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<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000950156-01-500332.txt : 20010828
<SEC-HEADER>0000950156-01-500332.hdr.sgml : 20010828
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000950156-01-500332
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	DEF 14A
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT:	20011012
FILED AS OF DATE:		20010827

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000801961
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	 []
		IRS NUMBER:				046554822
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			MA
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1031

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		DEF 14A
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	811-04841
		FILM NUMBER:		1723741

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		500 BOYLSTON ST
		STREET 2:		15TH FLOOR
		CITY:			BOSTON
		STATE:			MA
		ZIP:			02116
		BUSINESS PHONE:		6179545268

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		500 BOYLSTON STREET
		STREET 2:		15TH FLOOR
		CITY:			BOSTON
		STATE:			MA
		ZIP:			02116
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>DEF 14A
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>d567742.txt
<DESCRIPTION>MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST
<TEXT>
<PAGE>
                            SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
          PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(A) OF THE SECURITIES
                              EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FILED BY THE REGISTRANT [X]                    FILED BY A PARTY OTHER
                                               THAN THE REGISTRANT [ ]

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX:
[ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ] Confidential for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
    Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[X] Definitive Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive Additional Materials
[ ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to sec. 240.14a-11(c) or sec. 240.14a-12

                           MFS Municipal Income Trust
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                (Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    (Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

PAYMENT OF FILING FEE (CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX):
    [X] No fee required.
    [ ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11.

         1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

         2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

         3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
            pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which
            the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):

         4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

         5) Total Fee Paid:

    [ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

    [ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
        Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was
        paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
        number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

         1) Amount previously paid:

         2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

         3) Filing Party:

         4) Date Filed:

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>

MFS(R) Proxy Information

- ------------------------------------------------

THE 2001 SHAREHOLDER PROXY FOR MFS(R) FUNDS

Streamlined processes for greater efficiencies

- ------------------------------------------------

                                                        [Logo] M F S(R)
                                                        INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
<PAGE>

                                                            QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Your proxy vote: your right and responsibility to your fellow shareholders

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

Starting in August 2001, the MFS(R) funds are asking all of their account
holders for their support by voting on the 2001 proxy. That means that more than
4.5 million account holders will receive a proxy. Because this is such a massive
undertaking, these proxy mailings will be sent in groups from late August
through mid-September.

Your proxy vote is important. It is your right, and it is your responsibility to
your fellow shareholders.


ALL SHARES IN ALL ACCOUNTS MUST BE VOTED

If you have more than one account, you'll receive more than one proxy --
possibly even in the same package. To conserve mailing costs, we have tried to
send all of your proxies together. However, the staggered mailings may mean that
you'll get several of these "householded" packages. It's very important that you
vote every proxy that you receive. Otherwise, there may not be enough votes to
conduct the shareholder meetings. And that will require costly follow-up
mailings to nonvoting account holders.

- ----------------------------------------
Proxy mailings are a fund expense, so
are follow-up solicitations and
mailings. Please vote all of your
proxies now, and save your fund some
money.
- ----------------------------------------

FOCUS ON SIMPLIFICATION

The proposals contained in the proxy for each fund vary in the specifics, but
the general theme for most of them is the same: simplification. For example, we
currently have three different Boards of Trustees; we believe it would be more
efficient if we had just one. The questions and answers that follow will explain
the proxy process and help you wade through the proposals.

Please take the time to read the enclosed proxy material and vote your proxy.
You can vote by

    o mailing your completed and signed proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid
      envelope

    o voting on the Internet

    o voting by telephone on a toll-free number

You'll find the complete voting instructions included in this package.

Both we and your fellow shareholders thank you for voting now. We look forward
to hearing from you.


1. WHO IS ASKING FOR MY VOTE?

   The Trustees of your MFS fund(s) are asking you to vote on several proposals
   at the upcoming shareholder meetings. The election of new Trustees requires a
   shareholder vote, and MFS recommended to the Trustees that certain other
   changes be made.

2. HOW DO THE TRUSTEES RECOMMEND SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE?

   The Trustees recommend that you vote FOR all proposals.

3. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE?

   If you were the shareholder of record on the record date, you are entitled to
   vote at the meeting or at any adjournment of the meeting. You may cast one
   vote for each share of record that you own on each matter presented at the
   meeting that affects your fund.

4. WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO VOTE ON?

   o To elect a Board of Trustees

     The purpose of this proposal is to streamline the oversight of the MFS
     funds by creating a combined Board that will oversee all MFS funds
     organized in the United States. Currently, three separate Boards of
     Trustees serve these MFS funds. Due to a number of pending Trustee
     retirements, the combined Board will avoid the need to add new Trustees to
     the various Boards in the near future.

     The combined Board would reduce the duplication of Board materials and
     reports and avoid repeated presentations by the same personnel at different
     meetings.

   o To authorize the Trustees to adopt an amended and restated Declaration of
     Trust

     The Declaration of Trust is the charter document that describes how a fund
     conducts business and how it is governed.

     This proposal would modernize the Declaration of Trust and make it the same
     for almost all MFS funds.

   o To amend, remove, or add certain fundamental investment policies

     The MFS funds have certain fundamental investment policies that cannot be
     changed without shareholder approval. Some of these policies are no
     longer needed due to changes in applicable laws and can now be eliminated
     or revised.

     This proposal would modernize the funds' fundamental investment policies
     and make them the same for almost all of the MFS funds. The funds will
     continue to be managed in accordance with the investment policies described
     in their prospectuses. The Trustees do not expect that the revised policies
     will change significantly the level of investment risk associated with an
     investment in the funds.

   o To approve a new Investment Advisory Agreement with MFS

     Each MFS fund has an Investment Advisory Agreement with MFS.

     This proposal would modernize these Agreements and make them the same for
     almost all of the MFS funds.

     UNDER THIS PROPOSAL, THE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEE PAYABLE BY THE FUNDS
     WOULD NOT CHANGE.

   o To ratify the selection of the independent public accountants for the
     current fiscal year

     This is a standard, routine item on proxy statements.

5. HOW WILL MY VOTES BE RECORDED?

   Votes that are received prior to a fund's shareholder meeting will be voted
   as you specify on each proposal. If you simply sign and date the proxy card
   but do not specifically vote on one or more of the proposals, your shares
   will be voted FOR all of the nonspecified proposals.

6. WHAT IF I WANT TO REVOKE MY PROXY?

   You can revoke your proxy at any time by sending us a written revocation or a
   more recently dated proxy card. Your request or new proxy card must be
   received before the shareholder meeting.

7. WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE AREN'T ENOUGH VOTES TO APPROVE A PROPOSAL BY THE
   SHAREHOLDER MEETING DATE?

   The shareholder meeting for that fund will be adjourned to a later date, and
   shareholders who have not voted will be solicited again. Follow-up
   solicitations, which are a fund expense, are costly. That's why your vote is
   so important and why we urge you to vote your proxy now. You should also know
   that a fund may adjourn its meeting more than once.

8. HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS?

   A copy of the annual report for each fund was mailed previously to you. If
   you would like us to send you free copies of any fund's most recent annual or
   semiannual report, please call us toll free at 1-800-637-2304 or write to the
   funds at MFS Service Center, Inc., 2 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston,
   Massachusetts 02111-1738.

9. WHOM DO I CALL IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

   You may call Georgeson Shareholder Communications Inc., the MFS funds' proxy
   solicitor, at 1-888-832-6971.

   Your vote is important to us and to your fellow shareholders. Please vote
   your proxies as soon as possible and return them in the envelope provided.

   We look forward to receiving your vote.


[Logo] M F S(R)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT


(C)2001 MFS Investment Management(R).
MFS(R)investment products are offered through MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.,
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
                                                               MFS-4MFMMMT-8/01
<PAGE>


                                                    MFS Municipal Income Trust
                                                    500 Boylston Street
                                                    Boston, Massachusetts 02116

                                                                August 10, 2001


Dear Shareholder:

    An annual meeting of shareholders of MFS Municipal Income Trust (referred to
as the Fund) will be held at the Fund's offices, 500 Boylston Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, on October 12, 2001, at 9:30 a.m. (Boston time).

    At the meeting, you will be asked to elect Trustees of your Fund. Certain
nominees already serve as Trustees, and other nominees are currently Trustees of
other MFS funds. The new Board will combine your Fund's current Trustees with
Trustees supervising other funds in the MFS Family of Funds. The combined Board
is designed to simplify and streamline oversight of all funds in the MFS Family
of Funds.

    You will also be asked to approve an amended and restated declaration of
trust, the elimination, revision or addition of certain investment policies and
a new investment advisory agreement. These items are designed to modernize and
standardize the agreements and investment restrictions governing the funds in
the MFS Family of Funds, including your Fund, and to provide for efficiencies
and flexibility in the Fund's operations.


    As a shareholder, you cast one vote for each share you own. THE TRUSTEES
RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FUND UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMEND THAT YOUR VOTE FOR EACH OF THESE
PROPOSALS.

    YOUR VOTE ON THESE MATTERS IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE PROMPTLY BY COMPLETING
AND SIGNING THE PROXY CARD AND RETURNING IT IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED OR BY
FOLLOWING THE ENCLOSED INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTE BY TELEPHONE OR OVER THE INTERNET.

    If you have any questions about the proposals to be voted on, please call
Georgeson Shareholder Communications Inc. at 1-888-832-6971.


    Thank you for your participation in the meeting.

                                                Sincerely,

                                            /s/ Jeffrey L. Shames

                                                Jeffrey L. Shames
                                                Chairman
<PAGE>


                          MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST
                             500 BOYLSTON STREET
                         BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 021116


                   NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

                        TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 12, 2001

    An Annual Meeting of Shareholders of MFS Municipal Income Trust (referred to
as the Fund) will be held at the Fund's offices, 500 Boylston Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, at 9:30 a.m. (Boston time) on Friday, October 12, 2001, for the
following purposes:

    ITEM  1. To  elect  a Board of Trustees, 10 of whom are independent of the
             Fund's investment adviser.

    ITEM  2. To  authorize  the  Trustees  to  adopt  an  Amended and Restated
             Declaration of Trust.

    ITEM  3. To amend, remove or add certain fundamental investment policies.

    ITEM  4. To approve a new investment advisory agreement with Massachusetts
             Financial Services Company.

    ITEM  5. To ratify the selection of the independent public accountants for
             the current fiscal year.

    ITEM  6. To  transact  such other business as may properly come before the
             Meeting and any adjournments thereof.


    YOUR TRUSTEES RECOMMEND THAT YOU VOTE FOR ALL ITEMS.


    Shareholders of record on July 27, 2001 are entitled to vote at the Annual
Meeting of Shareholders and at any adjournments thereof.

                                         Stephen E. Cavan, Secretary and Clerk

August 10, 2001
<PAGE>

                               PROXY STATEMENT

    This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of
proxies by and on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the MFS Municipal Income
Trust (referred to as the Fund) to be used at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders
of the Fund to be held at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, October 12, 2001 at the Fund's
offices, 500 Boylston Street, Boston Massachusetts, and at any adjournment
thereof. The Meeting will be held for the purposes set forth in the accompanying
Notice. If the enclosed form of proxy is executed and returned, it may
nevertheless be revoked prior to its exercise by a signed writing filed with the
Secretary of the Fund or delivered at the Meeting. Solicitation of proxies is
being made by the mailing of this Notice and Proxy Statement with its enclosures
on or about August 27, 2001.


    Shareholders of record at the close of business on July 27, 2001 will be
entitled to one vote for each share held. The Fund has two classes of shares
outstanding, common shares and preferred shares. The number of common shares of
the Fund outstanding on July 27, 2001 was 39,452,031.7995 and the number of
preferred shares of the Fund outstanding on that date was 5,600.


    The mailing address of the Fund is 500 Boylston Street, Boston,
Massachusetts 02116. A copy of the Annual or Semi-Annual Report for the Fund may
be obtained without charge by contacting MFS Service Center, Inc., P.O. Box
9024, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-9824, or calling MFS by telephone toll- free
1-800-637-2304.

VOTE REQUIRED: Preferred shares and common shares vote together as a single
class on all Items, except as follows. Two of the nominees named in Item 1, J.
Atwood Ives and Elaine R. Smith, must be elected by a plurality of the preferred
shares of the Fund voted at the Meeting. All other nominees named in Item 1 must
be elected by a plurality of the preferred and common shares of the Fund voted
together as a single class at the Meeting. Approval of Item 2 requires the
affirmative vote of 66 and 2/3% of the preferred and common shares of the Fund
voted together as a single class at the Meeting. Approval of Item 3 requires the
affirmative vote of a "majority of the outstanding" common shares and preferred
shares, voting together as a single class, and of the holders of a "majority of
the outstanding" preferred shares, voting as a separate class. Approval of Item
4 requires the affirmative vote of a "majority of the outstanding" common shares
and preferred shares of the Fund, voting together as a single class. Approval of
Item 5 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the preferred and common
shares of the Fund voted together as a single class at the Meeting.

    Under applicable law, the vote of "a majority of the outstanding shares" of
the preferred share class or the common share class, or of both classes voting
together or as a single class (in each case referred to as a class) means the
affirmative vote of the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares of the
applicable class that are present at the Meeting or represented by proxy if
holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of that class are present or
represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the
applicable class.

    The following table summarizes these voting requirements:

                                              VOTE REQUIRED FOR APPROVAL
                                              --------------------------
ITEM 1                                 Two of the nominees, J. Atwood Ives and
(Election of Trustees)                 Elaine R. Smith, must be elected by a
                                       plurality of the preferred shares of the
                                       Fund voted at the Meeting. All other
                                       nominees must be elected by a plurality
                                       of the preferred and common shares of
                                       the Fund voted together as a single
                                       class at the Meeting

ITEM 2                                 Approved by 66 and 2/3% of the common
(Approval of Amended and Restated      shares and preferred shares of the Fund,
  Declaration of Trust)                voting together as a single class

ITEM 3                                 Approved by a "majority of the
(Changes to Fundamental Investment     outstanding" common shares and preferred
  Policies)                            shares, voting together as a single
                                       class, and of the holders of a "majority
                                       of the outstanding" preferred shares,
                                       voting as a separate class

ITEM 4                                 Approved by a "majority of the
(Approval of Investment Advisory       outstanding" common shares and preferred
  Agreement)                           shares of the Fund, voting together as a
                                       single class

ITEM 5                                 Approved by a majority of the common
(Ratification of Selection of          shares and preferred shares of the Fund,
  Auditors)                            voting together as a single class at the
                                       Meeting


                              GENERAL BACKGROUND

    At the Meeting, you will be asked to elect Trustees of your Fund. Certain
nominees already serve as Trustees, and other nominees are currently Trustees of
other MFS funds. The new Board will combine your Fund's current Trustees with
Trustees supervising other funds in the MFS Family of Funds. The combined Board
is designed to simplify and streamline oversight of the funds in the MFS Family
of Funds, including the Fund.


    You will also be asked to approve an amended and restated declaration of
trust, the elimination, revision or addition of certain investment policies and
a new investment advisory agreement. These items are designed to modernize and
standardize the agreements and restrictions governing the funds in the MFS
Family of Funds, including the Fund, and to provide for efficiencies and
flexibility in the Fund's operations.

    If approved, each proposal will take effect on January 1, 2002, or, in the
event that shareholder approval has not been obtained by that date, as soon as
reasonably practicable after shareholders have approved the proposal.


ITEM 1 -- TO ELECT A BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

    At the Meeting, you will be asked to elect a Board of Trustees for your
Fund. The existing Trustees of the Fund have determined, pursuant to the Fund's
declaration of trust, that the number of Trustees of the combined Board of the
Fund shall be fixed for the time being at 13. Proxies not containing specific
instructions to the contrary will be voted for the election as Trustees of the
14 nominees discussed below. (As noted below, Mr. Schmidt's term of office
expires at this annual meeting of shareholders, but Mr. Schmidt is seeking
re-election only for the remainder of 2001).


    Currently, funds in the MFS Family of Funds are served by three separate
Boards of Trustees. Under this proposal, the separate Boards will be
consolidated so that the same individuals serve on the Boards of all of the MFS
Funds.

    Historically, the three separate Boards have had separate meetings but often
have reviewed the same policy issues, contractual arrangements and other
matters. Among other potential efficiencies, consolidating into one Board would
reduce the duplication of Board materials and reports covering the same topics
and would avoid the need for repeated presentations by the same personnel at
different meetings. The Trustees of the three Boards, including the Trustees of
your Fund, have agreed that both the MFS Funds and their adviser, Massachusetts
Financial Services Company (referred to as MFS), would enjoy efficiencies and
potential future cost savings if the same individuals served as Trustees of all
of the MFS Funds.

    The Trustees who currently supervise your Fund are John W. Ballen, William
R. Gutow, J. Atwood Ives, Lawrence T. Perera, William J. Poorvu, Charles W.
Schmidt, Arnold D. Scott, Jeffrey L. Shames, Elaine R. Smith and David B. Stone.
The Trustees who currently supervise your Fund have served in that capacity
continuously since originally elected or appointed. These Trustees, other than
Messrs. Schmidt and Stone who will be retiring at the end of 2001, are nominees
to serve on the combined Board of the MFS Funds.


    The other nominees listed on page 3 were nominated by your Fund's Board of
Trustees on June 20, 2001, subject to approval by the shareholders. These
nominees do not currently serve as Trustees of your Fund, but have agreed to do
so if elected by shareholders. These nominees currently serve on one other Board
of the MFS Funds, and have served in that capacity continuously since originally
elected or appointed.


    The Board of Trustees of your Fund is currently divided into three classes,
each having a term of three years. Each year the term of one class expires. Mr.
Schmidt's term of office expires at this annual meeting of shareholders. He is
seeking re-election but will retire at the end of 2001. The term of office of
Mr. Stone would have expired at the 2002 annual meeting of shareholders, but he
will be retiring at the end of 2001. In connection with the election of the new
Trustees and the anticipated retirement of Messrs. Schmidt and Stone, the new
Trustees will be assigned to particular classes and existing Trustees may be
assigned to new classes in order to achieve a balanced number of Trustees among
the classes. The proposed new class assignments are listed below. Each Trustee's
term of office will expire at the annual meeting of shareholders noted below.

TERM EXPIRES AT 2002         TERM EXPIRES AT 2003           TERM EXPIRES AT 2004
ANNUAL MEETING               ANNUAL MEETING                 ANNUAL MEETING
- --------------------         --------------------           --------------------
William R. Gutow             John W. Ballen                 Lawrence H. Cohn
J. Atwood Ives               William J. Poorvu              Sir J. David Gibbons
Abby M. O'Neill              J. Dale Sherratt               Lawrence T. Perera
Jeffrey L. Shames            Ward Smith                     Arnold D. Scott
                             Charles W. Schmidt*            Elaine R. Smith
                             David B. Stone*


- ----------
* As noted above, these Trustees are retiring as of December 31, 2001.

    Only holders of the Fund's preferred shares are entitled to vote for the
following two nominees: Mr. Ives and Ms. Smith. Holders of the Fund's common
shares and preferred shares, voting together as a single class, are entitled to
vote for all of the remaining nominees.


    If, before the election, any nominee refuses or is unable to serve, proxies
will be voted for a replacement nominee designated by your current Trustees. You
are being asked to elect all of the nominees listed in the table below and to
re-elect your current Trustees. Aside from those Trustees who are retiring at
the end of the year, your current Trustees will continue to serve as Trustees of
your Fund even if shareholders do not approve Item 1.

    The following table presents certain information regarding the Trustees
(other than Mr. Stone who will be retiring) and nominees for Trustee, including
their principal occupations, which, unless specific dates are shown, are of more
than five years duration, although the titles may not have been the same
throughout.


                      NAME, POSITION WITH THE FUND, AGE
               PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION AND OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS(1)

JEFFREY L. SHAMES* (born 6/2/55) Trustee, Chairman and President
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

JOHN W. BALLEN* (born 9/12/59) Trustee
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, President and Director.

LAWRENCE H. COHN, M.D. (born 3/11/37) Nominee for Trustee
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Chief of Cardiac Surgery; Harvard Medical
School, Professor of Surgery.

THE HON. SIR J. DAVID GIBBONS, KBE (born 6/15/27) Nominee for Trustee
Edmund Gibbons Limited (diversified holding company), Chief Executive Officer;
Colonial Insurance Company Ltd., Director and Chairman; Bank of Butterfield,
Chairman (until 1997).

WILLIAM R. GUTOW (born 9/27/41) Trustee
Private investor and real estate consultant; Capitol Entertainment Management
Company (video franchise), Vice Chairman.

J. ATWOOD IVES (born 5/1/36) Trustee
Private investor; Eastern Enterprises (diversified services company),
Chairman, Trustee and Chief Executive Officer (until November 2000); KeySpan
Corporation (energy related services), Director.

ABBY M. O'NEILL (born 4/27/28) Nominee for Trustee
Private investor; Rockefeller Financial Services, Inc. (investment advisers),
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

LAWRENCE T. PERERA (born 6/23/35) Trustee
Hemenway & Barnes (attorneys), Partner.

WILLIAM J. POORVU (born 4/10/35) Trustee
Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, Adjunct
Professor; CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (real estate investment trust),
Director; The Baupost Fund (a mutual fund), Vice Chairman and Trustee.

CHARLES W. SCHMIDT (born 3/18/28) Trustee
Private investor; IT Group, Inc. (diversified environmental services and
consulting), Director.

ARNOLD D. SCOTT* (born 12/16/42) Trustee
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Executive Vice President and
Director.

J. DALE SHERRATT (born 9/23/38) Nominee for Trustee
Insight Resources, Inc. (acquisition planning specialists), President;
Wellfleet Investments (investor in health care companies), Managing General
Partner (since 1993); Cambridge Nutraceuticals (professional nutritional
products), Chief Executive Officer (until May 2001); Paragon Trade Brands,
Inc. (disposable consumer products), Director.

ELAINE R. SMITH (born 4/25/46) Trustee
Independent consultant.

WARD SMITH (born 9/13/30) Nominee for Trustee
Private investor.

- ------------------
(1) Directorships or trusteeships of companies required to report to the
    Securities and Exchange Commission (i.e., "public companies").


*   "Interested person" of MFS within the meaning of the Investment Company Act
    of 1940 (referred to as the 1940 Act), which is the principal federal law
    governing investment companies like the Fund. The address of MFS is 500
    Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.


    Each Trustee holds comparable positions with certain affiliates of MFS or
with certain other funds of which MFS or a subsidiary is the investment adviser
or distributor. Messrs. Ballen, Ives, Perera, Poorvu and Schmidt and Ms. Smith
serve as board members of 45 funds within the MFS Family of Funds. Dr. Cohn,
Messrs. Gibbons, Sherratt and Smith and Ms. O'Neill serve as board members of 42
funds within the MFS Family of Funds. Mr. Gutow serves as board member of 73
funds within the MFS Family of Funds. Messrs. Scott and Shames serve as board
members of 115 funds within the MFS Family of Funds.

    Information about Trustee compensation, Trustee retirement plan arrangements
and the executive officers of your Fund appears under "Fund Information"
beginning on page 14.


    Your current Board of Trustees meets regularly throughout the year to
discuss matters relating to your Fund. The Board has a standing Audit Committee,
currently composed of Ms. Smith and Messrs. Perera, Poorvu, and Stone, to review
the internal and external accounting and auditing procedures of your Fund and,
among other things, to consider the selection of independent public accountants
for your Fund, to approve all significant services proposed to be performed by
those accountants and to consider the possible effect of the services on the
independence of those accountants. The Audit Committee consists only of Trustees
who are not "interested persons" of your Fund as defined in the 1940 Act and who
are independent of the Fund as defined by New York Stock Exchange Listing
Standards. The Fund's Audit Committee Charter appears in Appendix A to this
proxy statement. The Audit Committee's report on the Fund's most recent audited
financials is included in Item 6 below.

    The Board has also created a Nominating Committee, composed solely of all of
the current Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Fund as defined in
the 1940 Act, that is responsible for recommending qualified candidates to the
Board in the event that a position is vacated or created. The Nominating
Committee would consider recommendations by shareholders if a vacancy were to
exist. Shareholders wishing to recommend Trustee candidates for consideration by
the Nominating Committee may do so by writing the Fund's Secretary. Members of
the Nominating Committee confer periodically and hold meetings as required.


    Information about Board and Committee meetings held by the Fund appears
under "Fund Information" beginning on page 14. Each Trustee attended at least
75% of the Board and applicable Committee meetings noted.


    The Fund's declaration of trust currently provides that the Fund will
indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in
connection with litigation in which they may be involved because of their
offices with the Fund, unless it is finally adjudicated or, in case of a
settlement, it has been determined by Trustees not involved in the matter or
independent legal counsel, that they have not acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that their actions were in the best interests of the Fund or
that they engaged in willful misfeasance or acted with bad faith, gross
negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or
her office.


REQUIRED VOTE

    Approval of this proposal as to Mr. Ives and Ms. Smith will require the
affirmative vote of a plurality of the outstanding preferred shares of your Fund
voting at the Meeting in person or by proxy.


    Approval of this proposal as to all other nominees for Trustee will require
the affirmative vote of a plurality of the outstanding preferred and common
shares of your Fund, voting together as a single class, at the Meeting in person
or by proxy.


THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF
EACH NOMINEE AS A TRUSTEE.

ITEM 2 -- TO AUTHORIZE THE TRUSTEES TO ADOPT AN AMENDED AND RESTATED
DECLARATION OF TRUST.

    The Fund is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. Under Massachusetts
law, a business trust usually operates under a charter or organizational
document, called a declaration of trust, that contains various provisions
relating primarily to how the trust conducts business and how the trust is
governed. The Fund operates under a declaration of trust.


    At the Meeting, you will be asked to authorize your Trustees to adopt for
your Fund the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust appearing in Appendix B
to this proxy statement (called, in this proxy statement, the Restated
Declaration). The Restated Declaration amends and restates the existing
declaration of trust of the Fund (called, in this proxy statement, the Existing
Declaration) in its entirety. The Trustees have approved the Restated
Declaration and recommend that you authorize the Trustees to adopt it. The
Restated Declaration is the standard form that will be used for all MFS
closed-end funds organized as Massachusetts business trusts in the future.

    The Restated Declaration gives the Trustees more flexibility and, subject to
applicable requirements of the 1940 Act and Massachusetts law, broader authority
to act. This increased flexibility may allow the Trustees to react more quickly
to changes in competitive and regulatory conditions and, as a consequence, may
allow the Fund to operate in a more efficient and economical manner. Adoption of
the Restated Declaration will not alter in any way the Trustees' existing
fiduciary obligations to act with due care and in the shareholders' interests.

    You should note that your Fund's investments and investment policies will
not change by virtue of the adoption of the Restated Declaration. However,
certain of your Fund's investment policies will be affected by other items in
this proxy statement.

    The Restated Declaration makes a number of significant changes to the
Existing Declaration. Certain of these changes give the Trustees greater
flexibility and broader authority to act without shareholder approval. The most
significant changes are summarized below. In addition to the changes described
below, there are other substantive and stylistic differences between the
Restated Declaration and the Existing Declaration. The following summary is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the Restated Declaration itself in
Appendix B. The attached Restated Declaration has been marked to show changes
from the Existing Declaration.

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES


    1. REORGANIZATION. The Restated Declaration permits the Trustees, without
shareholder approval, to change the Fund's form of organization, reorganize all
or a portion of the Fund or any class into a newly created entity or a newly
created series of an existing entity, or incorporate all or a portion of the
Fund or any class as a newly created entity. The Existing Declaration requires
shareholder approval for this type of reorganization.


    Under certain circumstances, it may not be in the shareholders' interests to
require a shareholder meeting to permit all or a portion of the Fund or a class
to reorganize into another entity or to incorporate. For example, in order to
reduce the cost and scope of state regulatory requirements or to take advantage
of a more favorable tax treatment offered by another state, the Trustees may
determine that it would be in the shareholders' interests to reorganize the Fund
to domicile it in another state or to change its legal form. Under the Existing
Declaration, the Trustees cannot effectuate such a potentially beneficial
reorganization without first conducting a shareholder meeting and incurring the
attendant costs and delays. The Restated Declaration gives the Trustees the
flexibility to reorganize all or a portion of the Fund or its classes and
achieve potential shareholder benefits without incurring the delay and potential
costs of a proxy solicitation. This flexibility should help to assure that the
Fund operates under the most appropriate form of organization.

    The Restated Declaration requires that shareholders receive written
notification of any reorganization transaction.

    The Restated Declaration does not permit the Fund or any class to merge with
or sell its assets to another operating entity without first obtaining
shareholder approval. The Restated Declaration acknowledges that the holders of
preferred shares have contractual rights to approve certain reorganizations
affecting the preferred shares.


    2. FUTURE AMENDMENTS. The Restated Declaration may be amended without
shareholder approval in most cases. The Existing Declaration may be amended
without shareholder approval only in certain limited circumstances. Under the
Restated Declaration, shareholders generally retain the right to vote on any
amendment affecting their voting powers, on any amendment affecting the
amendment provisions of the Restated Declaration, on any amendment required by
law, by the Fund's registration statement, or by any organizational document
(referred to as a Statement) relating to the preferred shares to be approved by
shareholders, and on any amendment submitted to shareholders by the Trustees. By
allowing amendment of the Restated Declaration without shareholder approval
(except as noted above), the Restated Declaration gives the Trustees the
necessary authority to react quickly to future contingencies.


    The  Restated  Declaration  also  permits  the  Trustees  to adopt By-Laws
concerning  the conduct of business of the Fund and to amend or repeal the By-
Laws at any time so long as the By-Laws are not inconsistent with the Restated
Declaration.


    3. INVESTMENT IN OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Restated Declaration
permits the Fund to invest in other investment companies to the extent not
prohibited by the 1940 Act, and rules and regulations thereunder. Recent
amendments to the 1940 Act permit investment companies to invest their assets in
one or more registered investment companies so long as certain conditions are
met. It is possible that there could be additional amendments to the 1940 Act in
the future which affect investment companies' ability to invest in other funds.
An investment structure where a fund invests all of its assets in a single
investment company is sometimes referred to as a "master/feeder" structure. An
investment structure where a fund invests its assets in more than one investment
company is sometimes referred to as a "fund of funds" structure. Both the
master/feeder and fund of funds structure attempt to achieve economies of scale
and efficiencies in portfolio management by consolidating portfolio management
with other investment companies, while permitting a fund to retain its own
characteristics and identity.


    The Restated Declaration will permit the Fund to take advantage of the
recent changes in law, as well as any future changes in law or regulation on
this topic. Under the Restated Declaration, the Trustees have the power to
implement a master/feeder, fund of funds or other similar structure without
seeking shareholder approval. If the Fund invests in other investment companies,
the Fund will indirectly bear expenses, such as management fees, of those other
investment companies, in addition to the Fund's own expenses. While the Trustees
have no current intention of implementing a master/feeder, fund of funds or
other similar structure at this time, the Trustees believe circumstances could
arise in which it would be in the best interest of the Fund to do so at a future
date. Shareholders of the Fund would be notified if the Trustees decide to
implement such a structure for the Fund, and the Fund will not implement such a
structure unless its investment restrictions permit it to do so. Item 3 below
also seeks approval of changes to the Fund's investment restrictions that would
permit the use of these structures.


    4. TERMINATION OF THE FUND OR CLASSES. The Restated Declaration permits the
Trustees, without shareholder approval, to terminate the Fund, to classify and
reclassify classes, and make any other changes with respect to a class,
including terminating a class, whether or not shares of the class are
outstanding. The Existing Declaration permits the Trustees to terminate the Fund
only with shareholder approval. In certain circumstances, the Board of Trustees
may determine that it is in the shareholders' best interests to terminate the
Fund, for example, because the Fund is not big enough to operate on an
economical basis. Shareholders of the Fund would be notified if the Trustees
decide to terminate the Fund. The Trustees' power to terminate the Fund or any
class is subject to the voting powers of the preferred shares set forth in the
Statement relating to those shares.

OTHER CHANGES


    The Restated Declaration also changes the Existing Declaration as follows:


    1. The Restated Declaration permits the Fund to enter into and amend
advisory and subadvisory agreements without shareholder approval if permitted by
applicable law.


    2. The Restated Declaration explicitly allows the Trustees, with shareholder
approval, to effect mergers, reorganizations and similar transactions through a
variety of methods, including share-for-share exchanges, transfers or sales of
assets, and exchange offers.

    3. The Restated Declaration provides for (i) the removal of any Trustee with
or without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the
outstanding shares of the trust or by the vote of three-quarters of the
Trustees, and (ii) the automatic retirement of Trustees in accordance with any
retirement policy set by the Trustees. The Restated Declaration does not require
the Trustees to provide notice to shareholders of the appointment of a new
Trustee. The power of shareholders to remove a Trustee is subject to the voting
powers of the preferred shares set forth in the Statement relating to those
shares.

    4. The Restated Declaration no longer requires that the number of Trustees
be fixed in writing or that Trustees be appointed in writing, but permits these
actions to be taken at Board meetings. The Restated Declaration also provides
that the Trustees may act by a two-thirds majority (rather than unanimous)
written consent. The Restated Declaration permits electronic delivery to
shareholders of notices and other information, and simplifies the information
delivery requirements for shareholders in the same household. These provisions
are intended to simplify administration of the Fund's affairs.

    5. The Restated Declaration confirms and clarifies various existing Trustee
powers. For example, the Restated Declaration clarifies that, among other
things, the Trustees may delegate authority to investment advisers and other
agents, purchase insurance insuring Fund assets, employees, Trustees and
Trustees Emeritus, and invest Fund assets in all types of investments including
derivatives. The Restated Declaration also provides that the Trustees may, but
are not obligated to, employ a custodian for the safekeeping of Fund assets.

    6. The Restated Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of the
Fund each shareholder shall be held expressly to have assented to and agreed to
be bound by the provisions of the Restated Declaration.

    7. The Restated Declaration provides that except when a larger vote is
required by applicable law or by any provision of the Declaration, the By- Laws,
or any Statement relating to a class of shares, a majority of the shares voted
in person or by proxy on a matter will decide that matter and a plurality will
elect a Trustee. However, where any provision of law or of the Declaration
requires that the holders of any class vote as a class, then a majority of the
shares of that class voted on the matter will decide that matter insofar as that
class is concerned. A similar provision is contained in the Fund's By-Laws.

    8. The Restated Declaration provides that rights to indemnification or
insurance cannot be limited retroactively.

    9. The Restated Declaration provides that shareholders of the Fund will vote
together on all matters except when the Trustees determine that only
shareholders of particular classes are affected by a particular matter or when
applicable law requires shareholders to vote separately by class.


    10. The Restated Declaration provides that shareholders may not bring suit
on behalf of the Fund without first requesting that the Trustees bring such suit
unless there would be irreparable injury to the Fund or if a majority of the
Trustees has personal financial interest in the action. Trustees are not
considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated
for their services as Trustees or as trustees of funds with the same or an
affiliated investment adviser or distributor. The effect of this provision may
be to discourage suits brought on behalf of the Fund by its shareholders. This
provision is not intended to impair the rights of shareholders under federal
law. A similar provision currently appears in the Fund's By-Laws.


    11. The Restated Declaration provides that actions taken by the Trustees and
officers in good faith and with reasonable care are binding on all concerned.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION


    Like the Existing Declaration, the Restated Declaration has certain
provisions which could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities
or persons to acquire control of the Fund, to cause it to merge or sell its
assets to another operating entity, to terminate the Fund, or to modify its
structure. In addition, the Restated Declaration, like the Existing Declaration,
requires the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of 66 and 2/3% of the
Fund's shares (a greater vote than that required by the 1940 Act) to authorize
the conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company.
The foregoing provisions will make more difficult a change in the Fund's
management without the Trustees' approval, and could have the effect of
depriving shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over
prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain
control of the Fund in a tender offer or similar transaction. However, the Board
of Trustees has considered these provisions and believes that they are in the
shareholders' best interests and benefit shareholders by providing the advantage
of potentially requiring persons seeking control of the Fund to negotiate with
its management regarding the price to be paid and facilitating the continuity of
the Fund's management.


REQUIRED VOTE

    Approval of the Restated Declaration requires the affirmative vote of 66 and
2/3% of the common and preferred shares of the Fund outstanding and entitled to
vote, voting together as a single class.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR AUTHORIZING THE
TRUSTEES TO ADOPT THE AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST.

ITEM 3 -- TO AMEND, REMOVE OR ADD CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES OF
THE FUND.

    The Fund has adopted certain investment restrictions or policies that are
"fundamental," meaning that as a matter of law they cannot be changed without
shareholder approval. The Fund's fundamental policies reflect certain
regulatory, business or industry conditions at the time they were adopted.
Changes in applicable law now permit investment companies like the Fund to
revise or eliminate certain of these policies.


    The Fund's Board of Trustees, together with the Fund's officers and MFS,
have reviewed the Fund's current fundamental policies, and have concluded that
certain policies should be eliminated, revised or added based on the development
of new practices and changes in applicable law and to facilitate administration
of the Fund. The proposed revised policies for the Fund are listed in Appendix
C. At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to approve the revised policies
and to eliminate all other fundamental policies.

    The revised policies maintain important investor protections while providing
flexibility to respond to changing markets, new investment opportunities and
future changes in applicable law. In some cases, only technical changes are
being made. The Trustees believe that implementing the revised policies will
facilitate MFS's management of the Fund's assets and simplify the process of
monitoring compliance with investment policies. The revised policies (with
variations required by the specific investment focus of a fund) will be the
standard form for funds in the MFS fund complex.


    THE REVISED POLICIES DO NOT AFFECT THE INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND,
WHICH REMAIN UNCHANGED. THE FUND WILL CONTINUE TO BE MANAGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE INVESTMENT POLICIES DESCRIBED IN THE PROSPECTUS AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH
FEDERAL LAW. THE REVISED POLICIES WOULD GIVE THE FUND INCREASED ABILITY TO
ENGAGE IN CERTAIN ACTIVITIES. THE TRUSTEES MAY CONSIDER AND ADOPT SUCH NON-
FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES FOR THE FUND AS THEY DETERMINE TO BE APPROPRIATE
AND IN THE SHAREHOLDERS' BEST INTERESTS. THE TRUSTEES DO NOT ANTICIPATE THAT THE
REVISED POLICIES, INDIVIDUALLY OR IN THE AGGREGATE, WILL CHANGE TO A MATERIAL
DEGREE THE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT RISK ASSOCIATED WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND.


    Each investment policy proposed to be revised, eliminated or added is
discussed below. Appendix C lists the fundamental policies that will apply to
the Fund if shareholders of the Fund approve this proposal. Appendix D lists the
Fund's current fundamental investment policies and the proposed action to be
taken with respect to each policy.


A.  BORROWING


    It is proposed that the policy concerning borrowing be changed so that the
Fund may borrow money to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

    Currently, the Fund may borrow up to one-third of its assets or may pledge,
mortgage or hypothecate its assets as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes or for a repurchase of its shares. The current policy also
states that the Fund intends to borrow money only from banks.

    The 1940 Act, which is the federal law that governs investment companies
like the Fund, does not require that borrowings be made only for limited
purposes or that they may be made only from banks, nor does the 1940 Act require
any limit on assets pledged to secure borrowings. It is possible that the Fund's
existing policies could prevent it from borrowing when it is in the best
interests of shareholders to do so. The revised policy will give the Fund the
maximum amount of flexibility to borrow permitted by applicable law. Currently,
the 1940 Act permits investment companies like the Fund to borrow money so long
as there is 300% asset coverage of the borrowings at the time of the loan. This
means that borrowings cannot exceed one-third of an investment company's total
assets after subtracting liabilities other than the borrowings. While the
statutory test currently is similar to the Fund's existing policy, the revised
policy would allow the Fund to take advantage of any future changes in the
statutory test.

    Investment companies like the Fund generally borrow money, in part, to try
to enhance returns to shareholders (this is referred to as leverage). The Fund
also has leverage through its issuance of preferred shares. Borrowing money to
create additional leverage would enhance risks and expenses for the Fund and may
make the Fund's net asset value more volatile. The interest and other costs of
borrowing may reduce the Fund's return. The Fund also could be forced to sell
securities at inopportune times to repay loans.


B.  UNDERWRITING SECURITIES

    It is proposed that the policy concerning underwriting securities be changed
so that the Fund may not underwrite securities issued by other persons, except
that all or any portion of the assets of the Fund may be invested in one or more
investment companies, to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive
orders granted under such Act, and except insofar as the Fund may technically be
deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in selling a
portfolio security. The revised policy also provides that the Fund is not deemed
to underwrite securities by virtue of employing a master/feeder or fund of funds
investment structure as permitted by applicable law. Utilizing these investment
structures is discussed in Item 2 of this proxy statement (under "Significant
Changes -- 3. Investment in Other Investment Companies").


    Currently, the Fund is prohibited from underwriting securities issued by
others except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter, under
the federal securities laws, when it sells portfolio securities.


C.  ISSUANCE OF SENIOR SECURITIES


    It is proposed that the policy concerning the issuance of senior securities
be changed so that the Fund may issue senior securities to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law. For purposes of this restriction, collateral
arrangements with respect to swaps, options, futures, forwards and initial and
variation margin are not deemed to be the issuance of a senior security.

    Currently, the Fund is subject to a fundamental policy that provides that it
may not issue any senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act. Certain
technical changes are being made to this policy to clarify the circumstances in
which the Fund may issue senior securities, including pursuant to any exemptive
relief under the 1940 Act. In addition, the revised policy lists certain types
of collateral arrangements that are excluded from the restriction, including
swaps, options, future, forwards and initial and variation margin.


D.  LENDING OF MONEY OR SECURITIES


    It is proposed that the policy concerning lending money be changed so that
the Fund may make loans to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

    Currently, the Fund is prohibited from lending money or securities.
Investments in commercial paper, debt securities and repurchase agreements are
not treated as loans for purposes of these policies, provided that not more than
10% of the assets of the Fund will be invested in repurchase agreements maturing
in more than seven days. The revised policy will permit the Fund to make loans,
whether of money or securities, so long as the transactions are permitted by
applicable law, and will delete the restriction relating to investments in
repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days.

    Lending securities may be a source of income to the Fund and is permitted
under the 1940 Act, subject to certain limitations. As with other extensions of
credit there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the
underlying securities should the borrower of the securities fail financially.
However, loans would be made in accordance with procedures approved by the
Trustees only to firms deemed by MFS to be of good standing, and when, in the
judgment of MFS, the income from securities loans justifies the attendant risk.

    The Fund's current limitation relating to repurchase agreements is more
restrictive than the current policy of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(referred to as the SEC) with respect to securities that may be considered
illiquid, such as repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days. The
Fund is proposing to delete this limitation in order to permit the Fund the
maximum flexibility with respect to its investments in repurchase agreements.

    It is unlikely that the Fund would lend money, except to the extent that the
purchase of debt securities can be considered a loan; however, the Fund could
lend money to other funds advised by MFS or one of its affiliates. The Fund
would have to obtain exemptive relief from the SEC to make loans to other
MFS-advised funds.


E.  REAL ESTATE, OIL AND GAS, MINERAL INTERESTS, AND COMMODITIES


    It is proposed that the policy concerning real estate, oil, gas and mineral
interests, and commodities be changed so that the Fund may not purchase or sell
real estate, interests in oil, gas or mineral leases, commodities or commodity
contracts in the ordinary course of its business. Under this policy, the Fund
will be able to invest in securities secured by real estate and securities of
companies that deal in real estate, as well as options and futures and forward
contracts, and the Fund also will retain the right to hold and sell real estate,
mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts acquired as a result of the
ownership of securities.

    The revised policy clarifies that the restrictions relating to investments
in real estate and commodities do not apply to investments in currencies, any
type of option contract, futures contracts, forward contracts, and securities of
companies, such as real estate investment trusts, which deal in real estate or
interests therein.


F. INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION -- ADDITION OF POLICY


    It is proposed that a policy concerning concentration in a particular
industry be added so that the Fund may not purchase securities of an issuer of a
particular industry if as a result 25% or more of the Fund's total assets (taken
at market value at the time of purchase) would be invested in securities of
issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry.


G.  PURCHASING SECURITIES ON MARGIN -- REMOVAL OF POLICY


    The Fund has a fundamental policy that prevents the Fund from purchasing any
security on margin. Margin transactions generally involve the purchase of
securities with money borrowed from a broker, with cash or securities being used
as collateral for the loan. MFS has recommended the elimination of this policy
on margin transactions to provide the Fund with the maximum amount of
flexibility permitted by applicable law, and any future changes in law, on this
topic. Accordingly, it is proposed that this policy be deleted in its entirety.


H.  OPTIONS -- REMOVAL OF POLICY


    Currently, the Fund is prohibited from purchasing or selling certain types
of options. This policy was required by certain state laws which no longer apply
to the Fund. The Trustees have recommended the elimination of this policy in
order to provide the Fund with the maximum amount of flexibility.

    If the proposal is approved, the Fund would no longer be prohibited under
its fundamental policies from engaging in a variety of options transactions for
hedging purposes and to increase investment return. The Trustees believe that
this enhanced flexibility could assist the Fund in achieving its investment
objective under certain market conditions. A call option gives the holder the
right to purchase, and obligates the writer to sell, an asset such as a
security, a currency or a unit of an index, at the exercise price prior to or on
the expiration date. A put option gives the holder the right to sell, and
obligates the writer to buy, an asset at the exercise price prior to or on the
expiration date. In order for a put option purchased by the Fund to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying asset must decline sufficiently
below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs paid by the
Fund. In order for a call option purchased by the Fund to be profitable, the
market price of the underlying asset must rise sufficiently above the exercise
price to cover the premium and transaction costs paid by the Fund. If an option
expires unexercised, the Fund will receive nothing for its premium payment.

    When the Fund writes a call option, it gives up the opportunity to profit
from any increase in the price of an asset above the exercise price of the
option; when it writes a put option, the Fund takes the risk that it will be
required to purchase an asset from the option holder at a price above the
current market price of that asset. The Fund receives a premium for writing a
call or a put option (representing the cost of the option), which increases the
return if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a net profit.

    The successful use of options depends on the ability of MFS to forecast
correctly interest rate and market movements. The effective use of options also
depends on the Fund's ability to terminate option positions at times when MFS
deems it desirable to do so. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to
effect closing transactions at any particular time or at an acceptable price.
Disruptions such as trading interruptions or restrictions on option exercise in
the markets for securities and other assets underlying options purchased or sold
by the Fund could result in losses on an option, including the entire investment
by the Fund in the option.

    If the Fund intends to invest in options to any material extent, this
intention will be disclosed in the Fund's prospectus or statement of additional
information. The Fund also has adopted certain non-fundamental investment
policies relating to options transactions, that are imposed by Moody's Investors
Service, Inc. and Standard & Poor's Ratings Group in connection with the rating
of the Fund's preferred shares and may be changed without shareholder approval.


I.  INVESTMENTS IN A SINGLE ISSUER -- REMOVAL OF POLICY


    Currently, the Fund is prohibited from purchasing the securities of any
issuer if, as a result, the Fund would hold more than 10% of the voting
securities of the issuer.

    Although the Fund is non-diversified, the Fund must meet certain
diversification requirements under the Internal Revenue Code in order to qualify
for beneficial tax treatment as a regulated investment company. These
diversification requirements provide in part that as to 50% of the fund's
assets, investments in any one issuer cannot exceed 5% of the fund's assets and
the fund cannot hold more than 10% of the issuer's outstanding voting securities
at the end of each quarter. The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated
investment company for tax purposes.

    The Fund's current diversification policies are more restrictive than
required for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company. The Trustees
believe that it is unnecessary to have fundamental policies that are more
restrictive than what the Internal Revenue Code requires. Accordingly, the Fund
proposes to delete this investment policy.

    To the extent that the Fund invests its assets in a small number of issuers,
the Fund is more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory
event affecting those issuers.


REQUIRED VOTE

    Approval of this Item will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a
"majority of the outstanding" common shares and preferred shares, voting
together as a single class, and of the holders of a "majority of the
outstanding" preferred shares, voting as a separate class.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROPOSAL TO AMEND, REMOVE OR ADD
THE FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUND WILL BENEFIT THE FUND AND ITS
SHAREHOLDERS. THE TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMEND VOTING FOR THE PROPOSAL.

ITEM 4  --  TO  APPROVE A NEW INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT WITH MASSACHUSETTS
            FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY.

    At the Meeting, you will be asked to approve a new Investment Advisory
Agreement between your Fund and MFS. The investment management fee payable by
your Fund will not increase or decrease if shareholders of your Fund approve the
new Investment Advisory Agreement.


    Currently, each fund in the MFS Family of Funds, including your Fund, has a
separate Investment Advisory Agreement with MFS. These Investment Advisory
Agreements were entered into at various times over the past several decades, and
their provisions differ. MFS has recommended that the provisions of all of the
Investment Advisory Agreements be standardized and modernized. MFS believes that
the standardization and modernization of the Investment Advisory Agreements will
simplify the administration of the Fund and other funds in the MFS Family of
Funds.

    The discussion below describes the principal differences between the current
and proposed Investment Advisory Agreement (referred to as the Current Agreement
and the New Agreement) and provides additional information about MFS and about
the Board's review of the New Agreement. The New Agreement will be the standard
form for all U.S. registered funds in the MFS fund complex.

    The information provided herein is intended to be a summary of the material
changes between the Current Agreement and the New Agreement. This summary is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the comparison of the Current
Agreement and the New Agreement in Appendix E. In particular, please refer to
Appendix E for additional information about other technical changes that were
made to the New Agreement.


A.  CURRENT AGREEMENT


    MFS has served as the investment adviser for the Fund since the commencement
of the Fund's operations. The Current Agreement, dated November 6, 1986, was
last approved by the Fund's sole shareholder on that date in connection with the
Fund's commencement of operations.

    Under the Current Agreement, MFS provides the Fund with overall investment
advisory services. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine, MFS
makes investment decisions for the Fund. For these services and facilities, MFS
receives an annual management fee, computed and paid monthly in an amount equal
to the sum of 0.40% of the average weekly net assets of the Fund and 6.32% of
the gross income (i.e., income other than gains from the sale of securities or
gains received from futures contracts). For the fiscal year ended October 31,
2000, MFS received $2,732,750 from the Fund as compensation under the Current
Agreement.

    MFS pays the compensation of the Fund's officers and of any Trustee who is
an officer of MFS. MFS also furnishes at its own expense all necessary
administrative services, including office space, equipment, clerical personnel,
investment advisory facilities and all executive and supervisory personnel
necessary for managing the Fund's investments and effecting its portfolio
transactions. The Fund pays the compensation of its Trustees who are not
officers of MFS and all expenses of the Fund (other than those assumed by MFS).
More detailed information about the expenses paid by the Fund is discussed under
"Changes Proposed in the New Agreement" below.


B.  CHANGES PROPOSED IN THE NEW AGREEMENT

    1. Advice regarding Other Instruments.


    The Current Agreement provides that MFS will continuously furnish an
investment program for the Fund and determine from time to time what securities
will be purchased, sold or exchanged and what portion of the assets of the Fund
will be held uninvested. The New Agreement provides that MFS will determine what
securities or other instruments will be purchased, sold or exchanged for the
Fund. The change clarifies that MFS may provide advice as to certain
investments, such as some derivative contracts, that may not be considered
securities. Certain other references to "securities" have been changed to
"securities or other instruments" throughout the New Agreement. This change is
not intended to change the type of investments in which the Fund may invest. The
Fund's investments are governed by its registration statement.


    2. Proxy Voting


    The New Agreement clarifies that MFS will exercise voting rights, rights to
consent to corporate actions and any other rights pertaining to the Fund's
portfolio securities in accordance with policies and procedures that MFS
presents to the Trustees from time to time. The Current Agreement provides that
MFS may make recommendations as to the manner in which rights relating to
portfolio securities are exercised. This provision in the New Agreement more
closely reflects MFS's current practice with respect to the exercise of rights
pertaining to the Fund's portfolio securities.


    3. Brokerage Transactions


    The Current Agreement provides that in connection with the selection of
brokers and dealers and the placing of orders, MFS is directed to seek for the
Fund execution of transactions at the best available price.


    The New Agreement provides that, in connection with the selection of brokers
or dealers and the placing of orders, MFS is directed to seek for the Fund the
best overall price and execution available from responsible brokerage firms,
taking into account all factors it deems relevant, including by way of
illustration: price; the size of the transaction; the nature of the market for
the security; the amount of the commission; the timing and impact of the
transaction taking into account market prices and trends; the reputation,
experience and financial stability of the broker or dealer involved; and the
quality of services rendered by the broker or dealer in other transactions. This
provision clarifies that MFS may consider factors other than just price when
seeking to obtain best execution for the Fund's transactions. Under the policies
of the SEC, MFS considers the full range and quality of a broker's services in
placing brokerage orders in order to fulfill its duty to obtain best execution
for the Fund's transactions.


    The New Agreement provides that MFS may cause the Fund to pay a broker or
dealer a higher commission than another broker or dealer might have charged for
effecting that transaction, if MFS determines, in good faith, that the higher
commission was reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage and research
services provided by the broker or dealer. The value of these brokerage and
research services may be viewed in terms of either the Fund's particular
transactions or MFS's overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund and
MFS's other clients. The Fund's Current Agreement provides that subject to the
requirement of seeking the best available price, securities may be bought from
or sold to broker dealers who have furnished statistical, research and other
information or services to MFS.

    The New Agreement also provides that, subject to seeking the best price and
execution as described above, and in accordance with applicable rules and
regulations, MFS may consider sales of shares of the Fund or of other MFS funds
or accounts as a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers.

    The additional provisions in the New Agreement are not intended to change
the current practice of MFS as to its consideration of brokerage and research
services and sales of Fund shares in the selection of brokers and dealers.


    4. Expenses


    The Current Agreement provides that the Fund will pay all of its own
expenses. The Current Agreement contains a list of typical Fund expenses. This
list of expenses has been amended to include expenses of soliciting proxies;
organizational and start up costs; and such non-recurring or extraordinary
expenses as may arise, including those relating to actions, suits or proceedings
to which the Fund is a party or otherwise may have an exposure and the legal
obligation which the Fund may have to indemnify the Trustees and officers with
respect thereto. This amendment is being proposed in order to provide a
standardized list of Fund expenses within the MFS Family of Funds.


    The New Agreement provides that if MFS pays or assumes any expenses of the
Fund, MFS is not obligated by the New Agreement to pay or assume the same or
similar expenses of the Fund on any subsequent occasion.

    These amendments are designed to clarify the types of expenses which the
Fund may bear.

    5. Certain Recordkeeping Services by MFS


    The New Agreement adds a provision that MFS must maintain certain records in
a form acceptable to the Trust and in compliance with the rules and regulations
of the SEC. MFS currently maintains such records, even without the express
obligation to do so.


    6. Sub-Advisory Agreements

    The New Agreement provides that MFS may from time to time enter into
investment sub-advisory agreements with respect to the Fund with one or more
investment advisers with such terms and conditions as MFS may determine,
provided that such investment sub-advisory agreements have been approved in
accordance with the provisions of applicable law. Under applicable law, any new
investment sub-advisory agreement generally must be submitted to shareholders
for approval, subject to limited exceptions. It is not currently intended that
MFS enter into an investment sub-advisory agreement with respect to the Fund,
but MFS has in the past engaged investment sub-advisers with respect to other
MFS funds and may seek to engage sub-advisers for the Fund in the future.

    7. Other Agreements with MFS


    The New Agreement adds a provision that the Fund may enter into such other
agreements covering the provision of administrative and other additional
services to the Fund as the Trustees may deem appropriate, and that such an
agreement will not expand, reduce or otherwise alter the services which MFS is
required to provide, or the compensation which MFS is due, under the Agreement.
These other agreements may be with MFS, an affiliate of MFS or a third party.


    These amendments are not intended to change the services MFS is required to
provide, or change the fees paid to MFS.

    8. Other Clients of MFS


    The Current Agreement for the Fund provides that the services of MFS to the
Fund are not exclusive, and that MFS is free to render investment and/or other
services to others. The New Agreement adds an express acknowledgment by the Fund
that it is possible that certain funds or accounts managed by MFS or its
affiliates may at times take investment positions or engage in investment
techniques which are contrary to positions taken or techniques engaged in on
behalf of the Fund, but that MFS will at all times endeavor to treat all of its
clients in a fair and equitable manner.


    Under the New Agreement, the Fund acknowledges that whenever the Fund and
one or more other funds or accounts advised by MFS have money available for
investment, investments suitable for each will be allocated in a manner believed
by MFS to be fair and equitable to each entity. Similarly, opportunities to sell
investments will be allocated in a manner believed by MFS to be fair and
equitable to each client. In some instances, this may adversely affect the size
of the position that may be acquired or disposed of for the Fund.

    9. Other Provisions


    The New Agreement adds certain other technical, legal provisions, which are
standard for investment advisory contracts in the investment company industry,
including provisions concerning the Fund's ability to use the acronym "MFS" and
related trade or service marks in its name.


C. INFORMATION ABOUT MFS AND ITS AFFILIATES

    MFS is a Delaware corporation with offices at 500 Boylston Street, Boston,
Massachusetts 02116. MFS is an 81.8%-owned subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada
(U.S.) Financial Services Holdings, Inc., 500 Boylston Street, Boston,
Massachusetts 02116, which is in turn a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Life
Assurance Company of Canada-U.S. Operations Holdings, Inc., One SunLife
Executive Park, Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts 02481. Sun Life Assurance Company
of Canada-U.S. Operations Holdings, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun
Life Assurance Company of Canada, 150 King Street West, 14th Floor, Toronto,
Canada M5H1J9, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Life Financial
Services of Canada, Inc. at the same address.

    The Directors of MFS are Arnold D. Scott, John W. Ballen, James C. Baillie,
Kevin R. Parke, Thomas J. Cashman, Jr., Joseph W. Dello Russo, William W. Scott,
Jr., Donald A. Stewart, C. James Prieur and William W. Stinson. The Executive
Officers of MFS are Jeffrey L. Shames, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Mr.
Ballen, President; Mr. Arnold Scott, Senior Executive Vice President; Mr. Dello
Russo, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief
Administrative Officer; Mr. Parke, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment
Officer; Mr. Cashman, Executive Vice President and Mr. William Scott Jr., Vice
Chairman. As noted above, Messrs. Arnold Scott, Ballen and Shames also serve as
Trustees to the Fund.


    The address of each Director and Executive Officer of MFS is 500 Boylston
Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. Each Director and Executive Officer
principally devotes his time to his role at MFS.

    MFS also provides investment advisory services to MFS Municipal High Income
Fund, another fund in the MFS Family of Funds which has investment objectives
and policies similar to those of the Fund. As of December 31, 2000, MFS
Municipal High Income Fund had net assets of $1,319,639,846. MFS Municipal High
Income Fund pays MFS a management fee equal to (a) 0.30% of the first $1.3
billion of the Fund's average daily net assets and 0.25% of such assets in
excess of $1.3 billion, plus (b) 4.75% of the Fund's gross income. For the
fiscal year ended January 31, 2001, MFS Municipal High Income Fund paid MFS a
management fee equal to 0.55% of its average daily net assets, after waivers.

    MFS provides the Fund with certain financial, legal, compliance, shareholder
communications and other administrative services pursuant to a Master
Administrative Services Agreement. Under this Agreement, the Fund pays MFS an
administrative fee of up to 0.0175% on the first $2.0 billion; 0.0130% on the
next $2.5 billion; 0.0005% on the next $2.5 billion; and 0.0% on amounts in
excess of $7.0 billion, per annum of the Fund's average daily net assets. This
fee reimburses MFS for a portion of the costs it incurs to provide such
services. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2000, MFS received $43,542 from
the Fund for its services to the Fund under the Master Administrative Services
Agreement.


    Pursuant to the Registrar, Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with
respect to the common shares of the Fund, between the Fund and MFS Service
Center, Inc. (MFSC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MFS, MFSC acts as the Fund's
shareholder servicing agent, registrar and transfer agent. For account
maintenance, the Fund currently pays MFSC a fee based on the total number of
accounts for all closed-end funds advised by MFS for which MFSC acts as
registrar and transfer agent. If the total number of accounts is less than
75,000, the annual account fee is $9.00 per account. If the total number of
accounts is 75,000 or more, the annual account fee is $8.00 per account. For
dividend services, MFSC charges $0.75 per dividend reinvestment and $0.75 per
cash infusion. If the total amount of fees related to dividend services is less
than $1,000 per month for all closed-end funds advised by MFS for which MFSC
acts as registrar and transfer agent, the minimum fee for the Fund for these
services will be $167 per month. In addition, MFSC is reimbursed by the Fund for
certain expenses incurred by MFSC on behalf of the Fund. For the fiscal year
ended October 31, 2000, MFSC received $94,456 from the Fund for its services to
the Fund under the Registrar, Transfer Agency and Service Agreement. The
approval of the New Agreement will not affect the services provided by MFS or
its affiliates under this agreement.

D. ACTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES


    At meetings of the Board of Trustees on April 10, June 12 and July 18, 2001,
the Board considered the standardization and modernization of the advisory
agreements of the Fund. The Board reviewed materials comparing the Current and
New Agreement and providing information about the potential benefits and costs
to shareholders of the adoption of the New Agreement. Among other things, the
Board of Trustees considered that the management fees under the Current
Agreement will not change under the New Agreement. The Board also considered the
potential efficiencies from the proposed standardization and modernization of
the Current Agreement's provisions. Based on this review, the Trustees,
including the Independent Trustees, approved the terms of the New Agreement and
submission of the New Agreement for the consideration of the shareholders of the
Fund.

    If the New Agreement is approved, it will continue for an initial two-year
term. Thereafter, the New Agreement will continue as to the Fund from year to
year if that continuation is approved in accordance with applicable law.


REQUIRED VOTE

    Approval of this Item will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a
"majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund.

YOUR TRUSTEES HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE NEW ADVISORY AGREEMENT WITH MFS WILL
BENEFIT THE FUND AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS. THE TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMEND
VOTING FOR THE PROPOSAL.

ITEM 5 -- TO RATIFY THE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS.

    At the Meeting, you will be asked to ratify the selection of accountants for
your Fund. The Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
"interested persons" (within the meaning of the 1940 Act) of the Fund, have
selected Deloitte & Touche LLP (referred to as Deloitte & Touche) as independent
public accountants for the Fund for its next fiscal year. It is intended that
proxies not limited to the contrary will be voted in favor of ratifying that
selection. No change to the Fund's accountants is being proposed.

    Deloitte & Touche has no direct or material indirect interest in the Fund.
Representatives of Deloitte & Touche are not expected to be present at the
Meeting.


    Audit Committee Report. The Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees issued
the following report concerning the financial statements for the Fund's most
recent fiscal year.

        The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed the audited financial
    statements with Fund management. The Audit Committee also discussed with
    Deloitte & Touche the matters required to be discussed by SAS 61
    (Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards). The Audit Committee
    received the written disclosures and the letter from Deloitte & Touche
    required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence
    Discussions with Audit Committees), and discussed with Deloitte & Touche its
    independence.


        Based on this review and these discussions, the Audit Committee
    recommended to the Board of Trustees that the audited financial statements
    be included in the Fund's annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year
    ended October 31, 2000 for filing with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission.


                                        Lawrence T. Perera
                                        William J. Poorvu
                                        Elaine R. Smith
                                        David B. Stone


    Fees Paid to Deloitte & Touche. The following table sets forth the aggregate
fees paid to Deloitte & Touche for the Fund's fiscal year ended October 31,
2000, for professional services rendered for: (i) the audit of the Fund's
financial statements for that fiscal year; (ii) the audits of the annual
financial statements for all funds in the MFS complex audited by Deloitte &
Touche; (iii) financial information systems design and implementation services
to the Fund, MFS and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common
control with MFS that provides services to the Fund (including MFS Service
Center, Inc.); and (iv) all other services (other than the foregoing services)
to the Fund, MFS, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common
control with MFS that provides services to the Fund (this amount includes fees
of $2,729,504 for information technology consulting services rendered to MFS and
MFS related entities that provide services to the Fund). The Audit Committee of
the Fund considered whether the provision of information technology services and
of non-audit services by Deloitte & Touche is compatible with the maintenance of
that firm's independence.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         FINANCIAL INFORMATION               ALL OTHER FEES
                                                                          SYSTEMS DESIGN AND           (OTHER THAN FEES LISTED IN
                                        AGGREGATE AUDIT FEES           IMPLEMENTATION FEES PAID            ADJOINING COLUMNS)
   AUDIT FEES PAID BY THE FUND        PAID BY ALL FUNDS IN THE           BY THE FUND, MFS AND          PAID BY THE FUND, MFS AND
       FOR ITS MOST RECENT             MFS COMPLEX AUDITED BY          MFS RELATED ENTITIES THAT       MFS RELATED ENTITIES THAT
           FISCAL YEAR                    DELOITTE & TOUCHE          PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE FUND     PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE FUND
- ---------------------------------  -------------------------------  -------------------------------  ------------------------------

       <S>                                    <C>                               <C>                             <C>
             $30,500                         $2,637,800                        $289,000                        $4,465,369
</TABLE>


REQUIRED VOTE

    Approval of this proposal will require the affirmative vote of a majority of
the shares of the Fund voted at the Meeting in person or by proxy.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE RATIFICATION
OF THE SELECTION OF ACCOUNTANTS.

FUND INFORMATION

    This section provides certain information about the Fund, including
information about executive officers, the number of Board and Committee
meetings, Trustee compensation and the identity of any shareholders holding 5%
of the outstanding shares of any class of the Fund.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS


    The following table provides information about the executive officers of the
Fund. Each officer will hold office until his or her successor is chosen and
qualified, or until he or she retires, resigns or is removed from office.


JEFFREY L. SHAMES* (born 6/2/55) Trustee, Chairman and President
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

JAMES R. BORDEWICK, JR.* (born 3/6/59) Assistant Secretary and Assistant Clerk
Massachusetts  Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President and Associate
General Counsel.

MARK E. BRADLEY* (born 11/23/59) Assistant Treasurer
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since March 1997);
Putnam Investments, Vice President (prior to March 1997).

STEPHEN E. CAVAN* (born 11/6/53) Secretary and Clerk
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary.

ROBERT R. FLAHERTY* (born 09/18/63) Assistant Treasurer
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since August 2000);
UAM Fund Services, Senior Vice President (since 1996).

LAURA F. HEALY* (born 3/20/64) Assistant Treasurer
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since December
1996); State Street Bank and Trust Company, Assistant Vice President (prior to
December 1996).

ELLEN MOYNIHAN* (born 11/13/57) Assistant Treasurer
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since September
1996).

JAMES O. YOST* (born 6/12/60) Treasurer
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President.


- ------------
*"Interested person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of MFS, the address of which
 is 500 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.


BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

    The Board of Trustees and the Audit Committee held the following number of
meetings during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2000 for the Fund:

                                                 NUMBER OF AUDIT
       NUMBER OF BOARD MEETINGS                 COMMITTEE MEETINGS
       ------------------------                 ------------------
                  6                                     4

    The Fund's Nominating Committee met once on June 20, 2001.

TRUSTEE COMPENSATION TABLE

    The table below shows the cash compensation paid to the current Trustees
(other than Messrs. Schmidt and Stone, who will be retiring) and the retirement
benefits accrued as part of the Fund expenses to those Trustees for the fiscal
year ended November 30, 2000 for the Fund. As interested persons of MFS, Messrs.
Ballen, Shames and Scott do not receive any compensation or retirement plan
benefits from the Fund for their services as Trustees. Mr. Gutow was appointed
as a Trustee of the Fund effective August 1, 2001, and did not receive
compensation from the Fund for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2000.

                                       RETIREMENT BENEFITS  TOTAL TRUSTEE FEES
                         TRUSTEE FEES    ACCRUED AS PART      FROM FUND AND
TRUSTEE                   FROM FUND     OF FUND EXPENSES     FUND COMPLEX(1)
- -------                   ---------     ----------------     ---------------
J. Atwood Ives             $11,800           $5,190              $152,145
Lawrence T. Perera         $11,800           $5,967              $146,230
William J. Poorvu          $11,800           $5,967              $153,405
Charles W. Schmidt         $11,000           $5,833              $137,750
Elaine R. Smith            $11,800           $5,790              $144,160

- ----------
(1) For calendar year 2000. All Trustees receiving compensation from the Fund
    served as Trustee of 48 funds within the MFS Family of Funds having
    aggregate net assets at December 31, 2000 of approximately $63.3 billion.


    The Fund currently has a retirement plan for non-interested Trustees and
Trustees who are not officers of the trust. Under this plan, Trustees must
retire upon reaching a specified age and thereafter are entitled to annual
payments during their lifetime of up to 50% of their average annual compensation
(based on the three years prior to retirement) depending on length of service.
Trustees must have served as Trustees for at least five years to be entitled to
these payments. A Trustee may also retire prior to the specified retirement age
and receive reduced payments if he or she has completed at least 5 years of
service. Under the plan, a Trustee (or his or her beneficiaries) will also
receive benefits for a period of time in the event the Trustee is disabled or
dies. These benefits will also be based on the Trustee's average annual
compensation and length of service. The Fund will accrue its allocable portion
of compensation expenses under the retirement plan each year to cover the
current year's service and amortize past service cost.

    The Trustees will terminate the Fund's retirement plan effective December
31, 2001 with respect to those Trustees listed in the table above, subject to
shareholder approval of Item 1 relating to the consolidation of the Board of
Trustees. The Trustees are considering whether adjustments should be made to the
fees they receive from the Fund in consideration for the loss of future benefit
accruals under the retirement plans. Upon termination of the plan, an amount
equivalent to the present value of each applicable Trustee's accrued benefits
thereunder through the date of termination would be calculated. The Trustees
would defer receipt of these accrued benefits under a new deferred compensation
plan, under which the value of the benefits would be periodically adjusted as
though an equivalent amount had been invested in shares of the Fund. The
deferred compensation would be paid to the Trustees upon retirement or
thereafter.

    The Trustees also have adopted a deferred compensation plan for
disinterested Trustees of the Fund that enables these Trustees to elect to defer
all or a portion of the annual fees they are entitled to receive from the Fund
until a payment date elected by the Trustee (or the Trustee's termination of
services). Under the plan, the compensation deferred by Trustees is periodically
adjusted as though an equivalent amount had been invested in shares of one or
more funds in the MFS Family of Funds designated by the Trustee. The amount paid
to the Trustee on the payment date will be determined based on the performance
of the selected funds. To the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the Fund may
invest in shares of these other selected MFS Funds in order to match the
deferred compensation obligation. Deferral of fees in accordance with the plan
will not materially affect the Fund's assets, liabilities or net income per
share. The plan does not obligate the Fund to retain the services of any Trustee
or pay any particular level of compensation to any Trustee. The plan is not
funded and the Fund's obligation to pay the Trustees' deferred compensation is a
general unsecured obligation.


INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS


    As of July 27, 2001, the following Trustees and officers of the Fund owned
the number of shares of the Fund noted in the table below.


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASS                                 NAME OF TRUSTEE OR OFFICER              NUMBER OF SHARES OWNED       PERCENT OF CLASS
- -----                                 --------------------------              ----------------------       ----------------
<S>                                   <C>                                        <C>                         <C>
Common                                J. Atwood Ives                                 1,000.0000                0.002600%
                                      Lawrence T. Perera                               250.0000                0.000634%
                                      William J. Poorvu                              2,978.5642                0.007550%
                                      Charles W. Schmidt                               445.6746                0.001130%
                                      Arnold D. Scott                                  376.0828                0.000953%
                                      Elaine R. Smith                                  137.9722                0.000350%

TOTAL HOLDINGS OF TRUSTEES
AND OFFICERS AS A GROUP                                                              5,188.2938                0.013217%

Preferred                             J. Atwood Ives                                    40.0000                0.714300%
                                      Elaine R. Smith                                    2.0000                0.035700%

TOTAL HOLDINGS OF TRUSTEES AND
OFFICERS AS A GROUP                                                                     42.0000                0.750000%
</TABLE>

    As of July 27, 2001, to the best knowledge of the Fund, the following
shareholders beneficially owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the
following classes of the Fund:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                    NUMBER OF                PERCENTAGE OF
                                                                                   OUTSTANDING                OUTSTANDING
                                                                                    SHARES OF                  SHARES OF
CLASS OF SHARES                       NAME AND ADDRESS OF SHAREHOLDER              CLASS OWNED                CLASS OWNED
- ---------------                       -------------------------------              -----------                -----------
<S>                                   <C>                                         <C>                         <C>
Common                                A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.                   2,035,253.0000                 5.15%
                                      Thomas Navarria
                                      125 Broad Street
                                      40th Floor
                                      New York, New York 10004

Common                                Morgan Stanley DW Inc.                      4,168,635.0000                10.56%
                                      Issuer Services
                                      c/o ADP Proxy Services
                                      51 Mercedes Way
                                      Edgewood, New York 11717

Common                                Salomon Smith Barney Inc.                   3,607,750.0000                 9.14%
                                      Pat Haller
                                      333 West 34th Street
                                      New York, New York 10001

Common                                UBS PaineWebber Inc.                        2,071,174.0000                 5.24%
                                      Jane Flood
                                      1000 Harbor Boulevard
                                      Weekhawken, New Jersey 07087

Preferred                             Morgan Stanley Inc.                               542.0000                 9.67%
                                      Victor Reich
                                      One Pierpont Plaza
                                      7th Floor
                                      Brooklyn, New York 11201

Preferred                             UBS PaineWebber Inc.                             353.00000                 6.30%
                                      Jane Flood
                                      1000 Harbor Boulevard
                                      Weekhawken, New Jersey 07087

Preferred                             Salomon Smith Barney Inc.                       4,535.000                 80.98%
                                      Pat Haller
                                      333 West 34th Street
                                      New York, New York 10001
</TABLE>

MANNER OF VOTING PROXIES

    All proxies received by management will be voted on all matters presented at
the Meeting, and if not limited to the contrary, will be voted "for" the matters
listed in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and "for"
any other matters deemed appropriate. The presence in person or by proxy of the
holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund entitled to vote is
required to constitute a quorum at the Meeting for purposes of voting on Items 1
through 5 to the extent the preferred and common shares vote together as a
single class. The presence in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of
the aggregate number of preferred shares entitled to vote shall be necessary to
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business for purposes of voting on
the election of Mr. Ives and Ms. Smith under Item 1 and for purposes of Item 3.


    For the purposes of determining the presence of a quorum, abstentions and
broker "non-votes" (that is, proxies from brokers or nominees indicating that
such persons have not received instructions from the beneficial owner or other
persons entitled to vote shares on a particular matter with respect to which
brokers or nominees do not have discretionary power) will be treated as shares
that are present but which have not been voted. Abstentions and broker "non-
votes" will not constitute a vote "for" or "against" a matter and will be
disregarded in determining the "votes cast" on an issue. Abstentions and broker
"non-votes" will have the same effect as a vote "against" Items 2, 3 and 4, and
will have no effect on Items 1 or 5.


    The Fund has engaged the services of Georgeson Shareholder Communications
Inc. to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Fund. The costs of the
proxy solicitation are estimated to be $32,915.25 and will be borne by the Fund.
The Fund will reimburse the record holders of its shares for their expenses
incurred in sending proxy material to and obtaining voting instructions from
beneficial owners.


    The Fund knows of no other matters to be brought before the Meeting. If,
however, because of any unexpected occurrence, any other matters properly come
before the Meeting, it is the Fund's intention that proxies not limited to the
contrary will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the persons named in
the enclosed form of proxy.


SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

    Proposals of shareholders which are intended to be presented at the 2002
Annual Meeting of Shareholders must be received by the Fund on or prior to April
29, 2002.

SECTION 16(a) -- BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

    Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires trustees,
directors and certain officers of the Fund and MFS, and persons who own more
than 10% of the Fund's shares, to file reports of ownership and changes in
ownership with the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange. Such persons are
required by SEC regulation to furnish the Fund with copies of all Section 16(a)
forms they file.


    Based solely on review of the copies of Forms 3, 4, and 5 and amendments
thereto furnished to the Fund with respect to its most recent fiscal year, or
written representations that no Forms 5 were required, the Fund believes that,
during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2000, all Section 16(a) filing
requirements applicable to Trustees, directors and certain officers of the Fund
and MFS and greater than ten percent beneficial owners were complied with.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    In the event that sufficient votes in favor of the proposals set forth in
the Notice of Annual Meeting are not received by October 12, 2001, the persons
named as appointed proxies on the enclosed proxy card may propose one or more
adjournments of the Meeting to permit further solicitation of proxies. Any such
adjournment will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of
the shares present in person or by proxy at the session of the Meeting to be
adjourned. The persons named as appointed proxies on the enclosed proxy card
will vote in favor of any such adjournment those proxies required to be voted in
favor of the proposal for which further solicitation of proxies is made. They
will vote against any such adjournment those proxies required to be voted
against such proposal. The costs of any such additional solicitation and of any
adjournment session will be borne by the Fund.

              IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PROXIES BE RETURNED PROMPTLY.

August 10, 2001

<PAGE>


                                                                    APPENDIX A

                           AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER

    This Audit Committee Charter (Charter) has been adopted by the Board of
Trustees (the Board) of funds listed on Exhibit 1 hereto (each a Fund). The
Audit Committee of the Board (the Committee) shall review and reassess this
charter annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.

    The Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for
oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing, internal
control and financial reporting practices of the Fund. It may also have such
other duties as may from time to time be assigned to it by the Board. The
membership of the Committee shall consist of at least three Trustees, who are
each free of any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, may interfere
with such member's individual exercise of independent judgment. Each Committee
member shall be a non-"interested" Trustee, as such term is defined in Section
2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, and also meet the independence
and financial literacy requirements for serving on audit committees, and at
least one member shall have accounting or related financial management
expertise, all as set forth in the applicable rules of the New York Stock
Exchange. In discharging its oversight role, the Committee shall have the power
to conduct or authorize investigations into any matters within its scope of
responsibilities and shall be empowered to retain, at the expense of the Fund,
independent counsel, accountants, or others to assist it in the conduct of any
investigation. Costs incurred by the Committee in performing its function under
this charter shall be borne by the Fund.

    Although the Committee may wish to consider other duties from time to time,
the general recurring activities of the Committee in carrying out its oversight
role are described below. The Committee shall be responsible for:

    o Recommending to the Board the independent auditors to be retained (or
      nominated for shareholder approval) to audit the financial statements of
      the Fund. Such auditors are ultimately accountable to the Board and the
      Committee, as representatives of the shareholders.

    o Evaluating the performance of the independent auditors and, where
      appropriate, recommending to the Board the replacement of such auditors.

    o Obtaining annually from the independent auditors a formal written
      statement required by Independence Standards Board (ISB) Standard No. 1,
      as may be modified or supplemented, and discussing with the auditors their
      independence, including information furnished by the auditors detailing
      all significant relationships (including non-audit and/or consulting
      relationships) the auditors have with the Fund and its investment adviser
      and affiliates of such investment adviser and shall consider the
      compatibility of nonaudit services with the auditor's independence. The
      Committee will recommend that the Board of Trustees take appropriate
      action on any disclosed relationships that may reasonably be thought to
      bear on the independence of the auditors as required by the Securities
      Acts administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The Committee's job is one of oversight. Management is responsible for the
preparation of the Fund's financial statements and the independent auditors are
responsible for auditing those financial statements. The Committee and the Board
recognize that management and the independent auditors have more resources and
time, and more detailed knowledge and information regarding the Fund's
accounting, auditing, internal control and financial reporting practices than
the Committee does; accordingly the Committee's oversight role does not provide
any expert or special assurance as to the financial statements and other
financial information provided by the Fund to its shareholders and others or any
professional certification as to the independent auditors' work.

<PAGE>


                                                                     EXHIBIT 1

                             MFS Charter Income Trust

                          MFS Intermediate Income Trust

                       MFS Government Markets Income Trust

                           MFS Multimarket Income Trust

                            MFS Municipal Income Trust

                             MFS Special Value Trust

<PAGE>


                                                                    APPENDIX B

NOTE: THIS APPENDIX CONTAINS A COMPARISON OF THE EXISTING DECLARATION OF THE
FUND AND THE STANDARDIZED RESTATED DECLARATION PROPOSED TO BE USED FOR CLOSED-
END FUNDS IN THE MFS FAMILY OF FUNDS HAVING COMMON AND PREFERRED SHARES. THE
DECLARATION HAS BEEN MARKED TO SHOW THE CHANGES THAT WILL BE MADE IF THE
RESTATED DECLARATION PROPOSED IN ITEM 2 IS APPROVED AND ADOPTED. DELETED TEXT
IS MARKED THROUGH AND ADDED TEXT APPEARS IN ITALICS. FOR EDGAR DELETED TEXT IS
SET IN BRACKETS AND ADDED TEXT IS SET IN DOUBLE BRACKETS. THE COVER PAGE AND
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR BOTH THE EXISTING DECLARATION AND THE RESTATED
DECLARATION HAVE BEEN OMITTED.



                              AMENDED AND RESTATED
                              DECLARATION OF TRUST

                    [MADE NOVEMBER 6, 2000 BY THE TRUSTEES:]

                                     [[OF]]

                         [[MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST]]


                            [[DATED AS OF ________]]


    [[WHEREAS, ]][by] [[MFS Municipal Income Trust was established pursuant to]]
a Declaration of Trust dated September 18, 1986, as amended and restated [[on]]
November 13, 1986 [(the "Declaration"), the Trustees established a trust] [[and
November 6, 2000 (the "Original Declaration"),]] for the investment and
reinvestment of funds contributed thereto [known as MFS Municipal Income Trust
(the "Trust")]; [and]

[WHEREAS, the Declaration provides that a restated Declaration integrating
into a single instrument all of the provisions of the Declaration which are
then in effect and operative, may be executed from time to time by a majority
of the Trustees; and]

    WHEREAS, the Trustees desire [[that the beneficial interest in the Trust
assets continue to be divided into transferable Shares of Beneficial Interest
(without par value), as hereinafter provided;]]

    [[WHEREAS, the Trustees wish]] to amend and [to simultaneously] restate the
[[Original]] Declaration [so] [[in its entirety, and hereby certify]] that this
Amended and Restated Declaration[, on the date of its filing in the office of
the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the "Effective Date"), shall
contain all of] [[of Trust has been amended and restated in accordance with]]
the provisions of the [[Original]] Declaration [which are then in effect and
operative];

    NOW THEREFORE, the Trustees hereby [amend and restate the Declaration,
and, on the Effective Date, the following provisions shall constitute all of
the provisions of the Declaration which are then in effect and operative]
[[confirm that all money and property contributed to the Trust hereunder
shall be held and managed in trust for the benefit of holders, from time to
time, of the Shares of Beneficial Interest (without par value) issued
hereunder and subject to the provisions hereof, and that the Original
Declaration, including all appendices, is amended and restated in its entirety
as follows]].

                                  ARTICLE I
                             NAME AND DEFINITIONS

    Section 1.1. Name. The name of the [trust created hereby] [[Trust]] is
[the "]MFS Municipal Income Trust.["]

    Section 1.2. Definitions. Wherever they are used herein, the following
terms have the following respective meanings:

    (a) "By-Laws" means the By-[Laws] [[laws]] referred to in Section 3.9
hereof, as from time to time amended.

    (b)[ The terms "Commission," "Interested Person," and "Majority Shareholder
Vote," (the 67% or 50% requirement of the third sentence of Section 2(a)(42) of
the 1940 Act, whichever may be applicable) have the meanings given them in the
1940 Act.]

    [(c) The terms] "Class" and "Class of Shares" refer to the division of
Shares into two or more classes as provided in Section 6.1 hereof.

    [[(c) "Commission" has the meaning given that term in the 1940 Act.]]

    (d) "Declaration" means this [[Amended and Restated]] Declaration of Trust,
as amended [and restated] from time to time. Reference in this Declaration of
Trust to "Declaration," "hereof," "herein" and "hereunder" shall be deemed to
refer to this Declaration rather than the article or section in which such words
appear.

    (e) ["Effective Date" shall have the meaning set forth in the third
"Whereas" clause herein.][["Distributor" means a party furnishing services to
the Trust pursuant to any contract described in Section 4.2 hereof.]]

    [(f)]

    [[(f) "Interested Person" has the meaning given that term in the 1940 Act.]]

    [[(g)]] "Investment Adviser" means a party furnishing services to the Trust
pursuant to any contract described in Section 4.1 hereof.

    [[(h) "Majority Shareholder Vote" has the same meaning as the phrase "vote
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" as defined in the 1940 Act,
except that such term may be used herein with respect to the Shares of the Trust
as a whole or the Shares of any particular Class or Series thereof, as the
context may require.]]

    [[(i)]][(g) The] "1940 Act" means the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the
Rules and Regulations thereunder, as amended from time to time[[, and as such
Act or the Rules and Regulations thereunder may apply to the Trust or any Class
pursuant to any exemptive order or similar relief or interpretation issued by
the Commission under such Act.]]


    [(h)]

    [[(j)]] "Person" means and includes individuals, corporations,[[ limited
liability companies,]] partnerships, trusts, associations, joint ventures and
other entities, whether or not legal entities, and governments and agencies and
political subdivisions thereof, whether domestic or foreign.


    [(i) The terms]

    [[(k)]] "Series" and "Series of Shares" refer to the division of Shares
representing any Class into two or more Series as provided in Section 6.1
hereof.


    [(j)]

    [[(l)]] "Shareholder" means a record owner of outstanding Shares.


    [(k)]

    [[(m)]] "Shares" means the [shares of beneficial interest] [[Shares of
Beneficial Interest]] into which the beneficial interest in the Trust shall be
divided from time to time or, [if more than one] [[when used in relation to any
particular]] Class or Series of Shares [is authorized] [[established]] by the
Trustees[, the shares of beneficial interest into which each] [[pursuant to
Section 6.1 hereof, transferable units into which such]] Class or Series of
Shares shall be divided from time to time[, and] [[in accordance with the terms
hereof. The term "Shares"]] includes fractions of Shares as well as whole
Shares.


    [(l)]

    [[(n)]] "Statement" means a certificate signed by any officer of the Trust
setting forth the resolution or resolutions providing for the issuance of a
Class or Classes of Shares and any Series thereof, as described in Section 6.1
hereof.


    [(m)]

    [[(o)]] "Transfer Agent" means [the party, other than the Trust, to a] [[a
party furnishing services to the Trust pursuant to any transfer agency]]
contract described in Section [4.3] [[4.4]] hereof.


    [(n) The]

    [[(p)]] "Trust" means the [entity specified in Section 1.1 above. ][[trust
hereunder.]]


    [(o) The]

    [[(q)]] "Trust Property" means any and all property, real or personal,
tangible or intangible, which is owned or held by or for the account of the
Trust or the Trustees.


    [(p) The]

    [[(r)]] "Trustees" means the persons who have signed the Declaration, so
long as they shall continue in office in accordance with the terms hereof, and
all other persons who may from time to time be duly elected [[or appointed]],
qualified and serving as Trustees in accordance with the provisions hereof, and
reference herein to a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such person or
persons in their capacity as trustees hereunder.

    [[(s) "Trustees Emeritus" means any former Trustees who, from time to
time, are appointed by the Trustees to serve as trustees emeritus of the Trust
in accordance with the guidelines and conditions for such service adopted by the
Trustees from time to time, for so long as they serve in that capacity. Trustees
Emeritus, in their capacity as such, are not Trustees of the Trust for any
purpose, and shall not have any powers or obligations of Trustees hereunder.]]

                                  ARTICLE II
                                   TRUSTEES

    Section 2.1. Number of Trustees. Subject to the voting powers of one or more
Classes or Series of Shares as set forth in [this] [[the]] Declaration and in
any Statement, the number of Trustees shall be such number as shall be fixed
from time to time [by a written instrument signed] by a majority of the
Trustees, provided, however, that the number of Trustees shall in no event be
less than three[(3)]. No reduction in the number of Trustees shall have the
effect of removing any Trustee from office prior to the expiration of his [[or
her]] term unless the Trustee is specifically removed pursuant to Section 2.2
[of this Article II] [[hereof]] at the time of the decrease.

    Section 2.2. Term of Office of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall be
divided into three classes. The number of Trustees in each class shall be
determined by resolution of the Board of Trustees. The term of office of [all
of] the [Trustees] [[first class ]]shall expire on the date of the first annual
meeting of [shareholders] [[Shareholders]] or special meeting in lieu thereof
following [the first date of effectiveness of this Declaration (September 18,
1986) ][[January 1, 2002]]. The term of office of the [first] [[second ]]class
shall expire on the date of the second annual meeting of [shareholders]
[[Shareholders]] or special meeting in lieu thereof. The term of office of the
[second] [[third ]]class shall expire on the date of the third annual meeting of
[shareholders] [[Shareholders]] or special meeting in lieu thereof. [The term of
office of the third class shall expire on the date of the fourth annual meeting
of shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof.] Upon expiration of the term
of office of each class as set forth above, the number of Trustees in such
class, as determined by the Board of Trustees, shall be elected for a term
expiring on the date of the third annual meeting of [shareholders]
[[Shareholders]] or special meeting in lieu thereof following such expiration to
succeed the Trustees whose terms of office expire. The Trustees shall be elected
at an annual meeting of the [shareholders] [[Shareholders]] or special meeting
in lieu thereof called for that purpose, except as provided in Section 2.3 [of
this Article] [[hereof]]; provided, however, if so provided in any Statement
relating to a Class or Classes of Shares and any Series thereof designated by
the Trustees pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof, such Class or Classes of Shares,
voting as a Class at an annual meeting of the Shareholders or special meeting in
lieu thereof called for such purpose, may elect at least two (2) Trustees at all
times, and, provided, further, that under the conditions enumerated in such
Statement, such Class or Classes of Shares voting as a Class shall be entitled
to elect at least a majority of the Trustees pursuant to the designations and
powers, preferences and rights and the qualifications, limitations and
restrictions of such Class or Classes of Shares as determined in accordance with
the Statement relating to such Class or Classes of Shares.

    Each Trustee [elected] shall hold office until [his ][[the earlier of his or
her death or the election and qualification of his or her]] successor [shall
have been elected and shall have qualified]; except [(a)] that[[:]]

    [[(a)]] any Trustee may resign his [[or her]] trust (without need for prior
or subsequent accounting) by an instrument in writing signed by [him] [[that
Trustee]] and delivered to the [other Trustees] [[Trust]], which shall take
effect upon such delivery or upon such later date as is specified therein;

    (b) [that] any Trustee may be removed [(provided the aggregate number of
Trustees after such removal shall not be less than the number required by
Section 2.1 hereof) with cause, at any time ][[at any time, with or without
cause,]] by written instrument[,] signed by at least [two-thirds]
[[three-quarters ]]of the [remaining] Trustees, specifying the date when such
removal shall become effective;

    (c) [that any Trustee who requests in writing to be retired or who has
become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument
signed by a majority of the other Trustees, specifying the date of his
retirement; ][[any Trustee who has attained a mandatory retirement age
established pursuant to any written policy adopted from time to time by at least
two-thirds of the Trustees shall, automatically and without action of such
Trustee or the remaining Trustees, be deemed to have retired in accordance with
the terms of such policy, effective as of the date determined in accordance with
such policy; ]]and

    [[(d)]] subject to the voting powers of one or more Classes or Series of
Shares as set forth in this Declaration and in any Statement, a Trustee may be
removed at any meeting of Shareholders by a vote of [[Shares representing]]
two-thirds of the outstanding Shares of the Classes or Series entitled to vote
for the election of such Trustee.

Upon the resignation[[, retirement]] or removal of a Trustee, or his [[or her]]
otherwise ceasing to be a Trustee, [he] [[that individual]] shall execute and
deliver such documents as the remaining Trustees shall require for the purpose
of conveying to the Trust or the remaining Trustees any Trust [property]
[[Property]] held in the name of the resigning[[, retiring]] or removed Trustee.
Upon the incapacity or death of any Trustee, [his] [[that Trustee's]] legal
representative shall execute and deliver on his [[or her]] behalf such documents
as the remaining Trustees shall require as provided in the preceding sentence.

    [[Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement to which
the Trust is a party or in a written policy adopted by the Trustees, no
resigning or removed Trustee shall have any right to any compensation for any
period following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages on
account of such removal.]]

    Section 2.3. Resignation and Appointment of Trustees. In case of the
declination, death, resignation, retirement[,] [[or]] removal [or inability] of
any of the Trustees, or in case a vacancy shall, by reason of an increase in
number [[of Trustees]], or for any other reason, exist, [[a majority of]] the
remaining Trustees [shall] [[may]] fill such vacancy by appointing such other
[person] [[individual]] as they in their discretion shall see fit. [Such
appointment shall be evidenced by a written instrument signed by a majority of
the Trustees in office.] Any such appointment shall not become effective,
however, until the person [named in the written instrument of appointment]
[[appointed]] shall have accepted in writing such appointment and agreed in
writing to be bound by the terms of the Declaration. [Within twelve months of
such appointment, the Trustees shall cause notice of such appointment to be
mailed to each Shareholder at his address as recorded on the books of the
Trustees.] An appointment of a Trustee may be made by the Trustees then in
office [and notice thereof mailed to Shareholders as aforesaid] in anticipation
of a vacancy to occur by reason of retirement, resignation[[, removal]] or
increase in number of Trustees effective at a later date, provided that said
appointment shall become effective only at or after the effective date of said
retirement, resignation[[, removal]] or increase in number of Trustees. The
power of appointment is subject to the voting power of one or more Classes or
Series of Shares as set forth in this Declaration and in any Statement, and is
subject to [the] [[all applicable]] provisions [of Section 16(a)] of the 1940
Act.

    Section 2.4. Vacancies. The death, declination, resignation, retirement,
removal or incapacity of the Trustees, or any [one] of them, shall not operate
to annul the Trust or to revoke any existing agency created pursuant to the
terms of [this] [[the]] Declaration. Whenever a vacancy in the number of
Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled as provided in Section 2.3,
[the ][[or while any Trustee is incapacitated, the other]] Trustees in office,
regardless of their number, shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees
and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Trustees by the
Declaration[[, and only such other Trustees shall be counted for the purposes of
the existence of a quorum or the taking of any action to be taken by the
Trustees. ]] A written instrument certifying the existence of such vacancy [[or
incapacity]] signed by a majority of the Trustees shall be conclusive evidence
of the existence [of such vacancy] [[thereof.]]

    Section 2.5. Delegation of Power to Other Trustees. [Any] [[Subject to
requirements imposed by the 1940 Act and other applicable law, any]] Trustee
may, by power of attorney, delegate his power for a period not exceeding six
[(6)] months at any one time to any other Trustee or Trustees; provided that in
no case shall [less] [[fewer]] than two [(2)] Trustees personally exercise the
powers granted to the Trustees under the Declaration except as [herein]
otherwise expressly provided [[herein.]]

                                 ARTICLE III
                              POWERS OF TRUSTEES

    Section 3.1. General. [The] [[Subject to the provisions of the Declaration,
the]] Trustees shall have exclusive and absolute control over the Trust Property
and over the business of the Trust to the same extent as if the Trustees were
the sole owners of the Trust Property and business in their own right, but with
such powers of delegation as may be permitted by the Declaration. The Trustees
shall have power to conduct the business of the Trust and carry on its
operations in any and all of its branches and maintain offices both within and
without [the] [[The]] Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in any and all states of
the United States of America, in the District of Columbia, and in any and all
commonwealths, territories, dependencies, colonies, possessions, agencies or
instrumentalities of the United States of America and of foreign governments,
and to do all such other things and execute all such instruments as the Trustees
deem necessary, proper or desirable in order to promote the interests of the
Trust although such things are not herein specifically mentioned. Any
determination as to what is in the interests of the Trust made by the Trustees
in good faith shall be conclusive. In construing the provisions of the
Declaration, the presumption shall be in favor of a grant of power to the
Trustees.

    The enumeration of any specific power herein shall not be construed as
limiting the aforesaid power [[or any other power of the Trustees hereunder.]]
Such powers of the Trustees may be exercised without order of or resort to any
court.

    Section 3.2. Investments. (a) The Trustees shall have the power [to]:

        (i) [[to]] conduct, operate and carry on the business of an investment
    company;

        (ii) [[to]] subscribe for, invest in, reinvest in, purchase or
    otherwise acquire, own, hold, pledge, sell, assign, transfer, exchange,
    distribute, lend or otherwise deal in or dispose of [United States]
    [[securities of every nature and kind, U.S.]] and foreign currencies, any
    form of gold [and] [[or]] other precious [metals] [[metal, ]]commodity
    contracts, [options] [[any form of option contract,]] contracts for the
    future acquisition or delivery of [securities and securities of every
    nature and kind, ][[fixed income or other securities, derivative
    instruments of every kind, "when-issued" or standby contracts, and all
    types of obligations or financial instruments,]] including, without
    limitation, all types of bonds, debentures, stocks, negotiable or
    non-negotiable instruments, obligations, evidences of indebtedness,
    certificates of deposit or indebtedness, commercial paper, repurchase
    agreements, bankers' acceptances, and other securities of any kind, issued,
    created, guaranteed or sponsored by any and all Persons, including, without
    limitation,

        [[(A)]] states, territories and possessions of the United States and
    the District of Columbia and any political [subdivisions, agencies or
    instrumentalities thereof and the United States] [[subdivision, agency or
    instrumentality of any such Person,]]

        [[(B) the U.S.]] Government, any foreign government, [any political
    subdivisions thereof or any agencies or instrumentalities, or by] [[or any
    political subdivision or any agency or instrumentality of the U.S.
    Government or any foreign government,]]

        [[(C) any international instrumentality,]]

        [[(D)]] any bank or savings institution, or

        by

        [[(E)]] any corporation or organization organized under the laws of the
    United States or of any state, territory or possession thereof, or [by any
    corporation or organization organized] under any foreign law[, or in "when
    issued" contracts for any such securities, or][[; to]] retain Trust assets
    in cash and from time to time [[to]] change the investments [of] [[in
    which]] the assets of the Trust [[are invested]]; and to exercise any and
    all rights, powers and privileges of ownership or interest in respect of
    any and all such investments of every kind and description, including,
    without limitation, the right to consent and otherwise act with respect
    thereto, with power to designate one or more [persons, firms, associations
    or corporations] [[Persons]] to exercise any of said rights, powers and
    privileges in respect of any of said [instruments.] [[investments; and]]

        (iii) to carry on any other business in connection with or incidental
    to any of the foregoing powers, to do everything necessary, [suitable or]
    proper [[or desirable]] for the accomplishment of any purpose or the
    attainment of any object or the furtherance of any power hereinbefore set
    forth, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant to or
    connected with the aforesaid purposes, objects or powers.


    (b) The Trustees shall not be limited to investing in [[securities or]]
obligations maturing before the possible termination of the Trust, nor shall the
Trustees be limited by any law limiting the investments which may be made by
fiduciaries.


    [[(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Declaration to the
contrary, the Trustees shall have the power in their discretion without any
requirement of approval by Shareholders to either invest all or a portion of the
Trust Property, or sell all or a portion of such Trust Property and invest the
proceeds of such sales, in one or more other investment companies to the extent
not prohibited by the 1940 Act.]]


    Section 3.3. Legal Title. Legal title to all [the] Trust Property shall be
vested in the Trustees as joint tenants except that the Trustees shall have
power to cause legal title to any Trust Property to be held by or in the name of
one or more of the Trustees, or in the name of the Trust, or in the name of any
other Person [as] [[or]] nominee, on such terms as the Trustees may determine.
The right, title and interest of the Trustees in the Trust Property shall vest
automatically in each [Person] [[person]] who may hereafter become a Trustee.
Upon the resignation, [[retirement,]] removal or death of a Trustee [he][[, such
Trustee]] shall automatically cease to have any right, title or interest in any
of the Trust Property, and the right, title and interest of such Trustee in the
Trust Property shall vest automatically in the remaining Trustees. Such vesting
and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents
have been executed and delivered.


    Section 3.4. Issuance and Repurchase of Securities. The Trustees shall have
the power to issue, sell, repurchase, [[redeem,]] retire, cancel, acquire, hold,
resell, reissue, dispose of, transfer, and otherwise deal in Shares and, subject
to the provisions set forth in Articles VII and VIII hereof, to apply to any
such [[repurchase, redemption,]] retirement, cancellation or acquisition of
Shares any funds [or property] of the Trust [[or other Trust Property,]] whether
capital or surplus or otherwise[, to the full extent now or hereafter permitted
by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts governing business
corporations].

    Section 3.5. Borrowing Money; Lending Trust Property. The Trustees shall
have power to borrow money or otherwise obtain credit and to secure the same by
mortgaging, pledging or otherwise subjecting as security the [assets of the]
Trust [[Property]], to endorse, guarantee, or undertake the performance of any
obligation, contract or engagement of any other Person and to lend Trust
[property] [[Property]].

    Section 3.6. Delegation[; Committees]. The Trustees shall have power to
delegate from time to time to such of their number or to officers, employees [or
agents][[, any Investment Adviser, Distributor, custodian, agent or independent
contractor]] of the Trust the doing of such things and the execution of such
instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Trustees or
otherwise as the Trustees may deem [[appropriate or]] expedient.

    Section 3.7. Collection and Payment. The Trustees shall have power to
collect all property due to the Trust; to pay all claims, including taxes,
against the Trust Property; to prosecute, defend, compromise or abandon any
claims relating to the Trust Property; to foreclose any security interest
securing any obligations, by virtue of which any property is owed to the Trust;
and to enter into releases, agreements and other instruments.

    Section 3.8. Expenses. The Trustees shall have the power to incur and pay
any expenses which in the opinion of the Trustees are necessary or incidental to
carry out any of the purposes of the Declaration, and to pay reasonable
compensation from the funds of the Trust to themselves as Trustees. The Trustees
shall fix the compensation of all officers, employees[[, Trustees]] and Trustees
[[Emeritus]].

    Section 3.9. Manner of Acting; By-Laws. Except as otherwise provided
herein[[, in the 1940 Act]] or in the By-Laws, any action to be taken by the
Trustees may be taken by a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting of
Trustees [(][[at which]] a quorum [being present)] [[is present]], including any
meeting held by means of a conference telephone circuit or similar
communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the
meeting can hear each other, or by written consents of [all] [[two-thirds of]]
the Trustees. The Trustees may adopt By-Laws not inconsistent with [this]
[[the]] Declaration to provide for the conduct of the business of the Trust and
may amend or repeal such By-Laws to the extent [such power is not reserved to
the Shareholders] [[permitted therein at any time]].

    Section 3.10. Miscellaneous Powers. [The] [[Without limiting the foregoing,
the]] Trustees shall have the power to:


    (a) employ or contract with such Persons as the Trustees may deem desirable
for the transaction of the business of the Trust;


    (b) enter into joint ventures, partnerships and any other combinations or
associations;

    (c) [remove Trustees or fill vacancies in or add to their number,] elect and
remove such officers and appoint and terminate such agents or employees as they
consider appropriate, [[in each case with or without cause,]] and appoint [from
their own number,] and terminate[,] any one or more committees which may
exercise some or all of the power and authority of the Trustees as the Trustees
may determine;

    (d) purchase, and pay for out of Trust Property, [[such insurance as they
may deem necessary or appropriate for the conduct of the business of the Trust,
including, without limitation,]] insurance policies insuring the [Shareholders,
Trustees, ][[assets of the Trust and payment of distributions and principal on
its portfolio investments, and insurance policies insuring Shareholders, any
administrator, Trustees, Trustees Emeritus,]] officers, employees, agents,
[investment advisers, distributors] [[any Investment Adviser, any Distributor]],
selected dealers or independent contractors of the Trust against all claims
arising by reason of holding any such position or by reason of any action taken
or omitted by any such Person in such capacity, whether or not constituting
negligence, or whether or not the Trust would have the power to indemnify such
Person against such liability;

    (e) establish pension, profit-sharing, [share] [[Share]] purchase,
[[deferred compensation,]] and other retirement, incentive and benefit plans for
any Trustees, officers, employees [and] [[or]] agents of the Trust;

    (f) to the extent permitted by law, indemnify any person with whom the Trust
has dealings, including [the] [[any]] Investment Adviser, [[administrator,
custodian,]] Distributor, Transfer Agent, [and selected dealers] [[shareholder
servicing agent and any dealer]], to such extent as the Trustees shall
determine;

    (g) guarantee indebtedness or contractual obligations of others;

    (h) determine and change the fiscal year of the Trust and the method by
which its accounts shall be kept; and

    (i) adopt a seal for the Trust [but][[, provided, that]] the absence of such
seal shall not impair the validity of any instrument executed on behalf of the
Trust.


[Section 3.11. Principal Transactions. Except in transactions permitted by
the 1940 Act, or any order of exemption issued by the Commission, the Trustees
shall not, on behalf of the Trust, buy any securities (other than shares) from
or sell any securities (other than Shares) to, or lend any assets of the Trust
to, any Trustee or officer of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee
or officer is a member of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee or
officer is a member acting as principal, or have any such dealings with the
Investment Adviser, Distributor, or Transfer Agent or with any Interested
Person of such Person; but the Trust may employ any such Person, or firm or
company in which such Person is an Interested Person, as broker, legal
counsel, registrar, transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent or custodian
upon customary terms. ]


    [Section 3.12. Trustees and Officers as Shareholders. No officer, Trustee or
Member of the Advisory Board of the Trust, and no member, partner, officer,
director or trustee of the Investment Adviser or of the Distributor, and no
Investment Adviser or Distributor of the Trust, shall take a short position in
the securities issued by the Trust.]

                                  ARTICLE IV
      INVESTMENT ADVISER, DISTRIBUTOR,[[ CUSTODIAN]] AND TRANSFER AGENT


    Section 4.1. Investment Adviser. Subject to [a Majority Shareholder Vote]
[[applicable requirements of the 1940 Act,]] the Trustees may in their
discretion from time to time enter into one or more investment advisory or
management contracts whereby [a] [[the other]] party to [[each]] such contract
shall undertake to furnish the Trust such management, investment advisory,
statistical and research facilities and services, promotional activities, and
such other facilities and services, if any, as the Trustees shall from time to
time consider desirable and all upon such terms and conditions as the Trustees
may in their discretion determine. Notwithstanding any [provisions]
[[provision]] of the Declaration, the Trustees may delegate to the Investment
Adviser authority (subject to such general or specific instructions as the
Trustees may from time to time adopt) to effect purchases, sales, loans or
exchanges of assets of the Trust on behalf of the Trustees or may authorize any
officer, employee or Trustee to effect such purchases, sales, loans or exchanges
pursuant to recommendations of the Investment Adviser (and all without further
action by the Trustees). Any [[of]] such purchases, sales, loans or exchanges
shall be deemed to have been authorized by all the Trustees.[[ Such services may
be provided by one or more Persons.]]


    Section 4.2. Distributor. [The] [[Subject to applicable requirements of the
1940 Act, the]] Trustees may in their discretion from time to time enter into [a
contract,] [[one or more exclusive or non- exclusive distribution contracts]]
providing for the sale of Shares [[of one or more Classes,]] whereby the Trust
may either agree to sell the Shares to the other party to [the] [[any such]]
contract or appoint [[any]] such other party its sales agent for such Shares. In
either case, [the] [[any such]] contract shall be on such terms and conditions
as the Trustees may in their discretion determine[[, provided that such terms
and conditions are]] not inconsistent with the provisions of [this Article IV]
[[the Declaration]] or the By- Laws; and such contract may also provide for the
repurchase or sale of Shares by such other party as principal or as agent of the
Trust and may provide that such other party may enter into selected dealer
agreements [[or agency agreements]] with [registered] securities dealers [[or
other Persons]] to further the purpose of the distribution [of the Shares. ][[or
repurchase of the Shares. Such services may be provided by one or more
Persons.]]

[Section 4.3.]

    [[Section 4.3. Custodian. The Trustees may in their discretion from time to
time enter into one or more contracts whereby the other party to each such
contract shall undertake to furnish such custody services to the Trust as the
Trustees shall from time to time consider desirable and all upon such terms and
conditions as the Trustees may in their discretion determine, provided that such
terms and conditions are not inconsistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act,
the Declaration or the By-Laws. The Trustees may authorize any custodian to
employ one or more sub-custodians from time to time to perform such of the
services of the custodian as the Trustees shall from time to time consider
desirable. Services described in this Section may be provided by one or more
Persons.]]

    [[Section 4.4. ]]Transfer Agent. The Trustees may in their discretion from
time to time enter into [a] [[one or more transfer agency or sub-]]transfer
agency and shareholder [service contract or] [[servicing]] contracts whereby
the other party to [[each]] such contract shall undertake to furnish [[such]]
transfer agency and/or shareholder services to the Trust[. The contract or
contracts shall have] [[as the Trustees shall from time to time consider
desirable and all upon]] such terms and conditions as the Trustees may in their
discretion determine[[, provided that such terms and conditions are ]] not
inconsistent with [[the provisions of]] the Declaration or the By-Laws. Such
services may be provided by one or more Persons.

    Section [4.4] [[4.5.]] Parties to Contract. Any contract of the character
described in [Sections 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3] [[any Section]] of this Article IV [or
any Custodian contract, as described in the By-Laws,] may be entered into with
any Person, although one or more of the Trustees or officers of the Trust may be
an officer, partner, director, trustee, shareholder, or member of such other
party to the contract, and no such contract shall be invalidated or rendered
voidable by reason of the existence of any such relationship; nor shall any
Person holding such relationship be liable merely by reason of such relationship
for any loss or expense to the Trust under or by reason of [said] [[any such]]
contract or accountable for any profit realized directly or indirectly
therefrom, provided that the contract when entered into was not inconsistent
with the provisions of this Article IV or the By-Laws. The same Person may be
the other party to contracts entered into pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2 [and],
4.3 [[and 4.4]] above [or Custodian contracts], and any individual may be
financially interested or otherwise affiliated with Persons who are parties to
any or all of the contracts mentioned in this Section [4.4] [[4.5]].

                                  ARTICLE V
                  LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY OF SHAREHOLDERS,
                             TRUSTEES AND OTHERS

    Section 5.1. No Personal Liability of Shareholders[, Trustees, etc. Subject
to Section 5.3, no].[[ No Shareholder or former]] Shareholder shall be subject
to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person in connection with Trust
Property or the acts, obligations or affairs of the Trust[. No Trustee, officer,
employee or agent of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability
whatsoever to any Person, other than the Trust or its Shareholders, in
connection with Trust Property or the affairs of the Trust, save only that
arising from bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless
disregard for his duty to such Person; and all such Persons shall look solely to
the Trust Property for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in
connection with the affairs of the Trust. If any] [[solely by reason of being or
having been a]] Shareholder[, Trustee, officer, employee, or agent, as such, of
the Trust, is made a party to any suit or proceeding to enforce any such
liability, he shall not, on account thereof, be held to any personal liability].
The Trust shall indemnify and hold each Shareholder [[and former Shareholder]]
harmless from and against all claims and liabilities to which such Shareholder
may become subject [[solely]] by reason of his [[or her]] being or having been a
Shareholder [[(other than taxes payable by virtue of owning Shares)]], and shall
reimburse such Shareholder for all legal and other expenses reasonably incurred
by him in connection with any such claim or liability. The rights accruing to a
Shareholder [[or former Shareholder]] under this Section 5.1 shall not exclude
any other right to which such Shareholder may be lawfully entitled, nor shall
anything herein contained restrict the right of the Trust to indemnify or
reimburse a Shareholder [[or former Shareholder]] in any appropriate situation
even though not specifically provided herein. [[The Trust shall, upon request by
a Shareholder or former Shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made
against such Shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust and satisfy any
judgment thereon from the assets of the Trust.]]

    [[Section 5.2. Limitation of]] [Section 5.2. Non-] Liability of Trustees[,
etc. Subject to Section 5.3, no] [[and Others. (a) No]] Trustee, [[Trustee
Emeritus,]] officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be [liable to the
Trust, its Shareholders, or to any Shareholder, Trustee, officer, employee, or
agent thereof for any action or failure to act (including without limitation the
failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach]
[[subject to any liability whatsoever to any Person in connection with Trust
Property or the affairs of the Trust, and no Trustee or Trustee Emeritus shall
be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any
officer, employee or agent of the Trust or for the act of omission of any other
Trustee or Trustee Emeritus. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Section 5.2 (a) or otherwise, nothing in the Declaration shall protect any
Trustee, Trustee Emeritus, officer, employee or agent of the Trust against any
liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which he, she or it would
otherwise be subject by reason]] of [trust) except for his own bad faith,]
willful misfeasance, [[bad faith,]] gross negligence or reckless disregard of
[his duties.] [[the duties involved in the conduct of his, her or its office or
position with or on behalf of the Trust.]]

    [[(b) All persons extending credit to, contracting with or having claim
against the Trust shall look solely to the assets of the Trust for payment under
such credit, contract or claim; and neither any Trustee or Trustee Emeritus, nor
any of the Trust's officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or
future, shall be personally liable therefor.]]

    Section 5.3. Mandatory Indemnification. (a) Subject to the exceptions and
limitations contained in paragraph (b) below:

        (i) every person who is or has been a Trustee[[, Trustee
    Emeritus]] or officer of the Trust [[(hereinafter referred to as a
    "Covered Person")]] shall be indemnified by the Trust against all
    liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him
    [[or her]] in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding
    in which [he] [[that individual]] becomes involved as a party
    or otherwise by virtue of [his] being or having been a Trustee[[,
    Trustee Emeritus]] or officer and against amounts paid or incurred by
    [him] [[that individual]] in the settlement thereof;

        (ii) the words "claim," "action," "suit[,]" or "proceeding"
    shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal,
    [[administrative]] or other, including appeals), actual or
    threatened; and the words "liability" and "expenses" shall include,
    without limitation, attorneys' fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in
    settlement [[or compromise]], fines, penalties and other liabilities.

    (b) No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a [Trustee or officer]
[[Covered Person]]:

        (i) against any liability to the Trust or the Shareholders by reason of
    a final adjudication by the court or other body before which the proceeding
    was brought that [he] [[the Covered Person]] engaged in willful
    misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the
    duties involved in the conduct of [his] [[that individual's]] office;

        (ii) with respect to any matter as to which [he] [[the Covered Person]]
    shall have been finally adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the
    reasonable belief that [his] [[that individual's]] action was in the best
    interest of the Trust; [[or]]

        (iii) in the event of a settlement involving a payment by a Trustee[[,
    Trustee Emeritus]] or officer or other disposition not involving a final
    adjudication as provided in paragraph (b)(i) or (b)(ii) above resulting in
    a payment by a [Trustee or officer] [[Covered Person]], unless there has
    been either a determination that such [Trustee or officer] [[Covered
    Person]] did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence
    or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of [his] [[that
    individual's]] office by the court or other body approving the settlement
    or other disposition or by a reasonable determination, based upon a review
    of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry) that
    [he] [[that individual]] did not engage in such conduct:

            (A) by vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees [[(as
        defined below)]] acting on the matter (provided that a majority of
        the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter); or

            (B) by written opinion of [independent legal counsel][[
        (i) the then-current legal counsel to the Trustees who are not
        Interested Persons of the Trust or (ii) other legal counsel chosen by
        a majority of the Disinterested Trustees (or if there are no
        Disinterested Trustees with respect to the matter in question, by a
        majority of the Trustees who are not Interested Persons of the Trust)
        and determined by them in their reasonable judgment to be
        independent]].

    (c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by
policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other
rights to which any [Trustee or officer] [[Covered Person]] may now or hereafter
be entitled, shall continue as to a [Person] [[person]] who has ceased to be
[such Trustee or officer] [[a Covered Person]] and shall inure to the benefit of
the heirs, executors and administrators of such [Person] [[person]]. Nothing
contained herein shall [[limit the Trust from entering into other insurance
arrangements or]] affect any rights to indemnification to which [[Trust]]
personnel [other than Trustees and officers][[, including Covered Persons,]] may
be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

    (d) Expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim,
action, suit, or proceeding of the character described in paragraph (a) of this
Section 5.3 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof
upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the [recipient] [[Covered
Person]] to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that [he] [[the
Covered Person]] is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 5.3,
provided that either:

        (i) such undertaking is secured by a surety bond or some other
    appropriate security or the Trust shall be insured against losses arising
    out of any such advances; or

        (ii) a majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter
    (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act
    on the matter) or [an independent] legal counsel [[meeting the
    requirement in Section 5.3(b)(iii)(B) above]] in a written opinion,
    shall determine, based upon a review of readily available facts (as
    opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe
    that the [recipient] [[Covered Person]] ultimately will be
    found entitled to indemnification.

    As used in this Section 5.3[,] a "Disinterested Trustee" is one (i) who is
not an "Interested Person" of the Trust (including anyone who has been exempted
from being an "Interested Person" by any rule, regulation or order of the
Commission), and (ii) against whom none of such actions, suits or other
proceedings or another action, suit or other proceeding on the same or similar
grounds is then or had been pending.

    [[(e) With respect to any such determination or opinion referred to in
clause (b)(iii) above or clause (d)(ii) above, a rebuttable presumption shall be
afforded that the Covered Person has not engaged in willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the
conduct of such Covered Person's office in accordance with pronouncements of the
Commission.]]

    Section 5.4. No Bond Required [of Trustees]. No Trustee[[, Trustee Emeritus
or officer]] shall be obligated to give any bond or other security for the
performance of any of his [[or her]] duties hereunder.

    Section 5.5. No Duty of Investigation; Notice in Trust Instruments[, etc].
No purchaser, lender, [transfer agent ][[shareholder servicing agent, Transfer
Agent]] or other Person dealing with the Trustees or any officer, employee or
agent of the Trust shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of
any transaction purporting to be made by the Trustees or by said officer,
employee or agent or be liable for the application of money or property paid,
loaned, or delivered to or on the order of the Trustees or of said officer,
employee or agent. Every obligation, contract, instrument, certificate, Share,
other security of the Trust or undertaking, and every other act or thing
whatsoever executed in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively presumed
to have been executed or done by the executors thereof only in their capacity as
Trustees under the Declaration or in their capacity as officers, employees or
agents of the Trust. Every written obligation, contract, instrument,
certificate, Share, other security of the Trust or undertaking made or issued by
the Trustees [[or officers]] shall recite that the same is executed or made by
them not individually, but as [[or on behalf of]] Trustees under the
Declaration, and that the obligations of any such instrument are not binding
upon any of the Trustees[[, officers]] or Shareholders[,] individually, but bind
only the [trust] [[Trust]] estate, and may contain any further recital [which
they or he may deem] [[deemed]] appropriate, but the omission of such recital
shall not operate to bind any of the Trustees[[, officers]] or Shareholders
individually. The Trustees [shall at all times] [[may]] maintain insurance for
the protection of the Trust Property, [its] Shareholders, Trustees, [[Trustees
Emeritus,]] officers, employees and agents in such amount as the Trustees shall
deem adequate to cover possible tort liability, and such other insurance as the
Trustees in their sole judgment shall deem advisable.

    Section 5.6. [Reliance on Experts, etc. ][[Good Faith Action; Reliance on
Experts. The exercise by the Trustees or the officers of the Trust of their
powers and discretions hereunder in good faith and with reasonable care under
the circumstances then prevailing shall be binding upon everyone interested. The
Trustees or the officers of the Trust shall not be liable for errors of judgment
or mistakes of fact or law.]] Each Trustee and officer or employee of the Trust
shall, in the performance of his [[or her]] duties, be [[under no liability
and]] fully and completely justified and protected with regard to any act or any
failure to act resulting from reliance in good faith upon the books of account
or other records of the Trust, upon [an opinion] [[advice]] of counsel, or upon
reports made to the Trust by any of its officers or employees or by the
Investment Adviser, the Distributor, Transfer Agent,[[ custodian, any
shareholder servicing agent,]] selected dealers, accountants, appraisers or
other experts or consultants selected with reasonable care by the Trustees,
officers or employees of the Trust, regardless of whether such counsel or expert
may also be a Trustee.

    [[Section 5.7. Derivative Actions. No Shareholder shall have the right
to bring or maintain any court action, proceeding or claim on behalf of the
Trust or any Class of Shares thereof without first making demand on the
Trustees requesting the Trustees to bring or maintain such action, proceeding
or claim. Such demand shall be excused only when the plaintiff makes a
specific showing that irreparable injury to the Trust or Class of Shares
thereof would otherwise result, or if a majority of the Board of Trustees, or
a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action,
has a material personal financial interest in the action at issue. A Trustee
shall not be deemed to have a personal financial interest in an action or
otherwise be disqualified from ruling on a Shareholder demand by virtue of the
fact that such Trustee receives remuneration from his or her service on the
Board of Trustees of the Trust or on the boards of one or more investment
companies with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or underwriter, or
the amount of such remuneration.]]

    [[Such demand shall be mailed to the Secretary or Clerk of the Trust at the
Trust's principal office and shall set forth in reasonable detail the nature of
the proposed court action, proceeding or claim and the essential facts relied
upon by the Shareholder to support the allegations made in the demand. The
Trustees shall consider such demand within 45 days of its receipt by the Trust.
In their sole discretion, the Trustees may submit the matter to a vote of
Shareholders of the Trust or any Class thereof, as appropriate. Any decision by
the Trustees to bring, maintain or settle (or not to bring, maintain or settle)
such court action, proceeding or claim, or to submit the matter to a vote of
Shareholders, shall be made by the Trustees in their business judgment and shall
be binding upon the Shareholders. Any decision by the Trustees to bring or
maintain a court action, proceeding or suit on behalf of the Trust or any Class
thereof shall be subject to the right of the Shareholders under Section 6.8 of
the Declaration to vote on whether or not such court action, proceeding or suit
should or should not be brought or maintained.]]

                                  ARTICLE VI
                        SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST

    Section 6.1. Beneficial Interest. The Trustees may, without Shareholder
approval, authorize one or more Classes of Shares with or without par value
(which Classes may be divided into two or more Series), Shares of each such
Class or Series having such preferences, voting powers, terms of redemption, if
any, and special or relative rights or privileges (including conversion rights,
if any) as the Trustees may determine.


    As of the [Effective Date] [[date of the Declaration]], the Shares are
divided into two Classes of Shares, a Class of an unlimited number of common
shares of beneficial interest, without par value (the "Common Shares") and a
Class of an unlimited number of preferred shares of beneficial interest, without
par value (the "Preferred Shares"). [ All Shares outstanding as of the Effective
Date shall be designated as Common Shares.]


The designations and powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications,
limitations and restrictions of the Common Shares are as follows and as set
forth elsewhere in this Declaration.

    (a) Subject to the rights of the holders of the Preferred Shares, in the
event of the termination of the Trust the holders of the Common Shares shall be
entitled to receive pro rata the net distributable assets of the Trust.

    (b) The holders of the Common Shares shall not, as such holders, have any
right to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any Common Shares or securities of
the Trust which it may hereafter issue or sell, other than such right, if any,
as the Trustees in their discretion may determine.

    (c) Subject to the rights of the holders of the Preferred Shares, dividends
or other distributions, when, as and if declared by the Trustees, shall be
shared equally by the holders of Common Shares on a share for share basis. The
Trustees may direct that any dividends or other distributions or any portion
thereof as declared and distributed shall be paid in cash to the holder, or,
alternatively, may direct that any such dividends be reinvested in full and
fractional Shares of the Trust if such holder elects to have them reinvested.

    (d) The Trustees may hold as treasury shares (of the same or some other
Series), reissue for such consideration and on such terms as they may determine,
or cancel any Common Shares of any Series reacquired by the Trust at their
discretion from time to time. Shares shall not entitle the Shareholder to any
title in or to the whole or any part of the Trust. The designations and powers,
preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions of
the Preferred Shares shall be as set forth in the Statement relating to the
Preferred Shares.

All Shares issued hereunder including, without limitation, Shares issued in
connection with a dividend in Shares or a split of Shares, shall be fully paid
and non-assessable.

    Section 6.2. Rights of Shareholders. The ownership of the Trust Property of
every description and the right to conduct any business hereinbefore described
are vested exclusively in the Trustees, and the Shareholders shall have no
interest therein other than the beneficial interest conferred by their Shares,
and they shall have no right to call for any partition or division of any
property, profits, rights or interests of the Trust nor can they be called upon
to assume any losses of the Trust or suffer an assessment of any kind by virtue
of their ownership of Shares. The Shares shall be personal property giving only
the rights [[specifically set forth]] in the Declaration [specifically set
forth]. The Shares shall not entitle the holder to preference, preemptive,
appraisal, conversion or exchange rights, except as the Trustees may determine
with respect to any Class or Series of Shares.[[ By becoming a Shareholder each
Shareholder shall be held expressly to have assented to and agreed to be bound
by the provisions of the Declaration.]]

    Section 6.3. Trust Only. It is the intention of the Trustees to create only
the relationship of Trustee and beneficiary between the Trustees and each
Shareholder from time to time. It is not the intention of the Trustees to create
a general partnership, limited partnership, joint stock association,
corporation, bailment or any form of legal relationship other than a trust.
Nothing in the Declaration shall be construed to make the Shareholders, either
by themselves or with the Trustees, partners or members of a joint stock
association.

    Section 6.4. Issuance of Shares. The Trustees, in their discretion may, from
time to time without vote of the Shareholders, issue Shares, in addition to the
then issued and outstanding Shares and Shares held in the treasury, to such
party or parties and for such amount and type of consideration, including cash
or property, at such time or times, and on such terms as the Trustees may deem
best, and may in such manner acquire other assets (including the acquisition of
assets subject to, and in connection with[[,]] the assumption of liabilities)
and businesses. In connection with any issuance of Shares, the Trustees may
issue fractional Shares. The Trustees may from time to time divide or combine
the Shares[[, including the Shares of any Class,]] into a greater or lesser
number without thereby changing their proportionate beneficial interests in
Trust [[Property]]. Contributions to the Trust may be accepted for whole Shares
and/or [l/l,000ths] [[1/1,000ths]] of a Share or integral multiples thereof.

    Section 6.5. Register of Shares. A register [[or registers]] shall be kept
at the principal office of the Trust or at an office of the Transfer Agent which
shall contain the names and addresses [[(which may be addresses for electronic
delivery)]] of the Shareholders and the number of Shares held by them
respectively and a record of all transfers thereof. Such register shall be
conclusive as to who are the holders of [each Class and Series of Shares ][[the
Shares, including Shares of any Class or Series,]] and who shall be entitled to
receive dividends or distributions or otherwise to exercise or enjoy the rights
of Shareholders. No Shareholder shall be entitled to receive payment of any
dividend or distribution, nor to have notice given to [him as ][[that
Shareholder as provided]] herein or in the By- Laws [provided], until [he] [[the
Shareholder]] has given his [[or her]] address to the Transfer Agent or such
other officer or agent of the Trustees as shall keep the said register for entry
thereon. The Trustees, in their discretion, may authorize the issuance of Share
certificates and promulgate appropriate rules and regulations as to their use.

    Section 6.6. Transfer of Shares. Shares shall be transferable on the records
of the Trust only by the record holder thereof or by [his] [[the record
holder's]] agent thereunto [duly] authorized in writing, upon delivery to the
Trustees or[[, if there is a Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares,]] the
Transfer Agent of a duly executed instrument of transfer[,] together with any
certificate or certificates (if issued) for such Shares and such evidence of the
genuineness of each such execution and authorization and of other matters as may
reasonably be required. Upon such delivery the transfer shall be recorded on the
register of the Trust. Until such record is made, the Shareholder of record
shall be deemed to be the holder of such Shares for all purposes hereunder and
neither the Trustees nor any Transfer Agent or registrar nor any officer,
employee or agent of the Trust shall be affected by any notice of the proposed
transfer.

    Any [person] [[Person]] becoming entitled to any Shares in consequence of
the death, bankruptcy, or incompetence of any Shareholder, or otherwise by
operation of law, shall be recorded on the register of Shares as the holder of
such Shares upon production of the proper evidence thereof to the Trustees or
the Transfer Agent; but until such record is made, the Shareholder of record
shall be deemed to be the holder of such Shares for all purposes hereunder and
neither the Trustees nor any Transfer Agent or registrar nor any officer or
agent of the Trust shall be affected by any notice of such death, bankruptcy or
incompetence, or other operation of law.

    Section 6.7. Notices. Any and all notices to which any Shareholder may be
entitled and any and all communications shall be deemed duly served or given
[[(i)]] if mailed, postage prepaid, addressed to any Shareholder of record at
[his] [[the Shareholder's]] last known address as recorded on the register of
the Trust[[, (ii) if sent by electronic transmission to the Shareholder of
record at the Shareholder's last known address for electronic delivery as
recorded on the register of the Trust, (iii) if mailed or sent by electronic
delivery to one or more members of the Shareholder's household in accordance
with applicable law or regulation, or (iv) if otherwise sent in accordance with
applicable law or regulation]].

    Section 6.8. Voting Powers. Subject to the voting power of one or more
Classes or Series of Shares as set forth in [this] [[the]] Declaration and in
any Statement, [the] Shareholders shall have power to vote only (i) for the
election of Trustees [or for their removal ][[when that issue is submitted to
Shareholders, and for the removal of Trustees]] as provided in Section 2.2
hereof, (ii) with respect to any investment advisory or management contract [as
provided in Section 4.1 hereof] [[on which a shareholder vote is required by the
1940 Act]], (iii) with respect to termination of the Trust [[or any Class to the
extent and]] as provided in Section 8.2 [[hereof]], (iv) with respect to any
amendment of the Declaration to the extent and as provided in Section 8.3
[[hereof]], (v) with respect to any merger, consolidation, [conversion] or sale
of assets [[to the extent and]] as provided in Sections 8.4[, 8.5] and 8.7
[[hereof]], (vi) with respect to [incorporation] [[any conversion]] of the Trust
[[to an "open- end company"]] to the extent and as provided in Section [8.5]
[[8.6 hereof]], (vii) to the same extent as the stockholders of a Massachusetts
business corporation as to whether or not a court action, proceeding or claim
should or should not be brought or maintained derivatively or as a class action
on behalf of the Trust or the Shareholders, and (viii) with respect to such
additional matters relating to the Trust as may be required by the Declaration,
the By-Laws, any Statement or any registration of the Trust with the Commission
(or any successor agency) or any [state] [[other regulator having jurisdiction
over the Trust]], or as the Trustees may consider necessary or desirable.

[Each whole Share]

    [[A Shareholder]] shall be entitled to one vote [as to any] [[for each Share
owned by such Shareholder on each]] matter on which [it] [[such Shareholder]] is
entitled to vote and each fractional Share shall be entitled to a proportionate
fractional vote, except as otherwise provided in any Statement [and except
that][[.]] Shares held in the treasury of the Trust shall not be voted.

[Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration, on any matter
submitted to a vote of Shareholders, all Shares of the Trust then entitled to
vote shall, except as otherwise provided in the By-Laws or any Statement or
required by law,]

    [[Except when a larger vote is required by applicable law or by any
provision of the Declaration, the By-Laws or a Statement, if any, Shares
representing a majority of the Shares voted in person or by proxy shall decide
any questions and a plurality shall elect a Trustee, provided that where any
provision of law, the Declaration or a Statement requires that holders of any
Class or Series shall vote as a class, then Shares representing a majority of
the Shares of that Class or Series voted on the matter shall decide that matter
insofar as that Class or Series is concerned, and provided further, that
abstentions and broker non-votes shall not be counted as votes cast but shall be
counted as being present for purposes of determining the existence of a
quorum.]]


    [[Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary but subject to any
Statement relating to Preferred Shares, on any matter submitted to a vote of the
Shareholders of the Trust, all Shares of the Trust then entitled to vote shall]]
be voted in the aggregate as a single Class [without regard to][[, except that
(i) when required by the 1940 Act to be voted by individual Class or Series,
Shares shall not be voted in the aggregate, and (ii) when the Trustees have
determined that a matter affects only the interests of Shareholders of
particular]] Classes or Series of Shares[[, only Shareholders of such Class or
Series of Shares, as applicable, shall be entitled to vote thereon]].


    There shall be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees. Until
Shares of a particular Class or Series are issued [[and during any period when
no Shares of a particular Class or Series are outstanding]], the Trustees may
exercise all rights of Shareholders of such Class or Series and may take any
action required by law, the Declaration, the By-Laws or any Statement to be
taken by Shareholders as to such Class or Series. The By-Laws and any Statement
may include further provisions for [Shareholders'] [[Shareholder]] votes and
meetings and related matters.

                                 ARTICLE VII
                      DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE,
                         NET INCOME AND DISTRIBUTIONS

    The Trustees, in their absolute discretion, may prescribe and shall set
forth in the By-[Laws] [[laws]], in any Statement, or in a duly adopted vote of
the Trustees such bases and times for determining the per Share net asset value
of the Shares [or][[, including]] any Class or Series of Shares or net income,
or the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions, as they may deem
necessary or desirable.

                                 ARTICLE VIII
                       DURATION; TERMINATION OF TRUST;
                           AMENDMENT; MERGERS, ETC.

    Section 8.1. Duration. The Trust shall continue without limitation of time
but subject to the provisions of this Article VIII.

    Section 8.2. Termination of Trust. (a) Subject to the voting powers of one
or more Classes or Series of Shares as set forth in this Declaration and in any
Statement, the Trust may be terminated[[ at any time]] (i) by the affirmative
vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the Shares outstanding and
entitled to vote at any meeting of Shareholders, or (ii)[ by an instrument in
writing, without a meeting, signed by a majority of the Trustees and consented
to by the holders of not less than two-thirds of such Shares] [[by the Trustees
by written notice to the Shareholders. Any Class of the Trust may be terminated
at any time (i) by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than
two-thirds of the Shares of that Class outstanding and entitled to vote at any
meeting of Shareholders, or (ii) by the Trustees by written notice to the
Shareholders of that Class]]. Upon the termination of the Trust:

        (i) The Trust shall carry on no business except for the purpose of
    winding up its affairs;

        (ii) The Trustees shall proceed to wind up the affairs of the Trust
    and all the powers of the Trustees under [this] [[the]]
    Declaration shall continue until the affairs of the Trust shall have been
    wound up, including the power to fulfill or discharge the contracts of the
    Trust, collect its assets, sell, convey, assign, exchange, transfer or
    otherwise dispose of all or any part of the remaining Trust Property to
    one or more [persons] [[Persons]] at public or private sale
    for consideration which may consist in whole or in part of cash,
    securities or other property of any kind, discharge or pay its
    liabilities, and to do all other acts appropriate to liquidate its
    business; [provided, that any sale, conveyance, assignment, exchange,
    transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all the Trust
    Property shall require Shareholder approval in accordance with Section 8.4
    hereof;] and

        (iii) After paying or adequately providing for the payment of all
    liabilities, and upon receipt of such releases, indemnities and refunding
    agreements as they deem necessary for their protection, the Trustees may
    distribute the remaining Trust Property, in cash or in kind or partly in
    cash and partly in kind, among the Shareholders [[of the Trust]]
    according to their respective rights and as required or permitted by the
    preferences and special or relative rights and privileges of any Class or
    Series of Shares.

    [[The foregoing provisions shall also apply, with appropriate modifications
as determined by the Trustees, to the termination of any Class.]]

    (b) After termination of the Trust [[or Class]] and distribution to the
Shareholders [[of the Trust or Class]] as herein provided, a majority of the
Trustees shall execute and lodge among the records of the Trust an instrument in
writing setting forth the fact of such termination, and the Trustees shall
thereupon be discharged from all further liabilities and duties hereunder [[with
respect to the Trust or Class]], and the rights and interests of all
Shareholders [[of the Trust or Class]] shall thereupon cease.


    Section 8.3. Amendment Procedure. (a) Except [to the extent that any
Statement or applicable law may require a higher vote or the separate vote of
one or more] [[as specifically provided herein, the Trustees may, without any
Shareholder vote, amend or otherwise supplement the Declaration by making an
amendment, a Declaration of Trust supplemental hereto or an amended and restated
Declaration. Without limiting the foregoing power reserved to the Trustees, the
Trustees may, without any Shareholder vote, amend the Declaration to designate
or redesignate]] Classes or Series [of Shares, and except as provided in
paragraph (c) of this Section 8.3 this Declaration may be amended by a Majority
Shareholder Vote or by an instrument in writing, without a meeting, signed by a
majority of the Trustees and consented to by the holders of not less than a
majority of the Shares outstanding and entitled to vote. The Trustees may also
amend this Declaration without the vote or consent of Shareholders], to change
the name [[or principal office]] of the Trust, to supply any omission, to cure,
correct or supplement any ambiguous, defective or inconsistent provision hereof,
[to authorize one or more Classes or Series of Shares or to make any additions
and/or changes deemed necessary to effectuate the designations and powers,
preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions
adopted by the Trustees with respect to any Class or Series of Shares so
authorized pursuant to Article VI of this Declaration,] or if they deem it
necessary [[or advisable,]] to conform [this] [[the]] Declaration to the
requirements of applicable [federal laws or regulations or the requirements of
the regulated investment company provisions of] [[law, including the 1940 Act
and]] the Internal Revenue Code [[of 1986, as amended]], but the Trustees shall
not be liable for failing [[to do so. Shareholders shall have the right to vote
on (i) any amendment that would affect their right to vote granted in Section
6.8; (ii) any amendment to Section 8.3(a) or (b); (iii) any amendment as may be
required by law, by the Trust's registration statement or by any Statement to be
approved by Shareholders; and (iv) any amendment submitted to them by the
Trustees.]] [so to do.]


    [(b)] Except to the extent [that any Statement or applicable law may require
a higher vote or the separate vote of one or more Classes or Series of Shares,
no amendment may be made under this Section 8.3 which would change any rights
with respect to any Shares by reducing the amount payable thereon upon
liquidation of the Trust or by diminishing or eliminating any voting rights
pertaining thereto, except with the vote or consent of the holders of two-thirds
of the Shares outstanding and entitled to vote.] [[a higher vote is required by
any Statement or as otherwise provided in Section 8.3(c), any amendment on which
Shareholders have the right to vote shall require a Majority Shareholder Vote of
the Shareholders of the Trust, or the written consent, without a meeting, of the
holders of Shares representing not less than a majority of the voting power of
the Shares of the Trust.]]

    [[Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Trustees shall determine that any
amendment required or permitted to be submitted to Shareholders would affect
only the interest of Shareholders of particular Classes of Shares, then only
Shareholders of such Classes shall be entitled to vote thereon, and no vote of
Shareholders of any other Classes shall be required.]]

    [[(b) ]]Nothing contained in [this] [[the]] Declaration shall permit the
amendment of [this] [[the]] Declaration to impair the exemption from personal
liability of the Shareholders, [[former Shareholders,]] Trustees, [Officers]
[[Trustees Emeritus, officers]], employees and agents of the Trust or to permit
[assessment upon Shareholders.] [[assessments upon Shareholders or former
Shareholders. Notwithstanding anything else herein, any amendment to Section 5.3
shall not limit the rights to indemnification or insurance provided therein with
respect to actions or omissions of persons entitled to indemnification under
such Section prior to such amendment.]]

    (c) No amendment may be made [under this Section 8.3] which shall amend,
alter, change or repeal any of the provisions of [Sections 8.3,][[ Section 2.2,
Section 8.2, this Section 8.3(c), Section ]]8.4,[[ Section]] 8.6 and [[Section]]
8.7 unless the amendment effecting such amendment, alteration, change or repeal
shall receive the affirmative vote or consent of sixty-six and two-thirds
percent (66 2/3%) of the Shares outstanding and entitled to vote. Such
affirmative vote or consent shall be in addition to the vote or consent of the
holders of Shares otherwise required by law or by the terms of any Class or
Series of preferred stock, whether now or hereafter authorized, or any agreement
between the Trust and any national securities exchange.

    (d) A certificate signed by a majority of the Trustees setting forth an
amendment and reciting that it was duly adopted by the Shareholders [[(if
applicable)]] or by the Trustees as aforesaid or a copy of the Declaration, as
amended, and executed by a majority of the Trustees, shall be conclusive
evidence of such amendment when lodged among the records of the Trust.

    [[(e) Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, until such time as Shares
of a particular Class are first issued the Declaration may be terminated or
amended in any respect as to that Class, and as to any Class in which Shares are
not outstanding, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Trustees or by an
instrument signed by a majority of the Trustees.]]


    Section 8.4. Merger, Consolidation and Sale of Assets. [The Trust ][[Subject
to applicable law and except as otherwise provided in Section 8.5 hereof, the
Trust or any Class thereof]] may merge or consolidate with any other
corporation, association, trust or other organization or may sell, lease or
exchange all or substantially all of the Trust Property[,] [[(or all or
substantially all of the Trust Property allocated to a particular Class of the
Trust)]] including its good will, upon such terms and conditions and for such
consideration when and as authorized [[(a)]] at any meeting of Shareholders
called for the purpose by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than
two-thirds of the Shares outstanding and entitled to vote[[ of all Classes of
the Trust voting as a single class if the entire Trust is merging,
consolidating, or disposing of assets, or by the affirmative vote of the holders
of not less than two-thirds of the Shares of a Class if only that Class is
merging, consolidating or disposing of assets]], or [by an instrument or
instruments in writing] [[(b) by the written consent, -without a meeting,]]
[consented to by] [[of]] the holders of not less than two-thirds of such
Shares [[or of the Shares of the particular Class as described above]],
provided, however, that if such merger, consolidation, sale, lease or exchange
is recommended by the Trustees, the vote or written consent of the holders of a
majority of Shares [[of the Trust ]]outstanding and entitled to vote [[or of the
Shares of the particular Class as described above]], shall be sufficient
authorization[; and any ][[. Any ]]such merger, consolidation, lease or exchange
shall be deemed for all purposes to have been accomplished under and pursuant to
the statutes of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. [Nothing contained herein
shall be construed as requiring approval of shareholder for any sale of assets
in the ordinary course of business of the Trust.] [[ Such transactions may be
effected through share-for-share exchanges, transfers or sales of assets,
in-kind redemptions and purchases, exchange offers, or any other method approved
by the Trustees. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as requiring
approval of Shareholders for any recapitalization or reclassification of any
Class, for any sale of assets in the ordinary course of the business of the
Trust, or for any transaction, whether deemed a]] [[merger, consolidation,]]
[[reorganization or exchange of shares or otherwise, whereby the Trust issues
shares of one or more Classes in connection with the acquisition of assets
(including those subject to liabilities) from any other investment company or
similar entity.]]


    Section 8.5. Incorporation [and Reorganization. With the approval of the
holders of a majority of the Shares outstanding and entitled to vote, the
Trustees may][[, Reorganization. The Trustees may, without the vote or
consent of Shareholders,]] cause to be organized or assist in organizing a
corporation or corporations under the laws of any jurisdiction, or any other
trust [[(or series or class of a trust), unit investment trust]], partnership,
[[limited liability company,]] association or other organization to [take over]
[[acquire]] all [[or a portion]] of the Trust Property [[(or all or a portion of
the Trust Property allocated to a particular Class)]] or to carry on any
business in which the Trust shall directly or indirectly have any interest, and
to sell, convey and transfer [the] [[such]] Trust Property to any such
corporation, trust [[(or series or class of a trust)]], partnership, [[limited
liability company,]] association or organization in exchange for the shares or
securities thereof or otherwise[[,]] and to lend money to, subscribe for the
shares or securities of, and enter into any contracts with any such corporation,
trust, partnership, association or organization in which the Trust holds or is
about to acquire shares or any other interest. [Subject to Section 8.4 hereof,
the] [[The]] Trustees may also[[, without the vote or consent of Shareholders,]]
cause a merger or consolidation between the Trust or any successor thereto and
any such corporation, trust [[(or series or class of a trust)]], partnership,
association or other organization if and to the extent permitted by law [as
provided under the law then in effect. Nothing contained herein shall be
construed as requiring approval of Shareholders for the Trustees to organize or
assist in organizing one or more corporations, trusts, partnerships,
associations or other organizations and selling, conveying or transferring a
portion of the Trust Property to such organization or entities.][[. The Trustees
shall provide written notice to affected Shareholders of each transaction
pursuant to this Section 8.5. Such transactions may be effected through
share-for-share exchanges, transfers or sales of assets, in-kind redemptions and
purchases, exchange offers, or any other method approved by the Trustees.]]

    Section 8.6. Conversion. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Declaration, the conversion of the Trust from a "closed-end company" to an
"open-end company," as those terms are defined in [Sections 5(a)(2) and 5
(a)(1), respectively, of] the 1940 Act [as in effect on June 1, 1986], shall
require the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of sixty-six and
two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the Shares of each Class outstanding and
entitled to vote. Such affirmative vote or consent shall be in addition to the
vote or consent of the holders of the Shares otherwise required by law or by the
terms of any Class or Series of preferred stock, whether now or hereafter
authorized, or any agreement between the Trust and any national securities
exchange.

    Section 8.7. Certain Transactions. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision
of this Declaration and subject to the exceptions provided in paragraph (d) of
this Section, the types of transactions described in paragraph (c) of this
Section shall require the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of sixty-
six and two-thirds [[percent]] (66 2/3%) of the Shares outstanding and entitled
to vote, when a Principal Shareholder (as defined in paragraph (b) of this
Section) is a party to the transaction. Such affirmative vote or consent shall
be in addition to the vote or consent of the [holders of Shares]
[[Shareholders]] otherwise required by law or by the terms of any Class or
Series of preferred stock, whether now or hereafter authorized, or any agreement
between the Trust and any national securities exchange.

    (b) The term "Principal Shareholder" shall mean any corporation, person or
other entity which is the beneficial owner, directly or [directly]
[[indirectly]], of more than five percent (5%) of the outstanding Shares and
shall include any affiliate or associate, as such terms are defined in clause
(ii) below, of a Principal Shareholder. For the purposes of this Section, in
addition to the Shares which a corporation, person or other entity beneficially
owns directly, (a) any corporation, person or other entity shall be deemed to be
the beneficial owner of any Shares (i) which it has the right to acquire
pursuant to any agreement or upon exercise of conversion rights or warrants, or
otherwise (but excluding share options granted by the Trust) or (ii) which are
beneficially owned, directly or indirectly (including Shares deemed owned
through application of clause (i) above), by any other corporation, person or
entity with which its "affiliate" or "associate" (as defined below) has any
agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding,
voting or disposing of Shares, or which is its "affiliate"[,] or "associate" as
those terms are defined in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as in effect on December 1, 1986, and (b)
the outstanding Shares shall include Shares deemed owned through application of
clauses (i) and (ii) above but shall not include any other [Shares] [[shares]]
which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, or upon exercise of conversion
rights or warrants, or otherwise.

    (c) This Section shall apply to the following transactions:

        (i) [The] [[the]] merger or consolidation of the Trust or
    any subsidiary of the Trust with or into any Principal Shareholder;

        (ii) [The] [[the]] issuance of any securities of the Trust
    to any Principal Shareholder for cash;

        (iii) [The] [[the]] sale, lease or exchange of all or any
    substantial part of the assets of the Trust to any Principal Shareholder
    (except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than
    $1,000,000, aggregating for the purpose of such computation all assets
    sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a
    twelve-month period);

        (iv) [The] [[the]] sale, lease or exchange to the Trust or
    any subsidiary thereof, in exchange for securities of the Trust of any
    assets of any Principal Shareholder (except assets having an aggregate
    fair market value of less than $1,000,000, aggregating for the purposes of
    such computation all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of
    similar transactions within a twelve-month period).

    (d) The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to (i) any of the
transactions described in paragraph (c) of this Section if the Board of Trustees
of the Trust shall by resolution have approved a memorandum of understanding
with such Principal Shareholder with respect to and substantially consistent
with such transaction, or (ii) any such transaction with any corporation of
which a majority of the outstanding shares of all classes of stock normally
entitled to vote in elections of directors is owned of record or beneficially by
the Trust and its subsidiaries.

    (e) The Board of Trustees shall have the power and duty to determine for the
purposes of this Section on the basis of information known to the Trust, whether
(i) a corporation, person or entity beneficially owns more than five percent
(5%) of the outstanding Shares, (ii) a corporation, person or entity is an
"affiliate" or "associate" (as defined above) of another, (iii) the assets being
acquired or leased to or by the Trust or any subsidiary thereof, constitute a
substantial part of the assets of the Trust and have an aggregate fair market
value of less than $1,000,000, and (iv) the memorandum of understanding referred
to in paragraph (d) hereof is substantially consistent with the transaction
covered thereby. Any such determination shall be conclusive and binding for all
purposes of this Section.

                                   ARTICLE IX
                            [REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS]

[The Trustees shall at least semi-annually submit to the Shareholders a
written financial report of the transactions of the Trust, including financial
statements which shall at least annually be certified by independent public
accountants.]

                                   [ARTICLE X]
                                  MISCELLANEOUS

    Section [10.1.] [[9.1.]] Filing. [This] [[The]] Declaration and any
[[subsequent]] amendment hereto and any Statement shall be filed in the office
of the Secretary of [the] [[The]] Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in such
other [[place or]] places as may be required under the laws of [[The
Commonwealth of]] Massachusetts and may also be filed or recorded in such other
places as the Trustees deem appropriate[[, [[provided that the failure to so
file shall not invalidate this instrument or any properly authorized amendment
hereto]]. Each amendment so filed shall be accompanied by a certificate signed
and acknowledged by [a] [[an officer or]] Trustee stating that such action was
duly taken in a manner provided herein, and unless such amendment or such
certificate sets forth some [later] [[other]] time for the effectiveness of such
amendment, such amendment shall be effective upon its filing. A restated
Declaration, integrating into a single instrument all of the provisions of the
Declaration which are then in effect and operative, may be executed from time to
time by a majority of the Trustees and shall, upon filing with the Secretary of
[the] [[The]] Commonwealth of Massachusetts, be conclusive evidence of all
amendments contained therein and may thereafter be referred to in lieu of the
original Declaration and the various amendments thereto.

    [[Section]] [10.2] [[9.2]]. Governing Law. [This] [[The]] Declaration is
executed by the Trustees and delivered in [the] [[The]] Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and with reference to the laws thereof, and the rights of all
parties and the validity and construction of every provision hereof shall be
subject to and construed according to the laws of said [State.] [[Commonwealth.
The Trust shall be of the type commonly called a Massachusetts business trust,
and without limiting the provisions hereof, the Trust may exercise all powers
which are ordinarily exercised by such a trust, and the absence of a specific
reference herein to any such power, privilege, or action shall not imply that
the Trust may not exercise such power or privilege or take such action.]]

[Section 10.3. Counterparts. This]

    [[Section 9.3. Principal Office. The principal office of the Trust is 500
Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The Trustees, without a vote of
Shareholders, may change the principal office of the Trust.]]


    [[Section 9.4. Counterparts. The]] Declaration may be simultaneously
executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an
original, and such counterparts, together, shall constitute one and the same
instrument, which shall be sufficiently evidenced by any such original
counterpart.


    Section [10.4] [[9.5]]. Reliance by Third Parties. Any certificate executed
by an individual who, according to the records of the Trust[[,]] appears to be
[a] [[an officer or]] Trustee hereunder, certifying to: [(a)][[(i)]] the number
or identity of Trustees or Shareholders, [(b)][[(ii)]] the due authorization of
the execution of any instrument or writing, [(c)][[(iii)]] the form of any vote
passed at a meeting of Trustees or Shareholders, [ (d)][[(iv)]] the fact that
the number of Trustees or Shareholders present at any meeting or executing any
written instrument satisfies the requirements of [this] [[the]] Declaration,
[(e)][[ (v)]] the form of any By-Laws adopted by or the identity of any officers
elected by the Trustees, or [(f)][[(vi)]] the existence of any fact or facts
which in any manner [relate] [[relates]] to the affairs of the Trust, shall be
conclusive evidence as to the matters so certified in favor of any Person
dealing with the Trustees and their successors.

    [[Section 9.6. Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.]]

[Section 10.5. Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations]

    (a) The provisions of the Declaration are severable, and if the Trustees
shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any of such provisions is in
conflict with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company [[or other]]
provisions of the Internal Revenue Code [[of 1986, as amended]], or with other
applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never
to have constituted a part of the Declaration; provided however, that such
determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of the
Declaration or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to
such determination.

    (b) If any provision of the Declaration shall be held invalid or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall
attach only to such provision in such jurisdiction and shall not in any manner
affect such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of the
Declaration in any jurisdiction.


    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this instrument as of
the ________day of_____, _________.


{Trustee Signature Lines}
<PAGE>


                                                                    APPENDIX C

                       FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES TO APPLY TO
                      THE FUND UPON SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL


The Fund may not:


    (1) Borrow Money: borrow money except to the extent such borrowing is not
        prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.

    (2) Underwrite Securities: underwrite securities issued by other persons,
        except that all or any portion of the assets of the Fund may be invested
        in one or more investment companies, to the extent not prohibited by the
        1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act, and except insofar
        as the Fund may technically be deemed an underwriter under the
        Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in selling a portfolio security.

    (3) Senior Securities: issue any senior securities except to the extent not
        prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.
        For purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect
        to any type of swap, option, Forward Contracts and Futures Contracts and
        collateral arrangements with respect to initial and variation margin are
        not deemed to be the issuance of a senior security.

    (4) Make Loans: make loans except to the extent not prohibited by the 1940
        Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.

    (5) Real Estate, Oil and Gas, Mineral Interests, Commodities: purchase or
        sell real estate (excluding securities secured by real estate or
        interests therein and securities of companies, such as real estate
        investment trusts, which deal in real estate or interests therein),
        interests in oil, gas or mineral leases, commodities or commodity
        contracts (excluding currencies and any type of option, Futures
        Contracts and Forward Contracts) in the ordinary course of its business.
        The Fund reserves the freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate,
        mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts (including currencies
        and any type of option, Futures Contracts and Forward Contracts)
        acquired as a result of the ownership of securities.

    (6) Industry Concentration: purchase any securities of an issuer in a
        particular industry if as a result 25% or more of its total assets
        (taken at market value at the time of purchase) would be invested in
        securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the
        same industry.

<PAGE>
<TABLE>

                                                                                                                         APPENDIX D


                                          CURRENT FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES OF AND
                                                    PROPOSED ACTION TO BE TAKEN


<CAPTION>
CURRENT FUNDAMENTAL POLICY                                                         PROPOSED NEW POLICY OR PROPOSED REMOVAL OF POLICY
- --------------------------                                                         -------------------------------------------------
The Fund may not:                                                                  The Fund may not:
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<S>                                                                                <C>
(1) borrow money or pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets, except as a        Borrow Money: borrow money except to the extent
temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes or for a                 such borrowing is not prohibited by the 1940 Act
repurchase of its shares, and in no event in excess of 1/3 of its assets           and exemptive orders granted under such Act.
(the Fund intends to borrow money only from banks);

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) purchase any security or evidence of interest therein on margin, except        It is proposed that this fundamental policy be
that the Fund may obtain such short-term credit as may be necessary for the        removed.
clearance of purchases and sales of securities and except that the Fund may
make deposits on margin in connection with interest rate futures contracts;
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) purchase or sell any put or call option or any combination thereof,            It is proposed that this fundamental policy be
provided that this shall not prevent the purchase, ownership, holding or           removed.
sale of contracts for the future delivery of fixed income securities;
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(4) underwrite securities issued by other persons except insofar as the            Underwrite Securities: underwrite securities
Fund may technically be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of          issued by other persons, except that all or any
1933 in selling a portfolio security;                                              portion of the assets of the Fund may be
                                                                                   invested in one or more investment companies, to
                                                                                   the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act and
                                                                                   exemptive orders granted under such Act, and
                                                                                   except insofar as the Fund may technically be
                                                                                   deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act
                                                                                   of 1933, as amended, in selling a portfolio
                                                                                   security.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) purchase or sell real estate (including limited partnership interests          Real Estate, Oil and Gas, Mineral Interests,
but excluding securities secured by real estate or interests therein),             Commodities: purchase or sell real estate
interests in oil, gas or mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts        (excluding securities secured by real estate or
(except contracts for the future acquisition or delivery of fixed income           interests therein and securities of companies,
securities) in the ordinary course of the business of the Fund (the Fund           such as real estate investment trusts, which
reserves the freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as         deal in real estate or interests therein),
a result of the ownership of securities);                                          interests in oil, gas or mineral leases,
                                                                                   commodities or commodity contracts (excluding
                                                                                   currencies and any type of option, Futures
                                                                                   Contracts and Forward Contracts) in the ordinary
                                                                                   course of its business. The Fund reserves the
                                                                                   freedom of action to hold and to sell real
                                                                                   estate, mineral leases, commodities or commodity
                                                                                   contracts (including currencies and any type of
                                                                                   option, Futures Contracts and Forward Contracts)
                                                                                   acquired as a result of the ownership of
                                                                                   securities.

- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) purchase securities of any issuer if such purchase at the time thereof         It is proposed that this fundamental policy be
would cause more than 10% of the voting securities of such issuer to be            removed.
held by the Fund;
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(7) issue any senior security (as that term is defined in the Investment           Senior Securities: issue any senior securities
Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), if such issuance is specifically             except to the extent not prohibited by the 1940
prohibited by the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations promulgated                Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.
thereunder;                                                                        For purposes of this restriction, collateral
                                                                                   arrangements with respect to any type of swap,
                                                                                   option, Forward Contracts and Futures Contracts
                                                                                   and collateral arrangements with respect to
                                                                                   initial and variation margin are not deemed to
                                                                                   be the issuance of a senior security.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8) make loans to other persons except through the use of repurchase               Make Loans: make loans except to the extent not
agreements, the purchase of commercial paper or the purchase of all or a           prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders
portion of an issue of debt securities in accordance with its investment           granted under such Act.
objective, policies and restrictions, and provided that not more than 10%
of the assets of the Fund will be invested in repurchase agreements
maturing in more than seven days.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is currently no corresponding policy.                                        Industry Concentration: It is proposed that the
                                                                                   following fundamental policy be added: purchase
                                                                                   any securities of an issuer in a particular
                                                                                   industry if as a result 25% or more of its total
                                                                                   assets (taken at market value at the time of
                                                                                   purchase) would be invested in securities of
                                                                                   issuers whose principal business activities are
                                                                                   in the same industry.

</TABLE>
<PAGE>

                                                                     APPENDIX E


NOTE: THIS APPENDIX CONTAINS A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT AGREEMENT AND
THE STANDARDIZED NEW AGREEMENT THAT THE TRUSTEES PROPOSE TO USE FOR ALL OF THE
FUNDS WITHIN THE MFS FAMILY OF FUNDS. THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN MARKED TO SHOW
THE CHANGES THAT WILL BE MADE IF THE NEW AGREEMENT PROPOSED IN ITEM 4 IS
APPROVED AND ADOPTED. DELETED TEXT IS MARKED THROUGH AND ADDED TEXT APPEARS IN
ITALICS. FOR EDGAR DELETED TEXT IS SET IN BRACKETS AND ADDED TEXT IS SET IN
DOUBLE BRACKETS.


                        INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT


[THIS] [[INVESTMENT ADVISORY]] AGREEMENT, [made the 6th] [[dated this _____]]
day of [November, 1986] [[_______,____,]] by and between MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME
TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Fund"), and MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL
SERVICES COMPANY, a Delaware corporation (the "Adviser").

                                 WITNESSETH:
                                 -----------


    WHEREAS, the Fund is engaged in business as [a closed-end] [[an]] investment
company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940; [[and]]

    WHEREAS, the Adviser is willing to provide [business management] services to
the Fund on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth;

    NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements of
the parties hereto as herein set forth, the parties covenant and agree as
follows:


    ARTICLE 1. DUTIES OF THE ADVISER.[[(a)]] The Adviser shall provide the Fund
with such investment advice and supervision as the latter may from time to time
consider necessary for the proper supervision of its [funds] [[assets]]. The
Adviser shall act as [Adviser] [[investment adviser]] to the Fund and as such
shall furnish continuously an investment program and shall determine from time
to time what securities [[or other instruments]] shall be purchased, sold or
exchanged and what portion of the assets of the Fund shall be held uninvested,
subject always to the restrictions of [its] [[the Fund's Amended and Restated]]
Declaration of Trust, dated [September 18, 1986 (the "Declaration")][[_______,]]
and By-Laws[(the "By-Laws")], [as] each [may be] [[as]] amended from time to
time [[(respectively, the "Declaration" and the "By-Laws")]], to the provisions
of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [(the "Act")] and the Rules, Regulations
and orders thereunder and to the Fund's [then current registration statement
under the Act.] [[then-current Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information.]] The Adviser [[also]] shall [also make recommendations as to the
manner in which] [[exercise]] voting rights, rights to consent to corporate
[action] [[actions]] and any other rights pertaining to the Fund's portfolio
securities [shall be exercised] [[in accordance with the Adviser's policies and
procedures as presented to the Trustees of the Fund from time to time]]. Should
the Trustees at any time, however, make any definite determination as to [[the]]
investment policy and notify the Adviser thereof in writing, the Adviser shall
be bound by such determination for the period, if any, specified in such
[notices] [[notice]] or until similarly notified that such determination [has
been] [[shall be]] revoked.


    [[(b)]] The Adviser shall take, on behalf of the Fund, all actions which it
deems necessary to implement the investment policies determined as provided
above, and in particular to place all orders for the purchase or sale of
portfolio securities [[or other instruments]] for the Fund's account with
brokers or dealers selected by it, and to that end[[,]] the Adviser is
authorized as the agent of the Fund to give instructions to the Custodian of the
Fund as to [[the]] deliveries of securities [[or other instruments]] and
payments of cash for the account of the Fund. In connection with the selection
of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, the Adviser is
directed to seek for [the Fund execution at the best available price. Subject to
this requirement of seeking the best available price, securities may be bought
from or sold to broker dealers who have furnished statistical, research and
other information or services to the Adviser or the Fund subject to any
applicable law, rules or regulations] [[the Fund the best overall price and
execution available from responsible brokerage firms, taking account of all
factors it deems relevant, including by way of illustration: price; the size of
the transaction; the nature of the market for the security; the amount of the
commission; the timing and impact of the transaction taking into account market
prices and trends; the reputation, experience and financial stability of the
broker or dealer involved; and the quality of services rendered by the broker or
dealer in other transactions. In fulfilling this requirement, the Adviser shall
not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty, created by
this Agreement or otherwise, solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to
pay a broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a securities
transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would
have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Adviser determined in good
faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of
the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in
terms of either that particular transaction or the Adviser's overall
responsibilities with respect to the Fund and to other clients of the Adviser as
to which the Adviser exercises investment discretion. Subject to seeking the
best price and execution as described above, and in accordance with applicable
rules and regulations, the Adviser also is authorized to consider sales of
shares of the Fund or of other funds or accounts of the Adviser as a factor in
the selection of brokers and dealers.]]

    [[(c) The Adviser may from time to time enter into sub-investment advisory
agreements with respect to the Fund with one or more investment advisers with
such terms and conditions as the Adviser may determine, provided that such
sub-investment advisory agreements have been approved in accordance with
applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any rules,
regulations or orders of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.
Subject to the provisions of Article 6, the Adviser shall not be liable for any
error of judgment or mistake of law by any sub-adviser or for any loss arising
out of any investment made by any sub-adviser or for any act or omission in the
execution and management of the Fund by any sub-adviser.]]


    [[ARTICLE 2.]] ALLOCATION OF CHARGES AND EXPENSES. [[(a) ]]The Adviser shall
furnish at its own expense investment advisory and administrative services,
office space, equipment and clerical personnel [[necessary]] for servicing the
investments of the Fund and maintaining its organization[[,]] and investment
advisory facilities and executive and supervisory personnel for managing the
investments and effecting the portfolio transactions of the Fund. The Adviser
shall arrange, if desired by the Fund, for directors, officers and employees of
the Adviser to serve as Trustees, officers or agents of the Fund if duly elected
or appointed to such positions and subject to their individual consent and to
any limitations imposed by law.


    (b) It is understood that the Fund will pay all of its own expenses
[[incurred in its operations and in the offering of the Fund's shares, unless
specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement, or except to the extent that
the Adviser agrees in a written instrument executed by the Adviser (specifically
referring to this Article 2(b)) to assume or otherwise pay for specified
expenses of the Fund,]] including, without limitation[,][[:]] compensation of
Trustees [['']]not affiliated[['']] with the Adviser[,][[;]] governmental
fees[,][[;]] interest charges[,][[;]] taxes[,][[;]] membership dues in the
Investment Company Institute allocable to the Fund[,][[;]] fees and expenses of
independent auditors, of legal counsel[[,]] and of any transfer agent, registrar
[and] [[or]] dividend disbursing agent of the Fund[,][[;]] expenses of
[[repurchasing and redeeming shares and]] servicing shareholder accounts[,][[;]]
expenses of preparing, printing and mailing [share] [[stock]] certificates,
[shareholders'] [[shareholder]] reports, notices, proxy statements and reports
to governmental officers and commissions[,][[; ]] brokerage and other expenses
connected with the execution, recording and settlement of portfolio security
transactions[,][[;]] insurance premiums[,][[;]] fees and expenses of the
custodian for all services to the Fund, including safekeeping of funds and
securities and maintaining required books and accounts[, calculation of ][[;
expenses of calculating]] the net asset value of shares of the Fund[[;]]
[expenses of shareholder meetings, expenses relating to the repurchase of
shares,] [[organizational and start up costs; such non-recurring or
extraordinary expenses as may arise, including those relating to actions, suits
or proceedings to which the Fund is a party or otherwise may have an exposure,
and the legal obligation which the Fund may have to indemnify the Fund's
Trustees and officers with respect thereto; and]] expenses relating to the
issuance, registration and qualification of shares of the Fund and the
preparation, printing and mailing of prospectuses for such purposes (except to
the extent that any Distribution Agreement to which the [Trust] [[Fund]] is a
party provides that another party is to pay some or all of such expenses).

    [[(c) The payment or assumption by the Adviser of any expenses of the Fund
that the Adviser is not obligated by this Agreement or otherwise to pay or
assume shall not obligate the Adviser to pay or assume the same or any similar
expenses of the Fund on any subsequent occasion.]]


    [[ARTICLE 3.]] COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISER. For the services to be rendered
and [for] the facilities [to be] provided, the Fund shall pay to the Adviser
[out of the assets of the Fund] an investment advisory fee computed and paid
monthly in an amount equal to the sum of .40% of the average weekly net assets
of the Fund and 6.32% of the gross income (i.e., income other than gains from
the sale of securities or gains received from futures contracts) of the Fund, in
each case on an annualized basis, for its then-current fiscal year. [[If the
Adviser shall serve for less than the whole of any period specified in this
Article 3, the compensation paid to the Adviser will be prorated.]]

    [[ARTICLE 4. ADDITIONAL SERVICES. Should the Fund have occasion to request
the Adviser or its affiliates to perform administrative or other additional
services not herein contemplated or to request the Adviser or its affiliates to
arrange for the services of others, the Adviser or its affiliates will act for
the Fund upon request to the best of its ability, with compensation for the
services to be agreed upon with respect to each such occasion as it arises. No
such agreement for additional services shall expand, reduce or otherwise alter
the obligations of the Adviser, or the compensation that the Adviser is due,
under this Agreement.]]

    [[ARTICLE 5.]] COVENANTS OF THE ADVISER. The Adviser agrees that it will not
deal with itself, or with the Trustees of the [[Fund or the]] Fund's [principal
underwriter] [[distributor]], if any, as principals in making purchases or sales
of securities or other property for the account of the Fund, except as permitted
by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and [the Rules, Regulations or Orders]
[[any rules, regulations or orders of the Securities and Exchange Commission]]
thereunder, will not take a long or short position in the shares of the Fund
except as permitted by the [Declaration of Trust] [[applicable law]], and will
comply with all other provisions of the Declaration [of Trust] and [[the]]
By-Laws and the then[[-]]current Prospectus [[and Statement of Additional
Information]] of the Fund relative to the Adviser and its directors and
officers.


[5]


    [[ARTICLE 6]] LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF THE ADVISER. The Adviser shall not
be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising
out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution and management
of the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith [or][[,]] gross
negligence [in the performance] [[or reckless disregard]] of its duties[, or by
reason of reckless disregard of its] [[and]] obligations [and duties] hereunder.
As used in this Article [5] [[6]], the term "Adviser" shall include directors,
officers and employees of the Adviser as well as [the] [[that]] corporation
itself.


[6]


    [[ARTICLE 7.]] ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVISER. [The] [[(a) The Fund acknowledges
that the]] services of the Adviser to the Fund are not [to be deemed to be]
exclusive, the Adviser being free to render investment advisory and/or other
services to others. The [Adviser may permit other Fund clients to use the
initials "MFS" in their names. The Fund agrees that if the Adviser shall for any
reason no longer serve as Adviser to the Fund, the Fund will change its name so
as to delete the initials "MFS".] [[Fund further acknowledges that it is
possible that, based on their investment objectives and policies, certain funds
or accounts managed by the Adviser or its affiliates may at times take
investment positions or engage in investment techniques which are contrary to
positions taken or techniques engaged in on behalf of the Fund. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Adviser will at all times endeavor to treat all of its
clients in a fair and equitable manner.]]


    [[(b) The Fund acknowledges that whenever the Fund and one or more other
funds or accounts advised by the Adviser have available monies for investment,
investments suitable and appropriate for each shall be allocated in a manner
believed by the Adviser to be fair and equitable to each entity. Similarly,
opportunities to sell securities or other investments shall be allocated in a
manner believed by the Adviser to be fair and equitable to each entity. The Fund
acknowledges that in some instances this may adversely affect the size of the
position that may be acquired or disposed of for the Fund.]]

    [[(c)]] It is understood that [[the]] Trustees, officers and shareholders of
the Fund are or may be or become interested in the Adviser, as directors,
officers [and][[,]] employees, or otherwise and that [directors, officers and
employees, or otherwise and that] directors, officers and employees of the
Adviser are or may [be or] become similarly interested in the Fund[[,]] and that
the Adviser may be or become interested [in the Fund and that the Adviser may be
or become interested] in the Fund as a shareholder or otherwise.


    [[ARTICLE 8. MFS NAME. The Fund acknowledges that the names "Massachusetts
Financial Services," "MFS" or any derivatives thereof or logos associated with
those names (collectively, the "MFS Marks") are the valuable property of the
Adviser and its affiliates. The Adviser grants the Fund a non- exclusive and
non-transferable right and sub-license to use the MFS Marks only so long as the
Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Fund. The Fund agrees that if the
Adviser for any reason no longer serves as investment adviser to the Fund, and
the Adviser so requests, the Fund promptly shall cease to use the MFS Marks and
promptly shall amend its registration statement and Declaration of Trust to
delete any references to the MFS Marks. The Fund acknowledges that the Adviser
may permit other clients to use the MFS Marks in their names or other material.
For purposes of this Article, the Fund shall be deemed to have taken the
required action "promptly" if such action is taken within 90 days of the Adviser
no longer serving as the investment adviser to the Fund, or from the date of the
Adviser's request, as the case may be.]]

    [[ARTICLE 9.]]  [7.]DURATION, TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT.
[[(a)]] This Agreement shall become effective on the [day and year first above
written and shall govern the relations between the parties hereto thereafter,
and shall remain in force until August 1, 1988] [[date first written above.
Thereafter, this Agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years from
the date first written above,]] on which date it will terminate unless its
continuance [after August 1, 1988] is "specifically approved at least annually"
(i) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not
"interested persons" of the Fund or of the Adviser at a meeting specifically
called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) by the [[Board of]]
Trustees of the Fund, or by "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities" of the Fund.


    [[(b)]] This Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of
any penalty by the Trustees or by "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities" of the Fund, or by the Adviser, in each case [[on]] not more than
sixty days' nor less than thirty days' written notice to the other party. This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment".

    [[(c)]] This Agreement may be amended only if such amendment [[is in writing
signed by or on behalf of the Fund and the Adviser and]] is approved by "vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund [[(if such
shareholder approval is required by the Investment Company Act of 1940).]]


    [[ARTICLE 10. SCOPE OF TRUST'S OBLIGATIONS. A copy of the Fund's
Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts. The Adviser acknowledges that the obligations of or arising
out of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the Fund's Trustees,
officers, employees, agents or shareholders individually, but are binding
solely upon the assets and property of the Fund.]]

    [[ARTICLE 11. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS.]] The terms "specifically
approved at least annually," "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities," "assignment," "affiliated person," and "interested person," when
used in this Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified [in][[,]]
and shall be construed in a manner consistent with, the Investment Company Act
of 1940 and the [Rules and Regulations thereunder, subject, however, to such
exemptions as may be granted by] [[rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this
Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision
of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the
Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (collectively,
the "Federal Securities Acts") shall be resolved by reference to such term or
provision of the Federal Securities Acts and to interpretations thereof, if
any, by United States federal courts or, in the absence of any controlling
decisions of any such court, by rules or regulations of]] the Securities and
Exchange Commission [under said Act.][[. Where the effect of a requirement of
the Federal Securities Acts reflected in any provision of this Agreement is
revised by rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such
provisions shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule or
regulation.]]

    [[ARTICLE 12. RECORD KEEPING.  The Adviser will maintain records in a form
acceptable to the Fund and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to records
required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
and the rules thereunder, which at all times will be the property of the Fund
and will be available for inspection and use by the Fund.]]

    [[ARTICLE 13. MISCELLANEOUS. (a) This Agreement contains the entire
understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter
hereof.]]


    [[(b) Headings in this Agreement are for ease of reference only and shall
not constitute a part of the Agreement.]]

    [[(c) Should any portion of this Agreement for any reason be held void in
law or equity, the remainder of the Agreement shall be construed to the extent
possible as if such voided portion had never been contained herein.]]

    [[(d) This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, without giving effect to the choice of laws provisions thereof,
except that questions of interpretation shall be resolved in accordance with the
provisions of Article 11 above.]]


    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed and delivered in their names and on their behalf by the undersigned[,]
[[officers]] thereunto duly authorized, all as of the day and year first above
written. The undersigned [Trustee] [[officer]] of the Fund has executed this
Agreement not individually, but as [Trustee] [[an officer]] under the
Declaration and the obligations of this Agreement are not binding upon any of
the Trustees[[, officers]] or shareholders of the Fund, individually, but bind
only the trust estate.


                                        MFS MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST

                                        By: __________________________________

                                        Name: ________________________________

                                        Title: _______________________________


                                        MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY

                                        By: __________________________________

                                        Name: ________________________________

                                        Title: _______________________________

                                                               MFS-14-MFM-8/01
<PAGE>

THE 2001 SHAREHOLDER PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MFS(R) FUNDS

It's fast, it's easy -- you've read through the materials, and you're ready to
vote Internet voting

To make it fast and easy, you have three ways to vote -- by Internet, by phone,
or by mail. Votes by phone or Internet will be confirmed and posted immediately.
If you vote by phone or by Internet, you don't need to mail your proxy card(s).

Internet voting             Telephone voting            Mail voting
- -------------------------   -------------------------   ------------------------

1. Go to www.proxyweb.com   1. Call toll free           1. Complete and sign the
   or to the proxy voting      1-888-221-0697.             proxy card.
   link on mfs.com.
                            2. Enter the 14-digit       2. Place the card in the
2. Enter the 14-digit          control number on your      postage-paid return
   control number on your      proxy card.                 envelope, and put it
   proxy card.                                             in the mail.
                            3. Follow the recorded
3. Follow the                  instructions.
   instructions on the
   site.

Your vote is important. It is your right as a shareholder. Please vote now.
Thank you for your participation.

(C)2001 MFS Investment Management(R).
MFS(R) investment products are offered through MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.,
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
MFS-10VOTE-R-9/01
<PAGE>
THE 2001 SHAREHOLDER PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MFS(R) FUNDS

It's fast, it's easy -- you've read through the materials, and you're ready to
vote

To make it fast and easy, you have three ways to vote -- by Internet, by
phone, or by mail.

Votes by phone or Internet will be confirmed and posted immediately.

If you vote by phone or by Internet, you don't need to mail your proxy card(s).

Internet voting             Telephone voting            Mail voting
- -------------------------   -------------------------   ------------------------

1. Go to the Web site       1. Call the toll free       1. Complete and sign the
   indicated on your           number on your proxy        proxy card.
   proxy card.                 card.
                                                        2. Place the card in the
2. Enter the 12-digit       2. Enter the 12-digit          postage-paid return
   control number on your      control number on your      envelope, and put it
   proxy card.                 proxy card.                 in the mail.

3. Follow the               3. Follow the recorded
   instructions on the         instructions.
   site.

Your vote is important. It is your right as a shareholder. Please vote now.
Thank you for your participation.

(C)2001 MFS Investment Management(R).
MFS(R) investment products are offered through MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.,
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
MFS-10VOTE-B-8/01
<PAGE>
                                                                  --------------
                                                                    FIRST CLASS
                                                                   U.S. POSTAGE
                                                                       PAID
                                                                       PROXY
                                                                     TABULATOR
                                                                  --------------
     P.O. BOX 9131
HINGHAM, MA 02043-9131
                                              4.5 MILLION
                                                MFS(R) fund account holders
                                                are counting on YOU

                                                Please vote all of your proxies

                              VOTE TODAY BY MAIL,
                        TOUCH-TONE PHONE OR THE INTERNET
                         CALL TOLL-FREE 1-888-221-0697
                         OR LOG ON TO WWW.PROXYWEB.COM

                  **** CONTROL NUMBER: 999 999 999 999 99 ****


- ----- Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing -----


FUND NAME PRINTS HERE                        PROXY FOR A MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
MFS FAMILY OF FUNDS                          TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 12, 2001

         THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE FUND.

The undersigned hereby appoints James R. Bordewick, Jr., Stephen E. Cavan, James
O. Yost, Arnold D. Scott and Jeffrey L. Shames and each of them separately,
proxies, with power of substitution, and hereby authorizes them to represent,
and to vote, as designated on the reverse side, at the Meeting of Shareholders
of MFS Municipal Income Trust, on Friday, October 12, 2001 at 9:30 a.m., Boston
time, and at any adjournments thereof, all of the common shares of the Fund
which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present.
THIS PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY
THE UNDERSIGNED SHAREHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED
FOR ALL PROPOSALS. IN THEIR DISCRETION, THE PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE UPON
SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. THE TRUSTEES
RECOMMEND A VOTE FOR THE PROPOSALS ON THE REVERSE SIDE.

                                             THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN
                                                      SIGNED AND DATED.

                                             Date _____________________
                                             Signature (PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX)

                                             ----------------------------------


                                             ----------------------------------

                                             NOTE: Please sign exactly as name
                                             appears on this card. All joint
                                             owners should sign. When signing as
                                             executor, administrator, attorney,
                                             trustee or guardian or as custodian
                                             for a minor, please give full title
                                             as such. If a corporation, please
                                             sign in full corporate name and
                                             indicate the signer's office. If a
                                             partnership, sign in the
                                             partnership name.


                                                                       MFS-MFM
<PAGE>
<TABLE>

                               ----- Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing -----

PLEASE FILL IN BOX(ES) AS SHOWN USING BLACK OR BLUE INK OR NUMBER 2 PENCIL. PLEASE DO NOT USE FINE POINT PENS. [X]

YOUR TRUSTEES RECOMMEND THAT YOU VOTE FOR ALL ITEMS.

<CAPTION>
<S>                                                                          <C>                <C>                    <C>
                                                                                  FOR all
                                                                              nominees listed     WITHHOLD
                                                                             (except as marked   authority
                                                                               to the contrary   to vote for
ITEM 1.  To elect a Board of Trustees.                                            at left)      all nominees
         NOMINEES: (01) Jeffrey L. Shames, (02) John W. Ballen,                     ( )              ( )                       1.
         (03) Lawrence H. Cohn, M.D., (04) The Hon. Sir J. David
         Gibbons, KBE, (05) William R. Gutow, (06) Abby M.
         O'Neill, (07) Lawrence T. Perera, (08) William J.
         Poorvu, (09) Charles W. Schmidt, (10) Arnold D. Scott,
         (11) J. Dale Sherratt and (12) Ward Smith

    INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual
    nominee, write the nominee's name on the space provided below.

                                                                                   FOR             AGAINST            ABSTAIN

    -----------------------------------------------------------------


ITEM 2.  To authorize the Trustees to adopt an Amended and Restated                 ( )              ( )                 ( )   2.
         Declaration of Trust.

ITEM 3.  To amend, remove or add certain fundamental investment                     ( )              ( )                 ( )   3.
         policies.

ITEM 4.  To approve a new investment advisory agreement with                        ( )              ( )                 ( )   4.
         Massachusetts Financial Services Company.

ITEM 5.  To ratify the selection of the independent public                          ( )              ( )                 ( )   5.
         accountants for the current fiscal year.

                                                                                                     MFM
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
                                                                  --------------
                                                                    FIRST CLASS
                                                                   U.S. POSTAGE
                                                                       PAID
                                                                       PROXY
                                                                     TABULATOR
                                                                  --------------
     P.O. BOX 9131
HINGHAM, MA 02043-9131
                                              4.5 MILLION
                                                MFS(R) fund account holders
                                                are counting on YOU

                                                Please vote all of your proxies

                              VOTE TODAY BY MAIL,
                        TOUCH-TONE PHONE OR THE INTERNET
                         CALL TOLL-FREE 1-888-221-0697
                         OR LOG ON TO WWW.PROXYWEB.COM

                  **** CONTROL NUMBER: 999 999 999 999 99 ****


- ----- Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing -----


FUND NAME PRINTS HERE                        PROXY FOR A MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
MFS FAMILY OF FUNDS                          TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 12, 2001

         THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE FUND.

The undersigned hereby appoints James R. Bordewick, Jr., Stephen E. Cavan, James
O. Yost, Arnold D. Scott and Jeffrey L. Shames and each of them separately,
proxies, with power of substitution, and hereby authorizes them to represent,
and to vote, as designated on the reverse side, at the Meeting of Shareholders
of MFS Municipal Income Trust, on Friday, October 12, 2001 at 9:30 a.m., Boston
time, and at any adjournments thereof, all of the preferred shares of the Fund
which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present.
THIS PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY
THE UNDERSIGNED SHAREHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED
FOR ALL PROPOSALS. IN THEIR DISCRETION, THE PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE UPON
SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. THE TRUSTEES
RECOMMEND A VOTE FOR THE PROPOSALS ON THE REVERSE SIDE.

                                             THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN
                                                      SIGNED AND DATED.

                                             Date _____________________
                                             Signature (PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX)

                                             ----------------------------------


                                             ----------------------------------

                                             NOTE: Please sign exactly as name
                                             appears on this card. All joint
                                             owners should sign. When signing as
                                             executor, administrator, attorney,
                                             trustee or guardian or as custodian
                                             for a minor, please give full title
                                             as such. If a corporation, please
                                             sign in full corporate name and
                                             indicate the signer's office. If a
                                             partnership, sign in the
                                             partnership name.

                                                                       MFS-MFM
<PAGE>
<TABLE>

                               ----- Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing -----

PLEASE FILL IN BOX(ES) AS SHOWN USING BLACK OR BLUE INK OR NUMBER 2 PENCIL. PLEASE DO NOT USE FINE POINT PENS. [X]

YOUR TRUSTEES RECOMMEND THAT YOU VOTE FOR ALL ITEMS.

<CAPTION>
<S>                                                                          <C>                <C>                    <C>
                                                                                  FOR all
                                                                              nominees listed     WITHHOLD
                                                                             (except as marked   authority
                                                                               to the contrary   to vote for
ITEM 1.  To elect a Board of Trustees.                                            at left)      all nominees
         NOMINEES: (01) Jeffrey L. Shames, (02) John W. Ballen,                     ( )              ( )                       1.
         (03) Lawrence H. Cohn, M.D., (04) The Hon. Sir J. David
         Gibbons, KBE, (05) William R. Gutow, (06) J. Atwood
         Ives, (07) Abby M. O'Neill, (08) Lawrence T. Perera,
         (09) William J. Poorvu, (10) Charles W. Schmidt, (11)
         Arnold D. Scott, (12) J. Dale Sherratt, (13) Elaine R.
         Smith and (14) Ward Smith

    INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual
    nominee, write the nominee's name on the space provided below.

                                                                                   FOR             AGAINST            ABSTAIN

    -----------------------------------------------------------------


ITEM 2.  To authorize the Trustees to adopt an Amended and Restated                 ( )              ( )                 ( )   2.
         Declaration of Trust.

ITEM 3.  To amend, remove or add certain fundamental investment                     ( )              ( )                 ( )   3.
         policies.

ITEM 4.  To approve a new investment advisory agreement with                        ( )              ( )                 ( )   4.
         Massachusetts Financial Services Company.

ITEM 5.  To ratify the selection of the independent public                          ( )              ( )                 ( )   5.
         accountants for the current fiscal year.

                                                                                                     MFM
</TABLE>

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
-----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----
