KARACHI: Following is the text of convention between Pakistan and Azerbaijan for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, that was signed on April 10, 1996 and in forced vide SRO No 885(I)/1999 dated 24 July 1999.
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic Desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income; Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Personal Scope
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 by or on behalf of a Contracting State or of its local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed by or 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:
(a) in the case of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
(i) the Income tax;
(ii) the Super tax; and
(iii) the Surcharge.
(hereinafter referred to as “Pakistan tax”).
(b) in the case of the Azerbaijan Republic
(i) the tax on profit and some incomes of legal persons;
(ii) the income tax on physical persons;
(iii) Land tax
(hereinafter referred to as “Azerbaijan tax”).
4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed by either Contracting States 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 substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
General Definitions
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) the term “Pakistan” used in the 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 with respect to the natural resources of the sea-bed and sub-soil;
(b) the term “Azerbaijan” means territory of the Azerbaijan Republic as defined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan Republic, including any sea area within which the sovereign rights of the Azerbaijan may be implemented with respect to sea-bed and sub-soil and their natural resources and any area which has been or may hereinafter be designated in accordance with international law and the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic.
(c) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
(d) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(e) 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;
(f) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Islamic Republic of Pakistan or the Azerbaijan Republic as the context requires;
(g) the term “international traffic” means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State.
(h) the term “competent authority” means:
(i) in Pakistan, the Central Board of Revenue or its authorised representative;
(ii) in Azerbaijan, Ministry of Finance and their authorized representative.
(i) the term “national” means any individual, possessing the nationality of a Contracting State or any legal person, partnership or association deriving their status from the laws in force in the Contracting State;
2. As regards the application of this Convention by a Contracting State, any term not defined herein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the laws of that State concerning the taxes to which the Convention applies.
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. But this term does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from source in that State or capital situated therein.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, 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 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 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 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 agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to settle the question by mutual agreement. In the absence of such agreement the person shall be entitled to claim any relief or exemption from tax provided by this Convention.
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 the 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;
(f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of exploration or extraction of natural resources;
3. The term “permanent establishment” likewise encompasses:
a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only when such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than 6 months.
b) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only where activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within the country for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more within any 12-months period.
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 or display of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage or display;
(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 for 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-paragraph a) to e) provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination 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 paragraph 7 applies is acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, if such a person:
a) has and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of 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; or
b) has no such authority, but habitually maintains in the first-mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.
6. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance enterprise of a Contracting State shall, except in regard to reinsure, be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums in the territory of that other State or insures risks situated therein through a person other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies.
7. An enterprise 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. However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, he will not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this paragraph.
8. 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 Contracting State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitutes either company a permanent establishment of the other.
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. In the present Convention 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, fishery of every kind, 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 etc. and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article 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 of this Article 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 that permanent establishment.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Article, 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 permanent establishment, including a reasonable allocation of executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine, according to its law, 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 of this Article 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 by reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and 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, Inland Waterways Transport And Air Transport
1. Profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State, resident of a Contracting State from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in that State.
2. Profits derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the operation of boats engaged in inland waterways transport shall be taxable only in that State.
3. Profits derived by a transportation enterprise which is a resident of a Contracting State from the use, maintenance, or rental of containers (including trailer and other equipment for the transport of containers) used for the transport of goods or merchandise shall be taxable only in that Contracting State unless the containers are used solely within the other Contracting State.
4. 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 enterprises 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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this limitation. 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 or 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 of this Article 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 the 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 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
3. The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds, or debentures.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article 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 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. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that Contracting State itself, a 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.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner 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 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 then the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of such royalties. The competent authorities of the Contracting State shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this.
3. The term “royalties” as used in this article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work, including cinematograph films, or films or tapes for television or radio broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article 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 of property in respect of which the royalties 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. 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 any State a permanent establishment or 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 special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of 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 of this Convention, 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 purposes 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 derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic, boats engaged in inland waterways transport, referred to in Article 8 or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships, aircraft, boats shall be taxable only in that State.
4. Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
5. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 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 State; or
b) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more in any 12-months period commencing or ending 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 in the year may be taxed in that other 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 16, 18, 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 of this Article, 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 12-months 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, may be taxed in the Contracting State the resident of which this enterprise is.
Article 16
Directors’ Fees
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.
Article 17
Artistes and Sportsmen
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of articles 14 and 15 of this Convention, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste or a musician, or as a sportsman, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman 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. The provisions of paragraph 1 and 2 of this Article, shall not apply to income derived from activities performed in a Contracting State by artists, entertainers or sportsman if the visit to that State is substantially supported by public funds of one or both of the Contracting States or of administrative territorial subdivisions or local authorities thereof. In such a case, the income is taxable only in the Contracting State of which the artists, entertainers or the sportsmen is a resident.
Article 18
Pensions
1. Pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that State.
2. Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or an administrative territorial subdivision or a 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. However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of that State.
Article 19
Government Service
1. Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or an administrative territorial subdivision or a 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.
2. However, such 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.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16 and 18 of this Convention, shall apply to remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or an administrative territorial subdivision or a local authority thereof.
Article 20
Students and Apprentices
1. A student or business apprentice who is or was resident of one of the Contracting State immediately before visiting the other State solely for the purpose of his education or training, shall be exempt from tax in that other State on:
a) payments made to him by persons residing outside that other State for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training; and
b) remuneration from employment in that State in an amount not exceeding US$ 500 during any “fiscal year” provided that such employment is directly related to his studies or is undertaken for the purpose of his maintenance.
2. The benefits of this Article shall extend only for such period or time as may be reasonable or academically or customarily required to complete the education or training undertaken; but in no event shall any individual have the benefits of this Article for more than four consecutive years from the date of his first arrival in that other Contracting State.
Article 21
Professors, Teachers and Research Scholars
1. A professor or teacher who is or was a resident of one of the Contracting States immediately before visiting the other Contracting State for the purpose of teaching or engaging in approved institution in that other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that other State on any remuneration for such teaching or research for a period not exceeding five years from the date of his arrival in that other State.
2. This Article shall not apply to income from research if such research is undertaken primarily for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.
3. For the purpose of this Article an individual shall be deemed to be a resident of a Contracting State if he is resident in that Contracting State in the “income year” in which he visits the other Contracting State or in the immediately preceding “income year”.
4. For the purpose of paragraph 1, “approved institution” means an institution which has been approved in this regard by the competent authority of the concerned Contracting State.
Article 22
Other Income
1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt within the foregoing Articles of this Convention, shall be taxable only in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, 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 as the case may be, shall apply.
Article 23
Elimination of Double Taxation
1. Where a resident of a contracting State derives income in the other Contracting State which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in the other Contracting State, the amount of tax on this income to be paid in the other State shall allow as a deduction from tax on the income in the first-mentioned State. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of tax as computed in accordance with taxation laws of the first State.
2. For the purposes of paragraphs 1 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.
3. For the purpose of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, profits, income, or gains derived by a resident of one of the Contracting States which may be taxed in the other Contracting State in accordance with this Convention shall be deemed to be derived from or owned in that other Contracting State.
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 resident of the Contracting State shall not be subjected in either Contracting State any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirement to which nationals of the State concerned in the same circumstances are or may be subjected.
Provided that the competent authorities of the respective States shall certify that such stateless persons are not nationals of any other State and qualify for the purpose of benefits of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article.
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 under similar circumstances. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs 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 6 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties 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. Any debts of an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable capital of such enterprise, be deductible according to the respective laws of the Contracting States.
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 Contracting State to any taxation or any requirements connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of that first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
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 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 of the date of first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with 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 an appropriate 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 not in accordance with the 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. The 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 for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems advisable in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions, such exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
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 the Convention or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention. 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 and shall be disclosed only to persons of authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) involved in the assessment or collection of the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
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 or 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 (order public).
Article 27
Diplomatic Agents and Consular Officers
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officials under the general rules or international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 28
Entry Into Force
1. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be exchanged at Baku as soon as possible.
2. The Convention shall enter into force upon the exchange of instruments of ratification and its provisions shall have effect from the first day of the fiscal year following that in which this Convention is ratified.
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 6 months before the end of any calendar year after the year 2000. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect in respect of the income arising in any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of the fiscal year following that in which written notice of termination is given.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, by their respective Governments have signed this Convention.
Done in duplicate at Islamabad this 10th day of April, 1996 in the English and Azerbaijanian languages, each text being are equally authentic. In case of divergence between the texts, the English text will prevail.