stimulate
economic growth, the State has developed programs, including the provision of
direct financial assistance, designed to assist businesses to expand existing
operations located within the State and to attract new businesses to the State.
In addition, the State has provided various tax incentives to encourage
relocation and expansion.
The 1994-1995 budget contains a significant investment in efforts to spur
economic growth. These efforts include provisions to reduce the level of
business taxation in New York such as cuts in the corporate tax surcharge, the
alternative minimum tax imposed on business, repeal of the State's hotel
occupancy tax and reductions in the real property gains tax to stimulate
construction and facilitate the real estate industry's access to capital. To
help strengthen the State's economic recovery, the 1994-1995 budget also
includes more than $200 million in additional funding for economic development
programs.
AUTHORITIES. The fiscal stability of the State is related to the fiscal
stability of its public authorities (i.e. public benefit corporations, created
pursuant to State law, other than local authorities), which generally have
responsibility for financing, constructing and operating revenue-producing
public benefit facilities. The State's public authorities (the "Authorities")
are not subject to the constitutional restrictions on the incurrence of debt
which apply to the State itself, and may issue bonds and notes within the
amounts of,
26
<PAGE>
and as otherwise restricted by, their legislative authorization. As of September
30, 1993, the latest data available, there were 18 Authorities that had
outstanding debt of $100 million or more and the aggregate outstanding debt,
including refunding bonds, of these 18 Authorities was $63.5 billion.
Authorities are generally supported by revenues generated by the projects
financed or operated, such as tolls charged for the use of highways, bridges or
tunnels, rentals charged for housing units and charges for occupancy at medical
care facilities. In addition, State legislation authorizes several financing
techniques for the Authorities, including lease-purchase and
contractual-obligation financing and moral obligation financing. There are also
statutory arrangements providing for State local assistance payments otherwise
payable to localities to be made under certain circumstances to the Authorities.
Although the State has no obligation to provide additional assistance to
localities whose local assistance payments have been paid to public authorities
under these arrangements, if local assistance payments are diverted, the
affected localities could seek additional State assistance. The State has, in
the past, provided financial assistance through appropriations, in some cases of
a recurring nature, to certain of the 18 Authorities for operating and other
expenses and, in fulfillment of its commitments on moral obligation indebtedness
or otherwise, for debt service. The State has not been called upon to make any
payments pursuant to any moral obligations since the 1986-87 fiscal year and no
such requirements are anticipated during the 1994-95 fiscal year.
RATINGS. On January 6, 1992, Moody's announced that it had put New York
State's general obligation debt rated A under review for possible downgrade in
the coming months. On June 27, 1994, Moody's reconfirmed its A rating on the
State's general obligation long-term indebtedness. On January 13, 1992, S&P
changed its ratings of all of the State's outstanding general obligation bonds
from A to A-. On November 12, 1992, S&P continued its January rating and
reiterated its negative rating outlook assessment on the State general
obligation debt. On April 26, 1993, S&P raised its outlook positive. On June 27,
1994, S&P confirmed its A- rating. Ratings reflect only the respective views of
such organizations, and an explanation of the significance of such ratings must
be obtained from the rating agency furnishing the same. There is no assurance
that a particular rating will continue for any given period of time or that any
such rating will not be revised downward or withdrawn entirely if, in the
judgment of the agency originally establishing the rating, circumstances so
warrant. A downward revision or withdrawal of such ratings, or either of them,
may have an effect on the market price of the State Municipal Securities in
which the New York Fund invests.
GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT. As of March 31, 1994, the State had outstanding
approximately $5.370 billion in general obligation bonds, including $224 million
in bond anticipation notes outstanding. Principal and interest due on general
obligation bonds and interest due on bond anticipation notes and on tax and
revenue anticipation notes were $782.5 million for the 1993-94 fiscal years, and
are estimated to be $786.3 million for the State's 1994-95 fiscal year, not
including interest on State General Obligation Refunding Bonds, issued in July
1992, to the extent that such interest was paid from escrowed funds.
LITIGATION. The State is a defendant in numerous legal proceedings
pertaining to matters incidental to the performance of routine governmental
operations. Such litigation includes, but is not limited to, claims asserted
against the State arising from alleged torts, alleged breaches of contracts,
condemnation proceedings and other alleged violations of State and Federal laws.
These proceedings could affect adversely the financial condition of the State in
the 1994-1995 Fiscal Year or thereafter.
The State believes that the 1994-1995 State Financial Plan includes
sufficient reserves for the payment of judgments that may be required during the
1994-1995 fiscal year. There can be no assurance, however, that an adverse
decision in any of these proceedings would not exceed the amount of the
1994-1995 Financial Plan reserves for the payment of judgments and, therefore,
could affect the ability of the State to maintain a balanced 1994-1995 State
Financial Plan. In its audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 1994, the State reported its estimated liability for awarded and
unanticipated unfavorable judgments at $675 million.
27
<PAGE>
In connection with a settlement agreement entered into between New York and
Delaware arising from the case of STATE OF DELAWARE V. STATE OF NEW YORK, the
State was required to make a $23 million payment to Delaware during the 1993-94
fiscal year and is required to make five annual payments thereafter of $33
million. New York and Massachusetts have executed a similar settlement agreement
which provides for aggregate payments by New York of $23 million, payable over
five consecutive years. Claims of other states and the District of Columbia
arising from this action remain.
OTHER LOCALITIES. Certain localities in addition to the City could have
financial problems leading to requests for additional State assistance during
the State's 1994-95 fiscal year and thereafter. The potential impact on the
State of such actions by localities is not included in the projections of the
State receipts and disbursements in the State's 1994-95 fiscal year.
For example, fiscal difficulties experienced by the City of Yonkers
("Yonkers") resulted in the creation of the Financial Control Board for the City
of Yonkers (the "Yonkers Board") by the State in 1984. The Yonkers Board is
charged with oversight of the fiscal affairs of Yonkers. Future actions taken by
the Governor or the State Legislature to assist Yonkers could result in
allocation of State resources in amounts that cannot yet be determined.
From time to time, Federal expenditure reductions could reduce, or in some
cases eliminate, Federal funding of some local programs and accordingly might
impose substantial increased expenditure requirements on affected localities. If
the state, the City or any of the Authorities were to suffer serious financial
difficulties jeopardizing their respective access to the public credit markets,
the marketability of notes and bonds issued by localities within the state could
be adversely affected. Localities also face anticipated and potential problems
resulting from certain pending litigation, judicial decisions and long-range
economic trends. Long-range potential problems of declining urban population,
increasing expenditures and other economic trends could adversely affect
localities and require increasing State assistance in the future.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean
Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"), on a continuous basis. The
Distributor has entered into a selected dealer agreement with DWR, which through
its own sales organization sells shares of the Fund and may enter into selected
dealer agreements with other selected dealers ("Selected Broker-Dealers"). The
Distributor, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DWDC. The
Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not and were not at the
time they voted "interested persons" of the Fund, as defined in the Act (the
"Independent Trustees"), at a meeting held on October 30, 1992 approved the
current Distribution Agreement appointing the Distributor as exclusive
distributor of the Fund's shares and providing for the Distributor to bear
distribution expenses not borne by the Fund. The current Distribution Agreement
is substantively identical to the Fund's previous distribution agreement in all
material respects, except for the dates of effectiveness. The current
Distribution Agreement took effect on June 30, 1993 upon the spin-off by Sears,
Roebuck and Co. of its remaining shares of DWDC. By its terms, the Distribution
Agreement had an initial term ending April 30, 1994, and provides that it will
remain in effect from year to year thereafter if approved by the Board. At their
meeting held on April 8, 1994, the Trustees, including all of the Independent
Trustees, approved the continuation of the Distribution Agreement until April
30, 1995.
The Distributor bears all expenses incurred in providing services under the
Distribution Agreement. Such expenses include the payment of commissions for
sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to account executives. The
Distributor also pays certain expenses in connection with the distribution of
the Fund's shares, including the costs of preparing, printing and distributing
advertising or promotional materials, and the costs of printing and distributing
prospectuses and supplements thereto used in connection with the offering and
sale of the Fund's shares to other than current shareholders. The Fund bears the
costs of initial typesetting, printing and distribution of prospectuses and
supple-
28
<PAGE>
ments thereto to shareholders. The Fund also bears the costs of registering the
Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws. The Fund and the
Distributor have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Under the
Distribution Agreement, the Distributor uses its best efforts in rendering
services to the Fund, but in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations, the Distributor is
not liable to the Fund or any of its shareholders for any error of judgment or
mistake of law or for any act or omission or for any losses sustained by the
Fund or its shareholders.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
To compensate the Distributor for the services provided and for the expenses
borne by the Distributor or any selected dealer under the Distribution
Agreement, the Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1
under the Act (the "Plan") pursuant to which the Fund pays the Distributor
compensation accrued daily and payable monthly at the annual rate of 0.75% of
the lesser of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's shares
since the inception of the Fund (not including reinvestments of dividends or
capital gains distributions), less the average daily aggregate net asset value
of the Fund's shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a contingent
deferred sales charge has been imposed or upon which such charge has been
waived, or (b) the average daily net assets of the Fund. An amount equal to
0.20% of the Fund's average annual net assets of the fees payable by the Fund
each year pursuant to the Plan of Distribution is characterized as a "service
fee" under the Rules of Fair Practice of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. (of which the Distributor is a member). Such fee is a payment made
for personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The
remaining portion of the Plan of Distribution fee payments made by the Fund is
characterized as an "asset-based sales charge" as such is defined by the
aforementioned Rules of Fair Practice. The Distributor also receives the
proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges imposed on certain redemptions of
shares, which are separate and apart from payments made pursuant to the Plan
(see "Redemptions and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the
Prospectus). The Distributor has informed the Fund that it and/or DWR received
contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions of the Fund's shares in the
approximate amounts of $214,000, $244,000 and $312,000, for the fiscal years
ended December 31, 1992, 1993 and 1994, respectively. (see "Redemptions and
Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the Prospectus).
The Plan was adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees, including
all of the Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested persons" of the Fund (as
defined in the Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the
operation of the Plan (the "Independent 12b-1 Trustees"), cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan, on February 13, 1985, by
the then sole shareholder of the Fund on March 20, 1985, and by the shareholders
holding a majority, as defined in the Act, of the outstanding voting securities
of the Fund at a Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund held on April 29, 1986.
Under its terms, the Plan had an initial term ending December 31, 1985, and
provides that it will remain in effect from year to year thereafter, provided
such continuance is approved annually by a vote of the Trustees in the manner
described above.
Most recent continuation of the Plan for one year, until April 30, 1995, was
approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the
Independent 12b-1 Trustees, at a Board meeting held on April 8, 1994. Prior to
approving the continuation of the Plan, the Board requested and received from
DWR and reviewed all the information which it deemed necessary to arrive at an
informed determination. In making their determination to continue the Plan, the
Trustees considered: (1) the Fund's experience under the Plan and whether such
experience indicates that the Plan is operating as anticipated; (2) the benefits
the Fund had obtained, was obtaining and would be likely to obtain under the
Plan; and (3) what services had been provided and were continuing to be provided
under the Plan by the Distributor to the Fund and its shareholders. Based upon
their review, the Trustees of the Fund, including each of the Independent 12b-1
Trustees, determined that continuation of the Plan would be in the best interest
of the Fund and would have a reasonable likelihood of continuing to benefit the
Fund and its shareholders. This determination was based upon the conclusion of
the Trustees that the Plan provides an effective
29
<PAGE>
means of stimulating sales of shares of the Fund and of reducing or avoiding net
redemptions and the potentially adverse effects that may occur therefrom. In the
Trustees' quarterly review of the Plan, they will consider its continued
appropriateness and the level of compensation provided therein.
At their meeting held on October 30, 1992, the Trustees of the Fund,
including all of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, approved certain amendments to
the Plan which took effect in January, 1993 and were designed to reflect the
fact that upon the reorganization described above the share distribution
activities theretofore performed for the Fund by DWR were assumed by the
Distributor and DWR's sales activities are now being performed pursuant to the
terms of a selected dealer agreement between the Distributor and DWR. The
amendments provide that payments under the Plan will be made to the Distributor
rather than to DWR as before the amendment, and that the Distributor in turn is
authorized to make payments to DWR, its affiliates or other selected
broker-dealers (or direct that the Fund pay such entities directly). The
Distributor is also authorized to retain part of such fee as compensation for
its own distribution-related expenses. At their meeting held on April 28, 1993,
the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, also
approved certain technical amendments to the Plan in connection with amendments
adopted by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. to its Rule of
Fair Practice.
Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees receive and
review promptly after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided
by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for
which such expenditures were made. The Fund accrued amounts payable to DWR under
the Plan, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, of $1,687,792. This
amount is equal to payments required to be paid monthly by the Fund which were
computed at the annual rate of 0.74% of the average daily net assets of the
Fund's shares for the fiscal year and was calculated pursuant to clause (a) of
the compensation formula under the Plan. This amount is treated by the Fund as
an expense in the year it is accrued.
The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund's
method of distribution. Under this distribution method shares of the Fund are
sold without a sales load being deducted at the time of purchase, so that the
full amount of an investor's purchase payment will be invested in shares without
any deduction for sales charges. Shares of the Fund may be subject to a
contingent deferred sales charge, payable to the Distributor, if redeemed during
the six years after their purchase. DWR compensates its account executives by
paying them, from its own funds, commissions for the sale of the Fund's shares,
currently a gross sales credit of up to 4% of the amount sold and an annual
gross residual of up to .20 of 1% of the current value of the respective
accounts for which they are the account executives of record and for which they
provide personal service and/or the maintenance of such accounts. The gross
sales credit is a charge which reflects commissions paid to account executives
and Fund associated distribution-related expenses, including sales compensation,
and overhead and other branch office distribution-related expenses including (a)
the expenses of operating DWR's branch offices in connection with the sale of
Fund shares, including lease costs, the salaries and employee benefits of
operations and sales support personnel, utility costs, communications costs and
the costs of stationery and supplies, (b) the costs of client sales seminars,
(c) travel expenses of mutual fund sales coordinators to promote the sale of
Fund shares and (d) other expenses relating to branch promotion of Fund sales.
The distribution fee that the Distributor receives from the Fund under the Plan,
in effect, offsets distribution expenses incurred on behalf of the Fund and its
opportunity costs, such as the gross sales credit and an assumed interest charge
thereon ("carrying charge"). In the Distributor's reporting of its distribution
expenses to the Fund, such assumed interest (computed at the "broker's call
rate") has been calculated on the gross sales credit as it is reduced by amounts
received by the Distributor under the Plan and any contingent deferred sales
charges received by the Distributor upon redemption of shares of the Fund. No
other interest charge is included as a distribution expense in the Distributor's
calculation of its distribution costs for this purpose. The broker's call rate
is the interest rate charged to securities brokers on loans secured by
exchange-listed securities.
30
<PAGE>
The Fund paid 100% of the $1,687,792 accrued under the Plan for the fiscal
year ended Decembers 31, 1994 to the Distributor of the Fund's shares. The
Distributor and DWR estimate that they have spent $17,430,880, pursuant to the
Plan, on behalf of the Fund since the inception of the Fund. It is estimated
that this amount was spent in approximately the following ways: (i) 10.90%
($1,900,241)-- advertising and promotional expenses; (ii) 1.25%
($217,037)--printing of prospectuses for distribution to other than current
shareholders; and (iii) 87.85% ($15,313,602)--other expenses, including the
gross sales credit and the carrying charge, of which 10.57% ($1,617,913)
represents carrying charges, 36.37% ($5,570,037) represents commission credits
to DWR branch offices for payments of commissions to account executives and
53.06% ($8,125,652) represents overhead and other branch office distribution-
related expenses.
At any given time, expenses may be incurred in distributing shares of the
Fund which may be more or less than the total of (i) the payments made by the
Fund pursuant to the Plan and (ii) the proceeds of contingent deferred sales
charges paid by investors upon redemption of shares. The Distributor has advised
the Fund that such excess amount, including the carrying charge designed to
approximate the opportunity costs incurred which arise from it having advanced
monies without having received the amount of any sales charges imposed at the
time of sale of the Fund's shares, totalled $4,174,007 as of December 31, 1994.
Because there is no requirement under the Plan that the Distributor be
reimbursed for all its expenses or any requirement that the Plan be continued
from year to year, this excess amount does not constitute a liability of the
Fund. Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses
incurred by the Distributor in excess of payments made to it under the Plan and
the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors upon
redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated, the Trustees
will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such expenses. Any
cumulative expenses incurred by the Distributor, but not yet recovered through
distribution fees or contingent deferred sales charges, may or may not be
recovered through future distribution fees or contingent deferred sales charges.
No interested person of the Fund nor any Trustee of the Fund who is not an
interested person of the Fund, as defined in the Act, has any direct financial
interest in the operation of the Plan except to the extent that the Distributor
or certain of its employees may be deemed to have such an interest as a result
of benefits derived from the successful operation of the Plan or as a result of
receiving a portion of the amounts expended thereunder by the Fund.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent
for the services described therein without approval by the shareholders of the
Fund, and all material amendments to the Plan must also be approved by the
Trustees in the manner described above. The Plan may be terminated at any time,
without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent 12b-1
Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund (as defined in the Act) on not more than thirty days' written notice to any
other party to the Plan. So long as the Plan is in effect, the election and
nomination of Independent 12b-1 Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of
the Independent 12b-1 Trustees.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
As discussed in the Prospectus, portfolio securities (other than short-term
debt securities and futures and options) are valued for the Fund by an outside
independent pricing service approved by the Board of Trustees. The pricing
service has informed the Fund that in valuing the Fund's portfolio securities it
uses both a computerized grid matrix of tax-exempt securities and evaluations by
its staff, in each case based on information concerning market transactions and
quotations from dealers which reflect the bid side of the market each day. The
Fund's portfolio securities are thus valued by reference to a combination of
transactions and quotations for the same or other securities believed to be
comparable in quality, coupon, maturity, type of issue, call provisions, trading
characteristics and other features deemed to be relevant. The Board of Trustees
believes that timely and reliable market quotations are generally not readily
available to the Fund for purposes of valuing tax-exempt securities and that the
valuations supplied by the pricing service, using the procedures outlined above
and subject to periodic
31
<PAGE>
review, are more likely to approximate the fair value of such securities. The
net asset value of shares of the Fund is not calculated on such federal and
non-federal holidays as are observed by the New York Stock Exchange. The New
York Stock Exchange currently observes the following holidays: New Year's Day;
Presidents' Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day;
Thanksgiving Day; and Christmas Day.
The Investment Manager will periodically review and evaluate the procedures,
methods and quality of services provided by the pricing service then being used
by the Fund and may, from time to time, recommend to the Board of Trustees the
use of other pricing services or discontinuance of the use of any pricing
service in whole or part. The Board may determine to approve such recommendation
or to make other provisions for pricing of the Fund's portfolio securities.
Short-term taxable debt securities with sixty days or less remaining to maturity
at time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, unless the Board determines
such does not reflect the securities' fair value, in which case these securities
will be valued at their fair value as determined by the Board of Trustees. Other
short-term taxable debt securities will be valued on a mark to market basis
until such time as they have a remaining maturity of sixty days, whereupon they
will be valued at amortized cost using their value on the 61st day unless the
Trustees determine such value does not reflect the securities' fair value, in
which case these securities will be valued at their fair market value as
determined by the Trustees. Listed options on debt securities are valued at the
latest sale price on the exchange on which they are listed unless no sales of
such options have taken place that day, in which case, they will be valued at
the mean between their closing bid and asked prices. Unlisted options on debt
securities are valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked price.
Futures contracts and options thereon which are traded on commodities exchanges
are valued at their latest sale price on such commodities exchanges unless the
Trustees determine that such price does not reflect their market value, in which
case they will be valued at their fair value as determined by the Trustees. All
other securities, including illiquid securities, and other assets are valued at
their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and
under the supervision of the Board of Trustees.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon the purchase of shares of the Fund, a Shareholder Investment Account is
opened for the investor on the books of the Fund and maintained by the Fund's
Transfer Agent, Dean Witter Trust Company (the "Transfer Agent"). This is an
open account in which shares owned by the investor are credited by the Transfer
Agent in lieu of issuance of a share certificate. If a share certificate is
desired, it must be requested in writing for each transaction. Certificates are
issued only for full shares and may be redeposited in the account at any time.
There is no charge to the investor for issuance of a certificate. Whenever a
shareholder instituted transaction takes place in the Shareholder Investment
Account, the shareholder will be mailed a statement reflecting the status of
such Account.
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. As stated in the
Prospectus, all income dividends and capital gains distributions are
automatically paid in full and fractional shares of the Fund, unless the
shareholder requests that they be paid in cash. Each purchase of shares of the
Fund is made upon the condition that the Transfer Agent is thereby automatically
appointed as agent of the investor to receive all dividends and capital gains
distributions on shares owned by the investor. Such dividends and distributions
will be paid, at the net asset value per share, in shares of the Fund (or in
cash if the shareholder so requests) as of the close of business on the monthly
payment date, as stated in the Prospectus. At any time an investor may request
the Transfer Agent, in writing, to have subsequent dividends and/or capital
gains distributions paid to him or her in cash rather than shares. To assure
sufficient time to process the change, such request should be received by the
Transfer Agent at least five business days prior to the payment date of the
dividend or the record date of the distribution. In the case of recently
purchased shares for which registration instructions have not been received on
the payment or record date, cash payments will be made to DWR or other selected
broker-dealer, and will be forwarded to the shareholder, upon the receipt of
proper instructions.
32
<PAGE>
TARGETED DIVIDENDS.-SM- In states where it is legally permissible,
shareholders may also have all income dividends and capital gains distributions
automatically invested in shares of an open-end Dean Witter Fund other than Dean
Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund. Such investment will be made as described
above for automatic investment in shares of the Fund, at the net asset value per
share (without sales charge) of the selected Dean Witter Fund as of the close of
business on the monthly payment date and will begin to earn dividends, if any,
in the selected Dean Witter Fund the next business day. To
participate in the Targeted Dividends program, shareholders should contact their
DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
Shareholders of the Fund must be shareholders of the Dean Witter Fund targeted
to receive investments from dividends at the time they enter the Targeted
Dividends program. Investors should review the prospectus of the targeted Dean
Witter Fund before entering the program.
EASYINVEST.-SM- Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an automatic
purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to be
transferred automatically from a checking or savings account, on a semi-monthly,
monthly or quarterly basis, to the Transfer Agent for investment in shares of
the Fund. Shares purchased through EasyInvest will be added to the shareholder's
existing account at the net asset value calculated the same business day the
transfer of funds is effected. For further information or to subscribe to
EasyInvest, shareholders should contact their DWR or other selected
broker-dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
INVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS OR DISTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED IN CASH. Any shareholder
who receives a cash payment representing a dividend or capital gains
distribution may invest such dividend or distribution at net asset value,
without the imposition of a contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption, by
returning the check or the proceeds to the Transfer Agent within thirty days
after the payment date. If the shareholder returns the proceeds of a dividend or
distribution, such funds must be accompanied by a signed statement indicating
that the proceeds constitute a dividend or distribution to be invested. Such
investment will be made at the net asset value per share next determined after
receipt of the check or proceeds by the Transfer Agent.
DIRECT INVESTMENTS THROUGH TRANSFER AGENT. As discussed in the Prospectus,
a shareholder may make additional investments in Fund shares at any time through
the Shareholder Investment Account by sending a check in any amount, not less
than $100, payable to Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund, directly to the
Fund's Transfer Agent. Such amounts will be applied to the purchase of Fund
shares at the net asset value per share next computed after receipt of the check
or purchase payment by the Transfer Agent. The shares so purchased will be
credited to the investor's account.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN. As discussed in the Prospectus, a systematic
withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal Plan") is available for shareholders who own or
purchase shares of the Fund having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon the
then current net asset value. The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or
quarterly (March, June, September and December) checks in any dollar amount, not
less than $25 or in any whole percentage of the account balance, on an
annualized basis. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge will be
imposed on shares redeemed under the Withdrawal Plan (see "Redemptions and
Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the Prospectus). Therefore,
any shareholder participating in the Withdrawal Plan will have sufficient shares
redeemed from his or her account so that the proceeds (net of any applicable
contingent deferred sales charge) to the shareholder will be the designated
monthly or quarterly dollar amount.
The Transfer Agent acts as agent for the shareholder in tendering to the
Fund for redemption sufficient full and fractional shares to provide the amount
of the periodic withdrawal payment designated in the application. The shares
will be redeemed at their net asset value determined, at the shareholder's
option, on the tenth or twenty-fifth day (or next following business day) of the
relevant month or quarter and normally a check for the proceeds will be mailed
by the Transfer Agent, or amounts credited to a shareholder's DWR or other
selected broker-dealer account, within five business days after the date of
redemption. The Withdrawal Plan may be terminated at any time by the Fund.
33
<PAGE>
Withdrawal Plan payments should not be considered as dividends, yields or
income. If periodic withdrawal plan payments continuously exceed net investment
income and net capital gains, the shareholder's original investment will be
correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted.
Each withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares and any gain or loss
realized must be recognized for federal income tax purposes. Although the
shareholder may make additional investments of $2,500 or more under the
Withdrawal Plan, withdrawals made concurrently with purchases of additional
shares may be inadvisable because of the contingent deferred sales charge
applicable to the redemption of shares purchased during the preceding six years
(see "Redemption and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge").
Any shareholder who wishes to have payments under the Withdrawal Plan made
to a third party or sent to an address other than the one listed on the account
must send complete written instructions to the Transfer Agent to enroll in the
Withdrawal Plan. The shareholder's signature on such instructions must be
guaranteed by an eligible guarantor acceptable to the Transfer Agent
(shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for a determination as to
whether a particular institution is such an eligible guarantor). A shareholder
may, at any time, change the amount and interval of withdrawal payments through
his or her DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or by written
notification to the Transfer Agent. In addition, the party and/or the address to
which checks are mailed may be changed by written notification to the Transfer
Agent, with signature guarantees required in the manner described above. The
shareholder may also terminate the Withdrawal Plan at any time by written notice
to the Transfer Agent. In the event of such termination, the account will be
continued as a regular shareholder investment account. The shareholder may also
redeem all or part of the shares held in the Withdrawal Plan account (see
"Redemptions and Repurchases" in the Prospectus) at any time.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund makes available to its shareholders
an Exchange Privilege whereby shareholders of the Fund may exchange their shares
for shares of other Dean Witter Funds sold with a contingent deferred sales
charge ("CDSC funds"), and for shares of Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury
Trust, Dean Witter Limited Term Municipal Trust and Dean Witter Short-Term Bond
Fund and for shares of any Dean Witter money market funds (the foregoing eight
non-FESC or CDSC funds are hereinafter referred to for purposes of this section
as the "Exchange Funds"). Exchanges may be made after the shares of the Fund
acquired by purchase (not by exchange or dividend reinvestment) have been held
for 30 days. There is no waiting period for exchanges of shares acquired by
exchange or dividend reinvestment. An exchange will be treated for federal
income tax purposes the same as a repurchase or redemption of shares, on which
the shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss.
Any new account established through the Exchange Privilege will have the
same registration and cash dividend or dividend reinvestment plan as the present
account, unless the Transfer Agent receives written notification to the
contrary. For telephone exchanges, the exact registration of the existing
account and the account number must be provided.
Any shares held in certificate form cannot be exchanged but must be
forwarded to the Transfer Agent and deposited into the shareholder's account
before being eligible for exchange. (Certificates mailed in for deposit should
not be endorsed.)
As described below, and in the Prospectus under the captions "Exchange
Privilege" and "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge", a contingent deferred sales
charge ("CDSC") may be imposed upon a redemption, depending on a number of
factors, including the number of years from the time of purchase until the time
of redemption or exchange ("holding period"). When shares of the Fund or any
other CDSC fund are exchanged for shares of the Exchange Funds, the exchange is
executed at no charge to the shareholder, without the imposition of the CDSC at
the time of the exchange. During the period of time the shareholder remains in
the Exchange Funds (calculated from the last day of the month in which the fund
shares were acquired), the holding period or "year since purchase payment made"
is frozen. When shares are redeemed out of the Exchange Funds, they will be
subject to a CDSC which would be
34
<PAGE>
based upon the period of time the shareholder held shares in a CDSC fund.
However, in the case of shares exchanged into the Exchange Funds on or after
April 23, 1990, upon a redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being
imposed, a credit (not to exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an
amount equal to the the Exchange Funds 12b-1 distribution fees incurred on or
after that date which are attributable to those shares. Shareholders acquiring
shares of the Exchange Funds pursuant to this exchange privilege may exchange
those shares back into a CDSC fund from the Exchange Funds with no CDSC being
imposed on such exchange. The holding period previously frozen when shares were
first exchanged for shares of the Exchange Funds resumes on the last day of the
month in which shares of a CDSC fund are reacquired. A CDSC is imposed only upon
an ultimate redemption, based upon the time (calculated as described above) the
shareholder was invested in a CDSC fund.
In addition, shares of the Fund may be acquired in exchange for shares of
Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end sales charge ("front-end sales charge
funds"), but shares of the Fund, however acquired, may not be exchanged for
shares of front-end sales charge funds. Shares of a CDSC fund acquired in
exchange for shares of a front-end sales charge fund (or in exchange for shares
of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of a front-end sales charge fund
have been exchanged) are not subject to any CDSC upon their redemption.
When shares initially purchased in a CDSC fund are exchanged for shares of
another CDSC fund, or for shares of the Exchange Funds, the date of purchase of
the shares of the fund exchanged into, for purposes of the CDSC upon redemption,
will be the last day of the month in which the shares being exchanged were
originally purchased. In allocating the purchase payments between funds for
purposes of the CDSC the amount which represents the current net asset value of
shares at the time of the exchange which were (i) purchased more than three or
six years prior to the exchange, (ii) originally acquired through reinvestment
of dividends or distributions and (iii) acquired in exchange for shares of
front-end sales charge funds, or for shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which
shares of front-end sales charge funds have been exchanged (all such shares
called "Free Shares"), will be exchanged first. Shares of Dean Witter American
Value Fund (formerly Dean Witter Industry-Valued Securities Inc.) acquired prior
to April 30, 1984, shares of Dean Witter Dividend Growth Securities Inc. and
Dean Witter Natural Resource Development Securities Inc. acquired prior to July
2, 1984, and shares of Dean Witter Strategist Fund acquired prior to November 8,
1989, are also considered Free Shares and will be the first Free Shares to be
exchanged. After an exchange, all dividends earned on shares in the Exchange
Funds will be considered Free Shares. If the exchanged amount exceeds the value
of such Free Shares, an exchange is made, on a block-by-block basis, of non-Free
Shares held for the longest period of time (except that if shares held for
identical periods of time but subject to different CDSC schedules are held in
the same Exchange Privilege account, the shares of that block that are subject
to a lower CDSC rate will be exchanged prior to the shares of that block that
are subject to a higher CDSC rate). Shares equal to any appreciation in the
value of non-Free Shares exchanged will be treated as Free Shares, and the
amount of the purchase payments for the non-Free Shares of the fund exchanged
into will be equal to the lesser of (a) the purchase payments for, or (b) the
current net asset value of, the exchanged non-Free Shares. If an exchange
between funds would result in exchange of only part of a particular block of
non-Free Shares, then shares equal to any appreciation in the value of the block
(up to the amount of the exchange) will be treated as Free Shares and exchanged
first, and the purchase payment for that block will be allocated on a pro rata
basis between the non-Free Shares of that block to be retained and the non-Free
Shares to be exchanged. The prorated amount of such purchase payment
attributable to the retained non-Free Shares will remain as the purchase payment
for such shares, and the amount of purchase payment for the exchanged non-Free
Shares will be equal to the lesser of (a) the prorated amount of the purchase
payment for, or (b) the current net asset value of, those exchanged non-Free
Shares. Based upon the procedures described in the Prospectus under the caption
"Contingent Deferred Sales Charge", any applicable CDSC will be imposed upon the
ultimate redemption of shares of any fund, regardless of the number of exchanges
since those shares were originally purchased.
The Transfer Agent acts as agent for shareholders of the Fund in effecting
redemptions of Fund shares and in applying the proceeds to the purchase of other
fund shares. In the absence of negligence
35
<PAGE>
on its part, neither the Transfer Agent nor the Fund shall be liable for any
redemption of Fund shares caused by unauthorized telephone instructions.
Accordingly, in such event the investor shall bear the risk of loss. The Staff
of the Securities and Exchange Commission is currently considering the propriety
of such policies.
With respect to the redemption or repurchase of shares of the Fund, the
application of proceeds to the purchase of new shares in the Fund or any other
of the funds and the general administration of the Exchange Privilege, the
Transfer Agent acts as agent for the Distributor and for the shareholder's
Selected Broker-Dealer, if any, in the performance of such functions. With
respect to exchanges, redemptions or repurchases, the Transfer Agent shall be
liable for its own negligence and not for the default or negligence of its
correspondents or for losses in transit. The Fund shall not be liable for any
default or negligence of the Transfer Agent, the Distributor or any Selected
Broker-Dealer. The Distributor and any Selected Broker-Dealer have authorized
and appointed the Transfer Agent to act as their agent in connection with the
application of proceeds of any redemption of Fund shares to the purchase of
shares of any other fund and the general administration of the Exchange
Privilege. No commission or discounts will be paid to the Distributor or any
Selected Broker-Dealer for any transactions pursuant to this Exchange Privilege.
Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement and any other
conditions imposed by each fund. (The minimum initial investment is $5,000 for
Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc., Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust,
Dean Witter New York Municipal Money Market Fund and Dean Witter California
Tax-Free Daily Income Trust although those funds may, at their discretion,
accept initial investments of as low as $1,000. The minimum initial investment
is $10,000 for Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust. The minimum initial
investment for all other Dean Witter Funds for which the Exchange Privilege is
available is $1,000.) Upon exchange into a money market fund, the shares of that
fund will be held in a special Exchange Privilege Account separately from
accounts of those shareholders who have acquired their shares directly from that
fund. As a result, certain services normally available to shareholders of money
market funds, including the check writing feature, will not be available for
funds held in that account.
The Fund and each of the other Dean Witter Funds may limit the number of
times this Exchange Privilege may be exercised by any investor within a
specified period of time. Also, the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or
revised at any time by the Fund and/or any of the Dean Witter Funds for which
shares of the Fund have been exchanged, upon such notice as may be required by
applicable regulatory agencies (presently sixty days prior written notice for
termination or material revision), provided that six months prior written notice
of termination will be given to the shareholders who hold shares of the Exchange
Funds pursuant to this Exchange Privilege and provided further that the Exchange
Privilege may be terminated or materially revised without notice at times (a)
when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends and
holidays, (b) when trading on that Exchange is restricted, (c) when an emergency
exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is
not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund
fairly to determine the value of its net assets, (d) during any other period
when the Securities and Exchange Commission by order so permits (provided that
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall
govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist) or (e) if
the Fund would be unable to invest amounts effectively in accordance with its
investment objective, policies and restrictions.
For further information regarding the Exchange Privilege, shareholders
should contact their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer account executive or
the Transfer Agent.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REDEMPTION. As stated in the Prospectus, shares of the Fund can be redeemed
for cash at any time at the net asset value per share next determined; however,
such redemption proceeds may be reduced by the amount of any applicable
contingent deferred sales charge (see below). If shares are
36
<PAGE>
held in a shareholder's account without a share certificate, a written request
for redemption to the Fund's Transfer Agent at P.O. Box 983, Jersey City, New
Jersey 07303 is required. If certificates are held by the shareholder, the
shares may be redeemed by surrendering the certificates with a written request
for redemption. The share certificate, or an accompanying stock power, and the
request for redemption, must be signed by the shareholder or shareholders
exactly as the shares are registered. Each request for redemption, whether or
not accompanied by a share certificate, must be sent to the Fund's Transfer
Agent, which will redeem the shares at their net asset value next computed (see
"Purchase of Fund Shares" in the Prospectus) after it receives the request, and
certificate, if any, in good order. Any redemption request received after such
computation will be redeemed at the next determined net asset value. The term
"good order" means that the share certificate, if any, and request for
redemption are properly signed, accompanied by any documentation required by the
Transfer Agent, and bear signature guarantees when required by the Fund or the
Transfer Agent. If redemption is requested by a corporation, partnership, trust
or fiduciary, the Transfer Agent may require that written evidence of authority
acceptable to the Transfer Agent be submitted before such request is accepted.
Whether certificates are held by the shareholder or shares are held in a
shareholder's account, if the proceeds are to be paid to any person other than
the record owner, or if the proceeds are to be paid to a corporation (other than
the Distributor or a selected broker-dealer for the account of the shareholder),
partnership, trust or fiduciary, or sent to the shareholder at an address other
than the registered address, signatures must be guaranteed by an eligible
guarantor acceptable to the Transfer Agent (shareholders should contact the
Transfer Agent for a determination as to whether a particular institution is
such an eligible guarantor). A stock power may be obtained from any dealer or
commercial bank. The Fund may change the signature guarantee requirements from
time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be by means of a revised
prospectus.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE. As stated in the Prospectus, a contingent
deferred sales charge ("CDSC") will be imposed on any redemption by an investor
if after such redemption the current value of the investor's shares of the Fund
is less than the dollar amount of all payments by the shareholder for the
purchase of Fund shares during the preceding six years. However, no CDSC will be
imposed to the extent that the net asset value of the shares redeemed does not
exceed: (a) the current net asset value of shares purchased more than six years
prior to the redemption, plus (b) the current net asset value of shares
purchased through reinvestment of dividends or distributions of the Fund or
another Dean Witter Fund (see "Shareholder Services--Targeted Dividends"), plus
(c) the current net asset value of shares acquired in exchange for (i) shares of
Dean Witter front-end sales charge funds, or (ii) shares of other Dean Witter
Funds for which shares of front-end sales charge funds have been exchanged (see
"Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege"), plus (d) increases in the net asset
value of the investor's shares above the total amount of payments for the
purchase of Fund shares made during the preceding six years. The CDSC will be
paid to the Distributor.
In determining the applicability of the CDSC to each redemption, the amount
which represents an increase in the net asset value of the investor's shares
above the amount of the total payments for the purchase of shares within the
past six years will be redeemed first. In the event the redemption amount
exceeds such increase in value, the next portion of the amount redeemed will be
the amount which represents the net asset value of the investor's shares
purchased more than six years prior to the redemption and/or shares purchased
through reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares acquired in
exchange for shares of Dean Witter front-end sales charge funds or for shares of
other Dean Witter funds for which shares of front-end sales charge funds have
been exchanged. A portion of the amount redeemed which exceeds an amount which
represents both such increase in value and the value of shares purchased more
than six years prior to the redemption and/or shares purchased through
reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares acquired in the
above-described exchanges will be subject to a CDSC.
The amount of the CDSC, if any, will vary depending on the number of years
from the time of payment for the purchase of Fund shares until the time of
redemption of such shares. For purposes of
37
<PAGE>
determining the number of years from the time of any payment for the purchase of
shares, all payments made during a month will be aggregated and deemed to have
been made on the last day of the month. The following table sets forth the rates
of the CDSC:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CONTINGENT DEFERRED
YEAR SINCE SALES CHARGE AS A
PURCHASE PERCENTAGE OF
PAYMENT MADE AMOUNT REDEEMED
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
<S> <C>
First.......................................................................... 5.0%
Second......................................................................... 4.0%
Third.......................................................................... 3.0%
Fourth......................................................................... 2.0%
Fifth.......................................................................... 2.0%
Sixth.......................................................................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter......................................................... None
</TABLE>
In determining the rate of the CDSC, it will be assumed that a redemption is
made of shares held by the investor for the longest period of time within the
applicable six-year period. This will result in any such CDSC being imposed at
the lowest possible rate. Accordingly, shareholders may redeem, without
incurring any CDSC, amounts equal to any net increase in the value of their
shares above the amount of their purchase payments made within the past six
years and amounts equal to the current value of shares purchased more than six
years prior to the redemption and shares purchased through reinvestment of
dividends or distributions or acquired in exchange for shares of Dean Witter
front-end sales charge funds, or for shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which
shares of front-end sales charge funds have been exchanged. The CDSC will be
imposed, in accordance with the table shown above, on any redemptions within six
years of purchase which are in excess of these amounts and which redemptions are
not (a) requested within one year of death or initial determination of
disability of a shareholder, or (b) made pursuant to certain taxable
distributions from retirement plans or retirement accounts, as described in the
Prospectus.
PAYMENT FOR SHARES REDEEMED OR REPURCHASED. As discussed in the Prospectus,
payment for shares presented for repurchase or redemption will be made by check
within seven days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of the certificate and/or
written request in good order. The term "good order" means that the share
certificate, if any, and request for redemption, are properly signed,
accompanied by any documentation required by the Transfer Agent, and bear
signature guarantees when required by the Fund or the Transfer Agent. Such
payment may be postponed or the right of redemption suspended at times (a) when
the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends and
holidays, (b) when trading on that Exchange is restricted, (c) when an emergency
exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is
not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund
fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or (d) during any other period
when the Securities and Exchange Commission by order so permits; provided that
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall
govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist. If the
shares to be redeemed have recently been purchased by check (including a
certified or bank cashier's check), payment of redemption proceeds may be
delayed for the minimum time needed to verify that the check used for investment
has been honored (not more than fifteen days from the time of investment of the
proceeds of the check by the Transfer Agent). Shareholders maintaining margin
accounts with DWR or another selected broker-dealer are referred to their
account executives regarding restrictions on redemption of shares of the Fund
pledged in the margin account.
TRANSFERS OF SHARES. In the event a shareholder requests a transfer of any
shares to a new registration, such shares will be transferred without sales
charge at the time of transfer. With regard to the status of shares which are
either subject to the contingent deferred sales charge or free of such charge
(and with regard to the length of time shares subject to the charge have been
held), any transfer involving less than all of the shares in an account will be
made on a pro-rata basis (that is, by transferring
38
<PAGE>
shares in the same proportion that the transferred shares bear to the total
shares in the account immediately prior to the transfer). The transferred shares
will continue to be subject to any applicable contingent deferred sales charge
as if they had not been so transferred.
REINSTATEMENT PRIVILEGE. As discussed in the Prospectus, a shareholder who
has had his or her shares redeemed or repurchased and has not previously
exercised this reinstatement privilege may, within thirty days after the
redemption or repurchase, reinstate any portion or all of the proceeds of such
redemption or repurchase in shares of the Fund at the net asset value next
determined after a reinstatement request, together with the proceeds, is
received by the Transfer Agent.
Exercise of the reinstatement privilege will not affect the federal income
tax treatment of any gain or loss realized upon the redemption or repurchase,
except that if the redemption or repurchase resulted in a loss and reinstatement
is made in shares of the Fund, some or all of the loss, depending on the amount
reinstated, will not be allowed as a deduction for federal income tax purposes
but will be applied to adjust the cost basis of the shares acquired upon
reinstatement.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund intends to distribute all of its net
investment income and all of its net short-term capital gains, if any, and will
determine whether to retain all or part of any net long-term capital gains.
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets
in certain "private activity bonds" issued after August 7, 1986. As a result, a
portion of the exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund may be an item of tax
preference to shareholders subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
Certain corporations which are subject to the alternative minimum tax may also
have to include a portion of exempt-interest dividends in calculating their
alternative minimum taxable income in situations where the "adjusted current
earnings" of the corporation exceeds its alternative minimum taxable income.
Each shareholder will be sent at least a quarterly summary of his or her
account, including information as to reinvested dividends and capital gains
distributions. Share certificates for dividends or distributions will not be
issued unless a shareholder requests in writing that a certificate be issued for
a specific number of shares.
In computing interest income, the Fund will amortize any premiums and
original issue discounts on securities owned. Capital gains or losses realized
upon sale or maturity of such securities will be based on their amortized cost.
Gains or losses on the sales of securities by the Fund will be long-term
capital gains or losses if the securities have been held by the Fund for more
than twelve months. Gains or losses on the sale of securities held for twelve
months or less will be short-term capital gains or losses. Gains and losses on
the sale, expiration or other termination of options on securities will
generally be treated as gains and losses from the sale of securities. Pursuant
to present federal income tax laws, futures contracts held by the Fund at the
end of each fiscal year will be required to be "marked to market", that is,
treated as having been sold at their fair market value at such date. Sixty
percent of any gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales will be treated as
long-term capital gain or loss, and the remainder will be treated as short-term
capital gain or loss. Gains or losses from options on futures and listed options
on debt instruments will similarily be treated as part short-term and part
long-term capital gains or losses, unless such gains or losses were incurred as
part of a securities "straddle," in which case the appropriate straddle rules of
the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") would apply.
At December 31, 1994, the Fund had net capital loss carryovers of
approximately $488,000 which will be available through December 31, 2002 to
offset future capital gains to the extent provided by regulations.
39
<PAGE>
Because the Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income and
capital gains to shareholders and otherwise continue to qualify as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, it is not
expected that the Fund will be required to pay any federal income tax.
Shareholders will normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any applicable
state and/or local income taxes, on the dividends and distributions they receive
from the Fund. Such dividends and distributions, to the extent that they are
derived from net investment income or short-term capital gains, are taxable to
the shareholder as ordinary income regardless of whether the shareholder
receives such payments in additional shares or in cash. Any dividends declared
in the last quarter of any year which are paid in the following year prior to
February 1 will be deemed received by the shareholder in the prior year.
With respect to the Fund's investments in zero coupon bonds, the Fund
accrues income prior to any actual cash payments by their issuers. In order to
continue to comply with Subchapter M of the Code and remain able to forego
payment of Federal income tax on its income and capital gains, the Fund must
distribute all of its net investment income, including income accrued from zero
coupon bonds. As such, the Fund may be required to dispose of some of its
portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate the cash
required for distribution.
One of the requirements for regulated investment company status is that at
least 90% of a Fund's gross income be derived from dividends, interest and gains
from the sale or other disposition of securities. Another requirement for
regulated investment company status is that less than 30% of the Fund's gross
income can be derived from, among other sources, gains from the sale or other
disposition of securities held less than three months. Accordingly, the Fund may
be restricted in the writing of options on securities held for less than three
months, in the writing of options which expire in less than three months, and in
effecting closing transactions with respect to call or put options which have
been written or purchased less than three months prior to such transactions. The
Fund may also be restricted in its ability to engage in transactions involving
futures contracts.
Under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993, all or a portion of the Fund's
gain from the sale or redemption of tax-exempt obligations purchased at a market
discount after April 30, 1993 will be treated as ordinary income rather than
capital gain. This rule may increase the amount of ordinary income dividends
received by shareholders.
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund intends to continue to qualify to
pay "exempt-interest dividends" to its shareholders by maintaining, as of the
close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its
total assets in tax-exempt securities. An exempt-interest dividend is that part
of dividend distributions made by the Fund which consists of interest received
by the Fund on tax-exempt securities upon which the shareholder incurs no
federal income taxes.
Within sixty days after the end of its fiscal year, the Fund will mail to
shareholders a statement indicating the percentage of the dividend distributions
for such fiscal year which constitutes exempt-interest dividends and the
percentage, if any, that is taxable, and the percentage, if any, of the
exempt-interest dividends which constitutes an item of tax preference, and to
what extent the taxable portion is long-term capital gain, short-term capital
gain or ordinary income. These percentages should be applied uniformly to all
monthly distributions made during the fiscal year to determine the proportion of
dividends that is tax-exempt. The percentages may differ from the percentage of
tax-exempt dividend distributions for any particular month.
Shareholders will be subject to federal income tax on dividends paid from
interest income derived from taxable securities and on distributions of net
short-term capital gains. Such dividends and distributions are taxable to the
shareholder as ordinary dividend income regardless of whether the shareholder
receives such distributions in additional shares or in cash. Distributions of
long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable as long-term gains, regardless of
how long the shareholder has held Fund shares and whether the distribution is
received in additional shares or in cash. Since the Fund's income is expected to
be derived entirely from interest rather than dividends, none of such dividend
distributions will be eligible for the 70% dividends received deduction
generally available to corporations. Net long-term capital gains distributions
are not eligible for the dividends received deduction.
40
<PAGE>
Any loss on the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund which are held for
six months or less is disallowed to the extent of the amount of any
exempt-interest dividends paid with respect to such shares. Treasury Regulations
may provide for a reduction in such required holding period. If a shareholder
receives a distribution that is taxed as long-term capital gain on shares held
for six months or less and sells those shares at a loss, the loss will be
treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gains
distribution.
Interest on indebtedness incurred or continued by a shareholder to purchase
or carry shares of the Fund is not deductible to the extent allocable to
exempt-interest dividends of the Fund (which allocation does not take into
account capital gain dividends of the Fund). Furthermore, entities or persons
who are "substantial users" (or related persons) of facilities financed by
industrial development bonds should consult their tax advisers before purchasing
shares of the Fund. "Substantial user" is defined generally by Income Tax
Regulation 1.103-11 (b) as including a "non-exempt person" who regularly uses in
a trade or business a part of a facility financed from the proceeds of
industrial development bonds.
From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the
purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for
interest on municipal securities. It can be expected that similar proposals may
be introduced in the future. If such a proposal were enacted, the availability
of municipal securities for investment by the Fund could be affected. In such
event, the Fund would re-evaluate its investment objective and policies.
To the extent that dividends are derived from interest on New York
tax-exempt securities, such dividends will also be exempt from New York State
and City personal income taxes. Interest on indebtedness incurred or continued
to purchase or carry shares of an investment company paying exempt-interest
dividends, such as the Fund, may not be deductible by the investor for State or
City personal income tax purposes.
The foregoing relates to federal income taxation and to New York State and
City personal income taxation as in effect as of the date of the Prospectus.
Distributions from investment income and capital gains, including
exempt-interest dividends, may be subject to New York franchise taxes if
received by a corporation doing business in New York, to state taxes in states
other than New York and to local taxes.
The Fund is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. Under current law,
so long as it qualifies as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal
Revenue Code, the Fund itself is not liable for any income or franchise tax in
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Any dividend or capital gains distribution received by a shareholder from
any investment company will have the effect of reducing the net asset value of
the shareholder's stock in that fund by the exact amount of the dividend or
capital gains distribution. Furthermore, capital gains distributions are, and
some portion of the dividends may be, subject to income tax. If the net asset
value of the shares should be reduced below a shareholder's cost as a result of
the payment of taxable dividends or the distribution of realized long-term
capital gains, such payment or distribution would be a return of capital but
taxable at ordinary rates. Therefore, an investor should consider the tax
implications of purchasing Fund shares immediately prior to a distribution
record date.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, from time to time the Fund may quote its
"yield" and/or its "total return" in advertisements and sales literature. Yield
is calculated for any 30-day period as follows: the amount of interest income
for each security in the Fund's portfolio is determined in accordance with
regulatory requirements; the total for the entire portfolio constitutes the
Fund's gross income for the period. Expenses accrued during the period are
subtracted to arrive at "net investment income". The resulting amount is divided
by the product of the net asset value per share on the last day of the period
multiplied by the average number of Fund shares outstanding during the period
that were entitled to
41
<PAGE>
dividends. This amount is added to 1 and raised to the sixth power. 1 is then
subtracted from the result and the difference is multiplied by 2 to arrive at
the annualized yield. For the 30-day period ended December 31, 1994, the Fund's
yield, calculated pursuant to the formula described above was 4.90%.
The Fund may also quote a "tax-equivalent yield" determined by dividing the
tax-exempt portion of the quoted yield by 1 minus the stated income tax rate and
adding the result to the portion of the yield that is not tax-exempt. The Fund's
tax-equivalent yield, based upon a combined Federal and New York personal income
tax bracket of 44.19% (the highest current individual marginal tax rate), for
the 30-day period ending December 31, 1994, was 8.78% based upon the yield
quoted above.
The Fund's "average annual total return" represents an annualization of the
Fund's total return over a particular period and is computed by finding the
annual percentage rate which will result in the ending redeemable value of a
hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the beginning of a one, five or ten year
period, or for the period from the date of commencement of the Fund's
operations, if shorter than any of the foregoing. The ending redeemable value is
reduced by any contingent deferred sales charge at the end of the one, five or
ten year or other period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed
that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing
the average annual total return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the
ending redeemable value by the amount of the initial investment, taking a root
of the quotient (where the root is equivalent to the number of years in the
period), and subtracting 1 from the result.
The average annual total returns of the Fund for the year ended December 31,
1994, the five years ended December 31, 1994 and for the period from April 25,
1985 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 1994, were -12.06%, 5.34%
and 7.67%, respectively.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return over
different periods of time by means of aggregate, average, year-by-year or other
types of total return figures. Such calculations may or may not reflect the
deduction of the contingent deferred sales charge which, if reflected, would
reduce the performance quoted. For example, the average annual total return of
the Fund may be calculated in the manner described above, but without deduction
for any applicable contingent deferred sales charge. Based on this calculation,
the average annual total returns of the Fund for the year ended December 31,
1994, the five years ended December 31, 1994 and for the period from April 25,
1985 through December 31, 1994, were -7.74%, 5.65% and 7.67%, respectively.
In addition, the Fund may compute its aggregate total return for specified
periods by determining the aggregate percentage rate which will result in the
ending value of a hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the beginning of the
period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed that all dividends
and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing aggregate total
return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the ending value (without the
reduction for any contingent deferred sales charge) by the initial $1,000
investment and subtracting 1 from the result. Based on the foregoing
calculation, the Fund's total return for the year ended December 31, 1994, the
five years ended December 31, 1994 and the period from April 25, 1985 through
December 31, 1994 were -7.74%, 31.62% and 104.53%, respectively.
The Fund may also advertise the growth of hypothetical investments of
$10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of the Fund by adding 1 to the Fund's
aggregate total return (expressed as a decimal and without reflecting the
deduction of the contingent deferred sales charge) and multiplying by $10,000,
$50,000 and $100,000. Investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in the Fund
since inception (April 25, 1985) would have grown to $20,453, $102,265 and
$204,530, respectively at December 31, 1994.
The Fund from time to time may also advertise its performance relative to
certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by independent organizations.
42
<PAGE>
SHARES OF THE FUND
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, the shareholders of the Fund are entitled to
a full vote for each full share held. All of the Trustees, except for Messrs.
Bozic, Purcell and Schroeder have been elected by the shareholders of the Fund,
most recently at a Special Meeting of Shareholders held on January 12, 1993.
Messrs. Bozic, Purcell and Schroeder were elected by the other Trustees of the
Fund on April 8, 1994. The Trustees themselves have the power to alter the
number and the terms of office of the Trustees, and they may at any time
lengthen their own terms or make their terms of unlimited duration and appoint
their own successors, provided that always at least a majority of the Trustees
has been elected by the shareholders of the Fund. Under certain circumstances
the Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees. The shareholders also
have the right under certain circumstances to remove the Trustees. The voting
rights of shareholders are not cumulative, so that holders of more than 50
percent of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Trustees being
selected, while the holders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any
Trustees.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to authorize the creation of
additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in
separate, independently managed portfolios) and additional classes of shares
within any series (which would be used to distinguish among the rights of
different categories of shareholders, as might be required by future regulations
or other unforeseen circumstances). However, the Trustees have not authorized
any such additional series or classes of shares.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that no Trustee, officer, employee
or agent of the Fund is liable to the Fund or to a shareholder, nor is any
Trustee, officer, employee or agent liable to any third persons in connection
with the affairs of the Fund, except as such liability may arise from his/her or
its own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence, or reckless disregard
of his/her or its duties. It also provides that all third persons shall look
solely to the Fund's property for satisfaction of claims arising in connection
with the affairs of the Fund. With the exceptions stated, the Declaration of
Trust provides that a Trustee, officer, employee or agent is entitled to be
indemnified against all liability in connection with the affairs of the Fund.
The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial
interest. The Fund shall be of unlimited duration subject to the provisions in
the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of the shareholders.
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bank of New York, 90 Washington Street, New York, New York 10286 is the
Custodian of the Fund's assets.
Dean Witter Trust Company, Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, Jersey
City, New Jersey 07302 is the Transfer Agent of the Fund's shares and Dividend
Disbursing Agent for payment of dividends and distributions of Fund shares and
Agent for shareholders under various investment plans described herein. Dean
Witter Trust Company is an affiliate of Dean Witter Distributors Inc., the
Fund's Distributor and Dean Witter InterCapital Inc., the Fund's Investment
Manager. As Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent, Dean Witter Trust
Company's responsibilities include maintaining shareholder accounts; disbursing
cash dividends and reinvesting dividends; processing account registration
changes; handling purchase and redemption transactions; mailing prospectuses and
reports; mailing and tabulating proxies; processing share certificate
transactions; and maintaining shareholder records and lists. For these services,
Dean Witter Trust Company receives a per shareholder account fee from the Fund.
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price Waterhouse LLP serves as the independent accountants of the Fund. The
independent accountants are responsible for auditing the annual financial
statements of the Fund.
43
<PAGE>
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will send to shareholders, at least semi-annually, reports showing
the Fund's portfolio and other information. An annual report, containing
financial statements audited by independent accountants, together with their
report thereon, will be sent to shareholders each year.
The Fund's fiscal year ends on December 31. The financial statements of the
Fund must be audited at least once a year by independent accountants whose
selection is made annually by the Fund's Trustees.
LEGAL COUNSEL
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheldon Curtis, Esq., who is an officer and General Counsel of the
Investment Manager is an officer and General Counsel of the Fund.
EXPERTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The annual financial statements of the Fund for the year ended December 31,
1994 which are included herein and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus
have been so included and incorporated in reliance on the report of Price
Waterhouse LLP, independent accountants, given on the authority of said firm as
experts in auditing and accounting.
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus do not contain
all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement the Fund has
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The complete Registration
Statement may be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission upon
payment of the fee prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Commission.
44
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To the Shareholders and Trustees of Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including
the portfolio of investments, and the related statements of operations and of
changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Dean Witter New York Tax-Free
Income Fund (the "Fund") at December 31, 1994, the results of its operations for
the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in
the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the nine years in
the period then ended and for the period April 25, 1985 (commencement of
operations) through December 31, 1985, in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles. These financial statements and financial highlights
(hereafter referred to as "financial statements") are the responsibility of the
Fund's management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these
financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
which require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An
audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included
confirmation of securities owned at December 31, 1994 by correspondence with the
custodian, provide a reasonable basis for the opinion expressed above.
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
New York, New York
February 13, 1995
1994 FEDERAL TAX NOTICE (UNAUDITED)
During the year ended December 31, 1994, the Fund paid to the shareholders
$0.572 per share from net investment income. All of the Fund's dividends
from net investment income were exempt interest dividends, excludable from
gross income for Federal income tax purposes. For the year ended December
31, 1994, the Fund paid to shareholders $0.158 per share from long-term
capital gains.
45
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS DECEMBER 31, 1994
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PRINCIPAL
AMOUNT
(IN COUPON MATURITY
THOUSANDS) RATE DATE VALUE
- -------- --------- ---------- ------------
<C> <S> <C> <C> <C>
NEW YORK EXEMPT MUNICIPAL BONDS (90.1%)
GENERAL OBLIGATION (7.0%)
New York City,
$ 3,500 Various Purpose 1973............................ 3.50% 05/01/01 $ 2,807,105
2,500 Various Purpose 1973............................ 3.50 05/01/03 1,881,900
4,000 1990 Ser D...................................... 6.00 08/01/06 3,721,760
8,800 Puerto Rico, Pub Impr Refg Ser 1987 A............. 3.00 07/01/06 6,139,144
- -------- ------------
18,800 14,549,909
- -------- ------------
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES REVENUE (11.8%)
New York State Dormitory Authority,
2,150 City University Ser U........................... 6.375 07/01/08 2,070,084
3,000 City University Ser 1993 A...................... 5.75 07/01/09 2,666,790
5,000 City University Ser 1993 F...................... 5.50 07/01/12 4,205,300
3,000 State University Ser 1989 B..................... 0.00 05/15/05 1,549,830
10,000 State University Ser 1993 C..................... 5.375 05/15/13 8,261,500
2,000 State University Ser 1993 A..................... 5.25 05/15/15 1,615,480
4,000 University of Rochester Ser 1987................ 6.50 07/01/09 3,981,400
- -------- ------------
29,150 24,350,384
- -------- ------------
ELECTRIC REVENUE (5.1%)
5,000 New York State Power Authority, Ser CC............ 5.00 01/01/14 4,038,800
8,000 Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, Power Ser
O............................................... 5.00 07/01/12 6,567,840
- -------- ------------
13,000 10,606,640
- -------- ------------
HOSPITAL REVENUE (6.1%)
New York State Medical Care Facilities Finance
Agency,
10,000 Insured Hospital & Nursing Home-FHA Insured Mtge
1993 Ser B...................................... 5.50 02/15/22 8,399,000
4,000 St Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center-FHA Insured
Mtge 1989 Ser B (Prerefunded)................... 7.40 02/15/09 4,317,200
- -------- ------------
14,000 12,716,200
- -------- ------------
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT/POLLUTION CONTROL REVENUE (17.2%)
4,500 New York City Industrial Development Agency,
1990 American Airlines Inc (AMT)................ 8.00 07/01/20 4,580,055
New York State Energy Research & Development
Authority,
7,000 Brooklyn Union Gas Co 1993 Ser B................ 6.368 04/01/20 6,288,590
15,000 Brooklyn Union Gas Co 1991 Ser B (AMT).......... 6.952 07/01/26 14,321,850
4,000 Consolidated Edison Co of New York Inc Ser 1986
A (AMT)......................................... 7.50 11/15/21 4,040,720
2,500 Long Island Lighting Co 1990 Ser A (AMT)........ 7.15 06/01/20 2,290,425
4,000 Niagara Mohawk Power Corp 1985 Ser I............ 8.875 11/01/25 4,206,320
- -------- ------------
37,000 35,727,960
- -------- ------------
</TABLE>
46
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS DECEMBER 31, 1994 (CONTINUED)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PRINCIPAL
AMOUNT
(IN COUPON MATURITY
THOUSANDS) RATE DATE VALUE
- -------- --------- ---------- ------------
<C> <S> <C> <C> <C>
MORTGAGE REVENUE - MULTI-FAMILY (2.6%)
New York City Housing Development Corporation,
$ 2,429 East Midtown Proj-FHA Insured Sec 223........... 6.50% 11/15/18 $ 2,226,310
1,000 Gen Hsg Ser A (AMBAC Insured)................... 6.50 05/01/06 1,024,880
2,430 Ruppert Proj-FHA Insured Sec 223................ 6.50 11/15/18 2,227,109
- -------- ------------
5,859 5,478,299
- -------- ------------
MORTGAGE REVENUE - SINGLE FAMILY (4.8%)
New York State Mortgage Agency,
4,500 Homeowner Ser 27................................ 6.90 04/01/15 4,499,325
5,000 Homeowner Ser 29 A.............................. 5.25 04/01/15 4,032,050
1,400 Ser MM-1 (AMT).................................. 7.95 10/01/21 1,466,878
- -------- ------------
10,900 9,998,253
- -------- ------------
NURSING & HEALTH RELATED FACILITIES REVENUE (1.2%)
New York State Medical Care Facilities Finance
Authority, Long Term Health Care 1992 Ser D
(CGIC).......................................... 6.50 11/01/15 2,449,425
2,500
- --------
------------
PUBLIC FACILITIES REVENUE (3.6%)
3,000 New York State Dormitory Authority, Suffolk County
Judicial
Ser 1986 (ETM).................................. 7.375 07/01/16 3,255,930
3,750 New York State Urban Development Corporation,
Correctional Ser 3 (Prerefunded)................ 7.375 01/01/18 4,156,688
- -------- ------------
6,750 7,412,618
- -------- ------------
RESOURCE RECOVERY REVENUE (3.8%)
3,000 Hempstead Industrial Development Agency, 1985
American REF-FUEL Co of Hempstead............... 7.40 12/01/10 3,051,210
3,000 New York State Environmental Facilities
Corporation,
Huntington 1989 Ser A (AMT)..................... 7.50 10/01/12 3,009,000
2,000 Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority,
Ser 1992........................................ 6.75 04/01/14 1,797,640
- -------- ------------
8,000 7,857,850
- -------- ------------
TRANSPORTATION REVENUE (3.0%)
3,400 Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Cons 53rd
Ser............................................. 8.70 07/15/20 3,599,852
3,000 Puerto Rico Highway & Transportation Authority,
Refg Ser X...................................... 5.50 07/01/15 2,545,680
- -------- ------------
6,400 6,145,532
- -------- ------------
WATER & SEWER REVENUE (12.9%)
New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority,
4,000 1994 Ser B...................................... 5.375 06/15/07 3,556,840
3,000 1991 Ser C (Prerefunded)........................ 7.375 06/15/14 3,306,240
4,000 1990 Ser A...................................... 6.00 06/15/19 3,586,040
</TABLE>
47
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS DECEMBER 31, 1994 (CONTINUED)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PRINCIPAL
AMOUNT
(IN COUPON MATURITY
THOUSANDS) RATE DATE VALUE
- -------- --------- ---------- ------------
<C> <S> <C> <C> <C>
Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency,
$ 5,000 Southwest Sewer Ser 1994 (FGIC Insured)......... 6.00% 02/01/07 $ 4,907,150
4,000 Southwest Sewer Ser 1994 (FGIC Insured)......... 6.00 02/01/08 3,883,480
7,000 Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority, Ser 1988
A............................................... 7.90 07/01/07 7,434,560
- -------- ------------
27,000 26,674,310
- -------- ------------
OTHER REVENUE (11.0%)
4,000 Municipal Assistance Corporation for the City of
New York, Ser 57................................ 7.25 07/01/08 4,161,400
New York Local Government Assistance Corporation,
5,000 Ser 1994 A...................................... 5.50 04/01/17 4,239,100
5,000 Ser 1991 B (Prerefunded)........................ 7.50 04/01/20 5,548,500
10,000 United Nations Development Corporation, 1992 Refg
Ser A
Sr Lien......................................... 6.00 07/01/26 8,757,600
- -------- ------------
24,000 22,706,600
- -------- ------------
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<C> <S> <C> <C> <C>
TOTAL NEW YORK EXEMPT MUNICIPAL BONDS
203,359 (IDENTIFIED COST $191,612,547).................. 186,673,980
- -------- ------------
NEW YORK EXEMPT SHORT-TERM MUNICIPAL OBLIGATIONS (8.2%)
New York State Dormitory Authority,
7,500 Cornell University Ser 1990 B (Tender
01/03/95)....................................... 5.75* 07/01/25 7,500,000
5,000 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Ser 1987
(Prerefunded 07/01/95)........................ 7.625 07/01/15 5,223,850
4,200 New York State Energy Research & Development
Authority, Niagara Mohawk Power Corp Ser 1987 A
(Tender 01/03/95)............................... 5.85* 03/01/27 4,200,000
- -------- ------------
TOTAL NEW YORK EXEMPT SHORT-TERM MUNICIPAL
OBLIGATIONS (IDENTIFIED COST $16,638,223).......
16,700
- -------- 16,923,850
------------
$220,059
- --------
- --------
TOTAL INVESTMENTS (IDENTIFIED COST $208,250,770) (A)(B) 98.3% 203,597,830
CASH AND OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES.... 1.7 3,449,159
---------- ------------
NET ASSETS........................................ 100.0% $207,046,989
---------- ------------
---------- ------------
<FN>
- --------------------------
AMT ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX.
ETM ESCROW TO MATURITY.
* VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE SECURITIES. COUPON RATE REFLECTS CURRENT RATE.
(A) THE AGGREGATE COST FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES IS $208,250,770; THE AGGREGATE GROSS
UNREALIZED APPRECIATION IS $6,862,338 AND THE AGGREGATE GROSS UNREALIZED DEPRECIATION IS
$11,515,278, RESULTING IN NET UNREALIZED DEPRECIATION OF $4,652,940.
(B) INVESTMENTS WITHIN NEW YORK AND PUERTO RICO REPRESENT 79.1% AND 11.0% OF NET ASSETS,
RESPECTIVELY.
</TABLE>
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
48
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
DECEMBER 31, 1994
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
ASSETS:
Investments in securities, at value
(identified cost $208,250,770).......... $ 203,597,830
Cash...................................... 258,809
Receivable for:
Interest................................ 4,000,448
Shares of beneficial interest sold...... 59,681
Prepaid expenses and other assets......... 15,882
-------------
TOTAL ASSETS...................... 207,932,650
-------------
LIABILITIES:
Payable for:
Dividends to shareholders............... 394,414
Plan of distribution fee................ 156,994
Shares of beneficial interest
repurchased........................... 124,272
Investment management fee............... 96,452
Accrued expenses and other payables....... 113,529
-------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES................. 885,661
-------------
NET ASSETS:
Paid-in-capital........................... 212,173,701
Net unrealized depreciation............... (4,652,940)
Accumulated undistributed net investment
income.................................. 14,003
Accumulated net realized loss............. (487,775)
-------------
NET ASSETS........................ $ 207,046,989
-------------
-------------
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE, 19,125,860
shares outstanding (unlimited shares
authorized of $.01 par value)...........
$10.83
-------------
-------------
</TABLE>
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1994
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
NET INVESTMENT INCOME:
INTEREST INCOME......................... $ 14,477,416
EXPENSES
Plan of distribution fee.............. 1,687,792
Investment management fee............. 1,254,070
Transfer agent fees and expenses...... 97,490
Shareholder reports and notices....... 50,785
Professional fees..................... 49,010
Trustees' fees and expenses........... 27,736
Registration fees..................... 4,298
Other................................. 11,612
-------------
TOTAL EXPENSES.................... 3,182,793
-------------
NET INVESTMENT INCOME........... 11,294,623
-------------
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED LOSS:
Net realized loss..................... (487,800)
Net change in unrealized
appreciation........................ (29,811,878)
-------------
NET LOSS.......................... (30,299,678)
-------------
NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS
RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS..... $ (19,005,055)
-------------
-------------
</TABLE>
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR ENDED FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 1994 DECEMBER 31, 1993
------------------ ------------------
<S> <C> <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS:
Operations:
Net investment income................................................ $ 11,294,623 $ 11,996,748
Net realized gain (loss)............................................. (487,800) 6,322,958
Net change in unrealized appreciation................................ (29,811,878) 6,844,389
------------------ ------------------
Net increase (decrease).......................................... (19,005,055) 25,164,095
------------------ ------------------
Dividends and distributions to shareholders from:
Net investment income................................................ (11,286,357) (11,996,748)
Net realized gain.................................................... (3,193,040) (3,940,210)
------------------ ------------------
Total............................................................ (14,479,397) (15,936,958)
Net increase (decrease) from transactions in shares of beneficial
interest.............................................................. (5,929,150) 28,717,907
------------------ ------------------
Total increase (decrease)........................................ (39,413,602) 37,945,044
NET ASSETS:
Beginning of period.................................................... 246,460,591 208,515,547
------------------ ------------------
END OF PERIOD (including undistributed net investment income of
$14,003 and $5,763, respectively)..................................... $ 207,046,989 $ 246,460,591
------------------ ------------------
------------------ ------------------
</TABLE>
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
49
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. ORGANIZATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES -- Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income
Fund (the "Fund") is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "Act"), as a diversified, open-end management investment company.
The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 17, 1985 and
commenced operations on April 25, 1985.
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies:
A. VALUATION OF INVESTMENTS -- Portfolio securities are valued for the Fund
by an outside independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. The
pricing service has informed the Fund that in valuing the Fund's portfolio
securities, it uses both a computerized matrix of tax-exempt securities and
evaluations by its staff, in each case based on information concerning
market transactions and quotations from dealers which reflect the bid side
of the market each day. The Fund's portfolio securities are thus valued by
reference to a combination of transactions and quotations for the same or
other securities believed to be comparable in quality, coupon, maturity,
type of issue, call provisions, trading characteristics and other features
deemed to be relevant. Short-term debt securities having a maturity date of
more than sixty days at time of purchase are valued on a mark-to-market
basis until sixty days prior to maturity and thereafter at amortized cost
based on their value on the 61st day. Short-term debt securities having a
maturity date of sixty days or less at the time of purchase are valued at
amortized cost.
B. ACCOUNTING FOR INVESTMENTS -- Security transactions are accounted for on
the trade date (date the order to buy or sell is executed). Realized gains
and losses on security transactions are determined on the identified cost
method. The Fund amortizes premiums and discounts on securities purchased
over the life of the respective securities. Interest income is accrued daily
except where collection is not expected.
C. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS -- It is the Fund's policy to comply with the
requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment
companies and to distribute all of its taxable and nontaxable income to its
shareholders. Accordingly, no federal income tax provision is required.
D. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS -- The Fund records dividends
and distributions to its shareholders on the record date. The amount of
dividends and distributions from net investment income and net realized
capital gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax
regulations which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.
These "book/tax" differences are either considered temporary or permanent in
nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such
amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal
tax-basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification.
Dividends and distributions which exceed net investment income and net
realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes but not for tax
purposes are reported as dividends in excess of net investment income or
distributions in excess of net realized capital gains. To the extent they
exceed net investment income and net realized capital gains for tax
purposes, they are reported as distributions of paid-in-capital.
2. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT -- Pursuant to an Investment Management
Agreement with Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. (the "Investment Manager"), the
Fund pays its Investment Manager a
50
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
management fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the following
annual rates to the Fund's net assets determined as of the close of each
business day: 0.55% to the portion of daily net assets not exceeding $500
million and 0.525% to the portion of daily net assets exceeding $500 million.
Under the terms of the Agreement, in addition to managing the Fund's
investments, the Investment Manager maintains certain of the Fund's books and
records and furnishes, at its own expense, office space, facilities, equipment,
clerical, bookkeeping and certain legal services and pays the salaries of all
personnel, including officers of the Fund who are employees of the Investment
Manager. The Investment Manager also bears the cost of telephone services, heat,
light, power and other utilities provided to the Fund.
3. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION -- Shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean Witter
Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"), an affiliate of the Investment Manager.
The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1
under the Act pursuant to which the Fund pays the Distributor compensation,
accrued daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 0.75% of the lesser of:
(a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's shares since the
Fund's inception (not including reinvestment of dividend or capital gains
distributions) less the average daily aggregate net asset value of the Fund's
shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a contingent deferred
sales charge has been imposed or upon which such charge has been waived; or (b)
the Fund's average daily net assets. Amounts paid under the Plan are paid to the
Distributor to compensate it for the services provided and the expenses borne by
it and others in the distribution of the Fund's shares, including the payment of
commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to and
expenses of account executives of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., an affiliate of the
Investment Manager and Distributor, and other employees and selected
broker-dealers, who engage in or support distribution of the Fund's shares or
who service shareholder accounts, including overhead and telephone expenses,
printing and distribution of prospectuses and reports used in connection with
the offering of the Fund's shares to other than current shareholders and
preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature and advertising
materials. In addition, the Distributor may be compensated under the Plan for
its opportunity costs in advancing such amounts, which compensation would be in
the form of a carrying charge on any unreimbursed expenses by the Distributor.
Provided that the Plan continues in effect, any cumulative expenses incurred
but not yet recovered may be recovered through future distribution fees from the
Fund and contingent deferred sales charges from the Fund's shareholders.
The Distributor has informed the Fund that for the year ended December 31,
1994, it received approximately $312,000 in contingent deferred sales charges
from certain redemptions of the Fund's shares. The Fund's shareholders pay such
charges which are not an expense of the Fund.
4. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES -- The cost of
purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities, excluding short-term
investments, for the year ended December 31, 1994 aggregated $20,781,910 and
$41,430,851, respectively.
Dean Witter Trust Company, an affiliate of the Investment Manager and
Distributor, is the Fund's transfer agent. At December 31, 1994, the Fund had
transfer agent fees and expenses payable of approximately $11,000.
51
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On April 1, 1991, the Fund established an unfunded noncontributory defined
benefit pension plan covering all independent Trustees of the Fund who will have
served as independent Trustees for at least five years at the time of
retirement. Benefits under this plan are based on years of service and
compensation during the last five years of service. Aggregate pension costs for
the year ended December 31, 1994, included in Trustees' fees and expenses in the
Statement of Operations amounted to $8,278. At December 31, 1994, the Fund had
an accrued pension liability of $47,002 which is included in accrued expenses in
the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
5. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST -- Transactions in shares of beneficial
interest were as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER
31, 1994 31, 1993
----------------------------- -----------------------------
SHARES AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT
------------ --------------- ------------ ---------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Sold...................................... 1,882,224 $ 21,996,590 3,452,052 $ 43,018,205
Reinvestment of dividends and
distributions............................ 776,114 8,847,709 802,145 10,012,352
------------ --------------- ------------ ---------------
2,658,338 30,844,299 4,254,197 53,030,557
Repurchased............................... (3,244,785) (36,773,449) (1,950,896) (24,312,650)
------------ --------------- ------------ ---------------
Net increase (decrease)................... (586,447) $ (5,929,150) 2,303,301 $ 28,717,907
------------ --------------- ------------ ---------------
------------ --------------- ------------ ---------------
</TABLE>
6. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS -- At December 31, 1994, the Fund had net capital
loss carryovers of approximately $488,000, which will be available through
December 31, 2002 to offset future capital gains to the extent provided by
regulations.
52
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER NEW YORK TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Selected ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE
PERIOD
APRIL
25,
1985*
THROUGH
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31,
1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
PER SHARE OPERATING
PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value,
beginning of
period............. $ 12.50 $ 11.98 $ 11.68 $ 11.00 $ 11.25 $ 10.94 $ 10.50 $ 11.57 $ 10.57 $10.00
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Net investment
income............. 0.57 0.65 0.65 0.68 0.68 0.68 0.68 0.70 0.72 0.51
Net realized and
unrealized gain
(loss) on
investment......... (1.51) 0.72 0.34 0.70 (0.25) 0.31 0.44 (0.93) 1.09 0.57
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Total from
investment
operations......... (0.94) 1.37 0.99 1.38 0.43 0.99 1.12 (0.23) 1.81 1.08
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Less dividends and
distributions from:
Net investment
income........... (0.57) (0.65) (0.65) (0.68) (0.68) (0.68) (0.67) (0.70) (0.72) (0.51)
Net realized
gain............. (0.16) (0.20) (0.04) (0.02) -- -- (0.01) (0.14) (0.09) --
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Total dividends and
distributions...... (0.73) (0.85) (0.69) (0.70) (0.68) (0.68) (0.68) (0.84) (0.81) (0.51)
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
Net asset value, end
of period.......... $ 10.83 $ 12.50 $ 11.98 $ 11.68 $ 11.00 $ 11.25 $ 10.94 $ 10.50 $ 11.57 $10.57
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------
TOTAL INVESTMENT
RETURN+............ (7.74)% 11.72% 8.70% 12.94% 4.01% 9.34% 10.91% (1.89)% 17.62% 11.04%(1)
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA:
Net assets, end of
period (in
thousands)......... $207,047 $246,461 $208,516 $181,714 $158,075 $147,363 $128,600 $112,795 $113,321 $73,408
Ratios to average
net assets:
Expenses.......... 1.40% 1.27% 1.40% 1.32% 1.37% 1.37% 1.41% 1.40% 1.41% 1.16%(2)(3)
Net investment
income........... 4.96% 5.20% 5.48% 6.00% 6.13% 6.09% 6.28% 6.44% 6.36% 7.02%(2)(3)
Portfolio turnover
rate............... 10% 25% 16% 17% 23% 4% 18% 40% 23% 24%(1)
<FN>
- --------------------
* COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS.
+ DOES NOT REFLECT THE DEDUCTION OF SALES CHARGE.
(1) NOT ANNUALIZED.
(2) ANNUALIZED.
(3) IF THE FUND HAD BORNE ALL ITS EXPENSES THAT WERE ASSUMED OR WAIVED BY THE
INVESTMENT MANAGER AND THE DISTRIBUTOR, THE
ABOVE EXPENSE AND NET INVESTMENT INCOME RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.58% AND
6.60%, RESPECTIVELY.
</TABLE>
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
53
<PAGE>
APPENDIX
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RATINGS OF INVESTMENTS
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE INC. ("MOODY'S")
MUNICIPAL BOND RATINGS
Aaa Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry
the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
"gilt edge." Interest payments are protected by a large or by an
exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various
protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be
visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position
of such issues.
Aa Bonds which are Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards.
Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high
grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of
protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of
protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other
elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger
than in Aaa securities.
A Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and
are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving
security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements
may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in
the future.
Baa Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations;
i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest
payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but
certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically
unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding
investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as
well.
Bonds rated Aaa, Aa, A and Baa are considered investment grade bonds.
Ba Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their
future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of
interest and principal payments may be very moderate, and therefore not
well safeguarded during both good and bad times in the future. Uncertainty
of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance
of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in
default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to
principal or interest.
Ca Bonds which are rated Ca present obligations which are speculative in a
high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked
shortcomings.
C Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so
rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining
any real investment standing.
CONDITIONAL RATING: Bonds for which the security depends upon the
completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated
conditionally. These bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under
construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operation experience, (c)
rentals which begin when facilities are completed or (d) payments to which some
other limiting condition attaches. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit
stature upon completion of construction or elimination of basis of condition.
RATING REFINEMENTS: Moody's may apply numerical modifiers, 1, 2, and 3 in
each generic rating classification from Aa through B in its municipal bond
rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher
end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range
ranking; and a modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its
generic rating category.
54
<PAGE>
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS
Moody's ratings for state and municipal note and other short-term loans are
designated Moody's Investment Grade (MIG). MIG 1 denotes best quality and means
there is present strong protection from established cash flows, superior
liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for
refinancing. MIG 2 denotes high quality and means that margins of protection are
ample although not as large as in MIG 1. MIG 3 denotes favorable quality and
means that all security elements are accounted for but that the undeniable
strength of the previous grades, MIG 1 and MIG 2, is lacking. MIG 4 denotes
adequate quality and means that the protection commonly regarded as required of
an investment security is present and that while the notes are not distinctly or
predominantly speculative, there is specific risk.
VARIABLE RATE DEMAND OBLIGATIONS
A short-term rating, in addition to the Bond or MIG ratings, designated VMIG
may also be assigned to an issue having a demand feature. The assignment of the
VMIG symbol reflects such characteristics as payment upon periodic demand rather
than fixed maturity dates and payment relying on external liquidity. The VMIG
rating criteria are identical to the MIG criteria discussed above.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Moody's Commercial Paper ratings are opinions of the ability to repay
punctually promissory obligations not having an original maturity in excess of
nine months. These ratings apply to Municipal Commercial Paper as well as
taxable Commercial Paper. Moody's employs the following three designations, all
judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of
rated issuers: Prime-1, Prime-2, Prime-3.
Issuers rated Prime-1 have a superior capacity for repayment of short-term
promissory obligations. Issuers rated Prime-2 have a strong capacity for
repayment of short-term promissory obligations; and Issuers rated Prime-3 have
an acceptable capacity for repayment of short-term promissory obligations.
Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
STANDARD & POOR'S CORPORATION ("STANDARD & POOR'S")
MUNICIPAL BOND RATINGS
A Standard & Poor's municipal bond rating is a current assessment of the
creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation. This
assessment may take into consideration obligors such as guarantors, insurers or
lessees.
The ratings are based on current information furnished by the issuer or
obtained by Standard & Poor's from other sources it considers reliable. The
ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations: (1)
likelihood of default-capacity and willingness of the obligor as to the timely
payment of interest and repayment of principal in accordance with the terms of
the obligation; (2) nature of and provisions of the obligation; and (3)
protection afforded by, and relative position of the obligation in the event of
bankruptcy, reorganization or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and
other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Standard & Poor's does not perform an audit in connection with any rating
and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may
be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability
of, such information, or for other reasons.
AAA Debt rated "AAA" has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's.
Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong.
AA Debt rated "AA" has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay
principal and differs from the highest-rated issues only in small degree.
55
<PAGE>
A Debt rated "A" has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal
although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of
changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher-rated
categories.
BBB Debt rated "BBB" is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate
protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing
circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay
interest and repay principal for debt in this category than for debt in
higher-rated categories.
Bonds rated AAA, AA, A and BBB are considered investment grade bonds.
BB Debt rated "BB" has less near-term vulnerability to default than other
speculative grade debt. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or
exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions which would
lead to inadequate capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay
principal.
B Debt rated "B" has a greater vulnerability to default but presently has
the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse
business, financial or economic conditions would likely impair capacity or
willingness to pay interest and repay principal.
CCC Debt rated "CCC" has a current identifiable vulnerability to default, and
is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions to
meet timely payments of interest and repayments of principal. In the event
of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, it is not likely to
have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
CC The rating "CC" is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt
which is assigned an actual or implied "CCC" rating.
C The rating "C" is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt
which is assigned an actual or implied "CCC-" debt rating.
CI The rating "CI" is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being
paid.
D Debt rated "D" is in payment default. The 'D' rating category is used when
interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even
if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that
such payments will be made during such grace period. The 'D' rating also
will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service
payments are jeopardized.
NR Indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient
information on which to base a rating or that Standard & Poor's does not
rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of policy.
Bonds rated "BB", "B", "CCC", "CC" and "C" are regarded as having
predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay
interest and repay principal. "BB" indicates the least degree of
speculation and "C" the highest degree of speculation. While such debt
will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are
outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse
conditions.
PLUS (+) OR MINUS (-): The ratings from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified by
the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing with the
major ratings categories.
The foregoing ratings are sometimes followed by a "p" which indicates that
the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful
completion of the project being financed by the bonds being rated and indicates
that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon
the successful and timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while
addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no
comment on the likelihood or risk of default upon failure of such completion.
56
<PAGE>
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS
Commencing on July 27, 1984, Standard & Poor's instituted a new rating
category with respect to certain municipal note issues with a maturity of less
than three years. The new note ratings denote the following:
SP-1 denotes a very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and
interest. Issues determined to possess overwhelming safety
characteristics are given a plus (+) designation (SP-1+).
SP-2 denotes a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.
SP-3 denotes a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Standard and Poor's commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the
likelihood of timely payment of debt having an original maturity of no more than
365 days. The commercial paper rating is not a recommendation to purchase or
sell a security. The ratings are based upon current information furnished by the
issuer or obtained by S&P from other sources it considers reliable. The ratings
may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in or
unavailability of such information. Ratings are graded into group categories,
ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to "D" for the lowest.
Ratings are applicable to both taxable and tax-exempt commercial paper. The
categories are as follows:
Issuers assigned A ratings are regarded as having the greatest capacity for
timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the designation
1, 2 and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
A-1 indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is very strong.
A-2 indicates capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is strong.
However, the relative degree of safety is not as overwhelming as for issues designated
"A-1".
A-3 indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment. Obligations carrying this
designation are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
</TABLE>
57
