KARACHI: Pakistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina have executed a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income on August 24, 2004.
NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 107 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 (XLIX of 2001), the Federal Government is pleased to direct that the provisions of the said Convention, shall have effect,-
(a) in the case of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,-
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax years beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(b) in the case of the Bosnia and Herzegovina,-
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of July next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax years beginning on or after the first day of July next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force.
PREAMBLE
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, desiring to conclude a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, and to promote and strengthen the economic relations between the two countries,
Have agreed as follows:
CHAPTER I
SCOPE OF THE CONVENTION
Article 1
PERSONS COVERED
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
TAXES COVERED
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed on total income, or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises.
3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are in particular:
(i) in case of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
(a) tax on salary;
(b) tax on profit of the enterprises;
(c) tax on profit from economic and professional activity;
(d) tax on revenue from property and property rights;
(e) tax on revenue from copyrights, patents and technical innovations;
(f) tax on gross income of natural person.
(hereinafter referred to as ‘‘Bosnia and Herzegovina tax’’); and
(ii) in case of Pakistan the income tax;
(hereinafter referred to as ‘’Pakistan tax’’).
4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any significant change made to their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
a) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Bosnia and Herzegovina or Pakistan, as the context requires;
b) the term “Bosnia and Herzegovina” means State Bosnia and Herzegovina;
c) the term ‘‘Pakistan’’ when used in geographical sense means Pakistan as defined in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and includes any area outside the territorial waters of Pakistan which under the laws of Pakistan and international law is an area within which Pakistan exercises sovereign rights and exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil and superjacent waters;
d) the term ‘‘political subdivision’’ in case of Bosnia and Herzegovina means entities: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Srpska and Brčko District Bosnia and Herzegovina;
e) The term “national” means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State; and
(ii) any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
f) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
g) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity that is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
h) the terms “enterprise of a Contracting State” and “enterprise of the other Contracting State” mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
i) the term “international transport” means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise which has its place of effective management in a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
j) the term “competent authority” means:
(i) in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, or its authorised representative; and
(ii) in the case of Pakistan, the Central Board of Revenue, or its authorised representative;
k) the term “tax” means Pakistan tax and Bosnia and Herzegovina tax, as the context requires.
2. As regards the application of the Convention at any time by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of that State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Convention applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.
Article 4
RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any political subdivision or local authority thereof. This term, however, does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State situated therein.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
a) he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
b) if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either State, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which he has an habitual abode;
c) if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he is a national;
d) if he is a national of both States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual Convention.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1, a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which its place of effective management is situated.
Article 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term “permanent establishment” includes especially:
a) a place of management;
b) a branch;
c) an office;
d) a factory;
e) a workshop; and
f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.
3. The term “permanent establishment” also encompasses a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only if such site, project or activities last more than six months;
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term “permanent establishment” shall be deemed not to include:
a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise (only in a case when enterprise acquires the use of facilities for storing, displaying or delivering its own goods and merchandise);
b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery (only in case the stock or merchandise itself, and the stock, as such, shall not be treated as a permanent establishment if it is maintained for the purpose of storage, display or delivery);
c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;
e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character;
f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs a) to e) of this paragraph, provided that the overall activity of the fixed base of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person – other than an agent of an independent status to whom the paragraph 6 of this Article applies – is acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 4 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business, would not make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph.
6. An enterprise of a contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
CHAPTER III
TAXATION OF INCOME
Article 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term “immovable property” shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources. Ships, boats, aircraft and road vehicles shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.
Article 7
BUSINESS PROFITS
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to:
(a) that permanent establishment;
(b) sales in that other State of goods or merchandise of the same or similar kind as those sold through that permanent establishment; or
(c) other business activities carried on in that other State of the same or similar kind as those effected through that permanent establishment.)
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
3. In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions’ expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the business of the permanent establishment, including only those executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere. This provision shall apply subject to limitations under the domestic law of the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.
4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary. The method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.
5. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment because of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs of this Article, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good sufficient reason to the contrary.
7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international transport shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
2. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise or of an inland waterways transport is aboard a ship or boat, then it shall be deemed to be situated in the Contracting State in which the home harbour of the ship or boat is situated, or, if there is no such home harbour, in the Contracting State of which the operator of the ship or boat is a resident.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
Article 9
ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES
1. Where:
a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or
b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State,
and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those conditions, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that State and taxes accordingly profits on which an enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so included are profits which would have accrued to the enterprise of the first mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that other State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax charged therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall, if necessary, consult each other.
Article 10
DIVIDENDS
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is the resident of the other contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed ten (10) per cent of the gross amount of the dividends.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
3. The term “dividends” as used in this Article means income from shares, “jouissance” shares or “jouissance” rights, mining shares, founders’ shares and other rights not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by that company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company’s undistributed profits to a tax on the company’s undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.
Article 11
INTEREST
1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest the tax so charged shall not exceed twenty (20) per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising from a Contracting State and paid to the Government or to the Central Bank of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first mentioned Contracting State.
4. The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor’s profits, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to in subparagraph (c) of paragraph 1 of article 7. In such cases the provisions of article 7 or article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner of the interest or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner of the interest in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 12
ROYALTIES
1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the royalties the tax so charged shall not exceed fifteen (15) per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.
3. The term “royalties” as used in this article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for:
(a) the sue of, or right to use any patent, invention, design or model, secret formula or process, trademark or other like property or right;
(b) the use of, or right to use any copyright of a literary, artistic or scientific work, including films or video tapes for use in connection with television or tapes in connection with radio broadcasting, but shall not include consideration for the sale, distribution or exhibition of cinematograph films;
(c) the receipt of, or right to receive, any visual, images or sounds, or both, transmitted by satellite, cable, optic fiber or similar technology in connection with television, radio or internet broadcasting;
(d) the supply of any technical, industrial, commercial or scientific knowledge, experience or skill;
(e) the use of or right to use any industrial, commercial or scientific equipment;
(f) the supply of any assistance that is ancillary and subsidiary to and is furnished as a means of enabling the application or enjoyment of, any such property or right as mentioned in clauses (a) through (e);
(g) the disposal of any property or right referred to in clauses (a) to (e).
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to in subparagraph (c) of paragraph 1 of article 7. In such cases the provisions of article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner of the royalties or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property, referred to in Article 6, and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other State.
3. Gains from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international transport or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
4. Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company, or of an interest in a partnership, trust or estate, the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in that State. In particular:
(a) Nothing contained in this paragraph shall apply to a company, partnership, trust or estate, other than a company, partnership, trust or estate engaged in the business of management of immovable properties, the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property used by such company, partnership, trust or estate in its business activities.
(b) For the purposes of this paragraph, “principally” in relation to ownership of immovable property means the value of such immovable property exceeding fifty percent of the aggregate value of all assets owned by the company, partnership, trust or estate.
5. Gains from the alienation of shares other than those mentioned in paragraph 4 representing a participation of twenty five (25) per cent in a company which is a resident of a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
6. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
Article 14
INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that State except in the following circumstances, when such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State:
(a) If he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities; in that case, only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed in that other Contracting State; or
(b) If his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the fiscal year concerned; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that other State; or
(c) If the remuneration for his activities in the other Contracting State is paid by a resident person of that Contracting State or is borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that Contracting State.
2. The term “professional services” includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 17, 19 and 20 of this Convention, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:
a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve-month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, and
b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State, and
c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic, or aboard a boat engaged in inland waterways transport, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
Article 16
DIRECTORS’ FEES AND REMUNERATION
OF TOP-LEVEL MANAGERIAL OFFICIALS
1. Directors’ fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as an official in a top-level managerial position of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17
ARTISTES AND SPORTSPERSONS
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artist, or a musician, or as a sportspersons, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsperson in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsperson himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15 of this Convention, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from his personal activities as an entertainer or as a sportsperson shall be taxable only in that State if the activities are exercised in the other Contracting State within the framework of a cultural or sports exchange program approved by both Contracting States.
Article 18
PENSIONS AND SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19, pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in consideration of past employment shall be taxed in that State.
2. However, such pensions and other similar remuneration may also be taxed in the other Contracting State if the payment is made by a resident of that other State or a permanent establishment situated therein.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, pensions paid and other payments made under a public scheme which is part of the social security system of a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 19
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1. a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
2. a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State, or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or local authority shall be taxable only in that State.
b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of that other State.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16, and 18 of this Convention shall apply to salaries, wages and other similar remuneration and pensions, in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State, political subdivision or a local authority thereof.
Article 20
STUDENTS
Payments which a student or business trainee or apprentice who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State:
(a) on all remittances from abroad for purposes of his maintenance, education or training; and
(b) on any remuneration for personal services rendered in that State with a view to supplementing the resources available to him for such purposes for the period of his regular studies.
Article 21
PROFESSORS AND TEACHERS
An individual who was a resident of a Contracting State immediately before visiting the other Contracting State and is temporarily present in that other State solely for the purpose of study research or training as a recipient of a grant, allowance or award from a scientific, educational, religious or charitable organization or under a technical assistance program entered into by the Government of a Contracting State shall, from the date of his first arrival in that other State in connection with that visit, be exempt from tax in that other State:
(a) on the amount of such grant, allowance or award;
(b) on all remittance from abroad for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training; and
(c) on any remuneration for personal services rendered in that other Contracting State with a view to supplementing the resources available to him for such purposes.
Article 22
OTHER INCOME
1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6 of this Convention, if the recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, items of income of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing articles of this Convention and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other State in accordance with domestic laws.
CHAPTER IV
METHODS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
Article 23
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
a) Where a resident of Bosnia and Herzegovina derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Pakistan, whether directly or by deduction, Bosnia and Herzegovina shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the income tax paid in Pakistan;
The amount of the tax to be deducted pursuant to the above provision shall not exceed the lesser of the tax which would have been charged on the same income in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the rates applicable therein.
b) Where a resident of Bosnia and Herzegovina derives income, which in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, shall be taxable only in Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina may include this income in the tax base but only for purposes of determining the rate of tax on such other income as is taxable in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2. In the case of Pakistan double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
a) Where a resident of Pakistan derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Bosnia and Herzegovina whether directly or by deduction, Pakistan shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the income tax paid in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
The amount of the tax to be deducted pursuant to the above provision shall not exceed the lesser of the tax which would have been charged on the same income in Pakistan under the rates applicable therein.
b) Where a resident of Pakistan derives income which in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, shall be taxable only in Bosnia and Herzegovina Pakistan may include this income in the tax base but only for purposes of determining the rate of tax on such other income as is taxable in Pakistan.
3. For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, tax payable in a Contracting State shall be deemed to include any amount which would have been payable but for an exemption or privilege according to which such amount is not payable under the incentive laws of the respective Contracting State.
CHAPTER V
SPECIAL PROVISIONS
Article 24
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. Stateless persons who are residents of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in either Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of the State concerned in the same circumstances, are or may be subjected.
3. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, relieves and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.
4. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11, or paragraph 4 of Article 12, interest, royalties, fee for technical services and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State, however, the preceding provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to the disbursements made without withholding and depositing tax chargeable under the domestic law and in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.
5. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
6. The provisions of this article shall apply to the taxes referred to in article 2 of this Convention.
Article 25
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of article 24, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. The case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly, including through a joint commission consisting of themselves or their representatives, for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
Article 26
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Convention, in so far as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention, in particular for the prevention of fraud or evasion of such taxes. The exchange of information is not restricted by article 1. Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that State. However, if the information is originally regarded as secret in the transmitting State it shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes which are the subject of the Convention. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes but may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions. The competent authorities shall, through consultation, develop appropriate conditions, methods and techniques concerning the matters in respect of which such exchanges of information shall be made, including, where appropriate, exchanges of information regarding tax avoidance.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) To carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) To supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) To supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).
Article 27
MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS
AND CONSULAR POSTS
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special Conventions.
CHAPTER VI
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 28
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be exchanged as soon as possible.
2. The Convention shall enter into force upon the exchange of instruments of ratification and its provisions shall have effect:
(a) in case of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax years beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force;
(b) in case of Pakistan:
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of July next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of tax years beginning on or after the first day of July next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force;
Article 29
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Convention, through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year starting five year after the year in which the Convention entered into force. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect :
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Convention, through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year starting five year after the year in which the Convention entered into force. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:
(a) in case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in respect of taxes withheld at source, for other taxes, for amounts paid or credited and for taxable periods on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the date on which written notice of termination is given; and
(b) in case of Pakistan, in respect of taxes withheld at source, for other taxes, for amounts paid or credited and for taxable periods on or after the first day of July next following the date on which written notice of termination is given.
Convention for avoidance of double taxation treaty between Pakistan – Bosnia and Herzegovina
