KARACHI: Following is the text of Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income on August 04, 2005 signed between Pakistan and Austria.
Islamabad, the 3rd January, 2006
S.R.O. 02(I)/2006.- WHEREAS the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Republic of Austria have executed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income on the 4th August, 2005, as set out in the annexure to this notification;
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 Agreement, shall have effect:
In the case of Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
in respect of taxes withheld at source on amounts paid on or after the first day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the Convention enters into force; and
in respect of other taxes for the year of assessment beginning on or after the 1st day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the Convention enters into force; and
In the case of Republic of Austria, in respect of taxes for any fiscal year beginning after the thirty-first day of December in the calendar year in which the Convention enters into force.
Annexure
“CONVENTION BETWEEN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN AND THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and The Republic of Austria, desiring to conclude a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation 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 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.
(3) The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are in particular:
a) in Pakistan:
(i) the Income tax;
(ii) the Super tax; and
(iii) the Surcharge
(hereinafter referred to as “Pakistan tax”).
b) in Austria:
(i) the income tax (die Einkommensteuer);
(ii) the corporation tax (die Körperschaftsteuer);
(hereinafter referred to as “Austrian tax”);
(4) The Convention shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed by either Contracting State after the date of signature of the present Convention in addition to, or in place of, the taxes referred to in paragraph 1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any substantial changes which are 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 “Austria” means the Republic of Austria;
b) 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 and exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources of the seabed, subsoil and superjacent waters;
c) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Austria or Pakistan as the context requires;
d) the term “tax” means Pakistan tax or Austrian tax, as the context requires, but shall not include any amount which is payable in respect of any default or omission in relation to the taxes to which the Convention applies or which represents a penalty imposed relating those taxes;
e) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
f) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
g) 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;
h) the term “international traffic” 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;
i) the term “national” means:
(i) all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
j) the term “competent authority” means:
(i) in Pakistan: the Central Board of Revenue or its authorised representative.
(ii) in Austria: the Federal Minister of Finance or his representative;
(2) As regards the application of the Convention by a Contracting State any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law 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 sources in that State.
(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 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 of 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 endeavour to settle the question by mutual agreement.
(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 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;
f) a commercial warehouse;
g) premises used for the purpose of selling goods or merchandise;
h) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.
(3) A building site or construction or assembly or installation project constitutes a permanent establishment only if it lasts 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 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 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), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place 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 paragraph 6 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) An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that other State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, where such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business. However, where the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, or a group of centrally controlled enterprises he would not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this paragraph.
(7) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance enterprise of a Contracting State shall, except in regard to re-insurance, 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 6 applies.
(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 State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute 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) The term “immovable property” shall have the meaning which it has under the laws 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 and aircraft 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 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) a) In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
b) However, no such deduction shall be allowed in respect of amounts, if any, paid (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses) by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission, for specific services performed or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise, by way of interest on moneys lent to the permanent establishment. Likewise, no account shall be taken in the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment of amounts charged (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses) by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission, for specific services performed or for management, or except, in the case of a banking enter rise by way of interest on moneys lent to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices.
(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 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.
(8) The term “profits” as used in this Article includes the profits derived by any partner from his participation in a partnership and, in the case of Austria, from a participation in a sleeping partnership (Stille Gesellschaft) created under Austrian law.
Article 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
(1) Profits from the operation of aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
(2) Profits from the operation of ships in international traffic may be taxed in the Contracting State in which the effective management of the enterprise is situated. However, such profits derived from sources within the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other State in accordance with its domestic law, provided that the tax so charged in that other State shall be reduced by 50 per cent.
(3) If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise is aboard a ship, then it shall be deemed to be situated in the Contracting State in which the home harbour of the ship is situated, or, if there is no such home harbour, in the Contracting State of which the operator of the ship is a resident.
(4) The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 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 the 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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed:
a) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company (other than a partnership) which holds directly at least 20 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends;
b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.
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 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 and also includes any other item which, under the laws of the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividend is a resident, is treated as a dividend or distribution of a company.
(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 15, 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 in so far 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 15 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2,
a) interest arising in a Contracting State and received by the Government of the other Contracting State including a political subdivision or a local authority thereof or the central bank of that other Contracting State shall be taxable only in that other Contracting State;
b) interest arising in a Contracting State in respect of loans or credits made or guaranteed,
– in the case of Pakistan by the National Bank of Pakistan;
– in the case of Austria by the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank Aktiengesellschaft; and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in that other 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, 2 and 3 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 15, 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, 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.
(7) 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 the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 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 the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films, or films or tapes used for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
(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 such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
(5) Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or 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 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
FEES FOR TECHNICAL SERVICES
(1) Fees for technical services arising in a Contracting State and paid to an enterprise of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
(2) However, such fees for technical services 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 thereof, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the fees.
(3) The term “fees for technical services” as used in this Article means payments of any kind to any person, other than payments to an employee of the person making the payments, in consideration for any services of a managerial, technical or consultancy nature.
(4) The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the fees for technical services, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the fees for technical services arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the contract in respect of which the fees for technical services are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
(5) Fees for technical services shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the fees for technical services, 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 obligation to make the payments was incurred, and the payments are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such fees for technical services 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 fees for technical services, exceeds the amount which would have been paid 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 14
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 traffic 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 or rights in 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 derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of shares in a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State, if the resident holds or held, at any time during the previous year more than 20 per cent of capital in the company.
(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 15
INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
(1) Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other independent activities of a similar 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 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, surgeons, dentists, lawyers, engineers, architects, and accountants.
Article 16
DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
(1) Subject to the provisions of Articles 17, 19, 20, 21 and 22, 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 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 in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
Article 17
DIRECTORS’ FEES
(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 18
ARTISTES AND ATHLETES
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 15 and 16, 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 an athlete, 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 an athlete in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or athlete himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 15 and 16, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or athlete are exercised.
Article 19
PENSIONS
Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 20, 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.
Article 20
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
(1) a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid 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 authority shall be taxable only in that State.
b) 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.
(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 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 State.
(3) The provisions of Articles 16, 17 and 19 shall apply to remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof.
Article 21
PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, AND RESEARCH SCHOLARS
(1) A professor, teacher or research scholar 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 research, or both, at a university, college, school or other educational or research 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 or periods not exceeding two years from the date of his first 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.
Article 22
STUDENTS
(1) Payments which a student or business 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, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
(2) Remuneration which a student or business apprentice who is or was formerly a resident of a Contracting State derives from an employment which he exercises in the other Contracting State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the fiscal year concerned shall not be taxed in that other State if the employment is directly related to his studies or apprenticeship carried out in the first-mentioned State.
Article 23
OTHER INCOME
(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2, items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, which are not expressly dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention, shall be taxable only in that Contracting 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 15, 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 be taxed in that other State.
Article 24
METHOD FOR ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
(1) In the case of Austria double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
a) Where a resident of Austria derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention shall be taxable in Pakistan, Austria shall, subject to the provisions of subparagraphs b) and d), exempt such income from tax.
b) Where a resident of Austria derives items of income which, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 2 of Articles 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13, paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 14 and paragraph 3 of Article 23 may be taxed in Pakistan, Austria shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in Pakistan. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the tax, as computed before the deduction is given which is attributable to such items of income derived from Pakistan.
c) Dividends in the sense of subparagraph a) of paragraph 2 of Article 10 paid by a company which is a resident of Pakistan to a company which is a resident of Austria shall be exempt from tax in Austria, subject to the relevant provisions of the domestic law of Austria but irrespective of any deviating minimum holding requirements provided for by that law.
d) Where in accordance with any provision of the Convention income derived by a resident of Austria is exempt from tax in Austria, Austria may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income of such resident, take into account the exempted income.
(2) In the case of Pakistan, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
Subject to the provisions of the laws of Pakistan, regarding the allowance as a credit against Pakistan tax, the amount of Austrian tax payable, under the laws of Austria and in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, by a resident of Pakistan, in respect of income from sources within Austria which has been subjected to a tax both in Pakistan and Austria shall be allowed as a credit against the Pakistan tax payable in respect of such income but in an amount not exceeding that proportion of Pakistan tax which such income bears to the entire income chargeable to Pakistan tax.
(3) For the purposes of this Article the term “Pakistan tax” shall in respect of dividends, interest, royalties or fees for technical services received from an enterprise of Pakistan, be deemed to include the amount of Pakistan tax which would have been payable if the Pakistan tax had not been exempted or reduced in accordance with tax incentives granted under the Pakistan Income Tax Law.
Article 25
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 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 in the same circumstances.
(4) Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11, paragraph 6 of Article 12, or paragraph 6 of Article 13, apply, interest, royalties and other disbursements or fees for technical services 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.
(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) Nothing contained in the preceding paragraphs of this Article shall be construed:
a) as obliging either of the Contracting States, to grant to persons not resident in its territory those personal allowances and reliefs for tax purposes which are by law available only to persons who are so resident;
b) as affecting any provisions of the law of Pakistan regarding the imposition of tax on a non-resident person; or
c) as affecting any provisions of the law of Pakistan regarding the grant of rebate of tax to companies fulfilling specific requirements regarding the declaration and payment of dividends.
Article 26
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 25, 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 the Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic laws 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 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 27
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 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 or 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 by the Convention. Such persons or authorities shall use the information 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 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 28
DIPLOMATIC AGENTS AND CONSULAR OFFICERS
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 29
MODE OF APPLICATION
(1) Nothing in this Convention shall be construed so as to preclude either Contracting State from applying any withholding tax system according to its domestic laws. However, if the Convention provides for an exemption from or a reduction of tax, the amount of tax withheld in excess of the limitations prescribed by the Convention shall be refunded upon request of the taxpayer entitled to the relief in question.
(2) The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by bilateral agreement settle the mode of application of the limitations as set forth in the Convention.
Article 30
ENTRY INTO FORCE
(1) The Contracting States shall notify each other, that the legal procedures for the entry into force of this Convention have been completed. The Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the third month next following the date of the later of the notifications referred to above and shall thereupon have effect in both Contracting States:
a) in Pakistan:
(i) in respect of taxes withheld at the source on amounts paid on or after the 1st day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the Convention enters into force; and
(ii) in respect of other taxes for the year of assessment beginning on or after the 1st day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the Convention enters into force.
b) In Austria in respect of taxes for any fiscal year beginning after December 31 in the calendar year in which the Convention enters into force.
(2) The Convention between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Austria for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Vienna on 6th July 1970, (hereinafter referred to as “the 1970 Convention”) shall cease to have effect with respect to taxes to which this Convention applies in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1. The 1970 Convention shall terminate on the last date on which it has effect in accordance with the foregoing provision of this paragraph.
Article 31
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely but either of the Contracting States may, on or before the thirtieth day of June in any calendar year beginning after the expiration of a period of five years from the date of its entry into force, give the other Contracting State through diplomatic channels, written notice of termination and, in such event, this Convention shall cease to have effect:
a) in Pakistan:
(i) in respect of taxes withheld at the source on amounts paid on or after the 1st day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given; and
(ii) in respect of other taxes for the year of assessment beginning on or after the 1st day of July in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given.
b) in Austria in respect of the taxes for any fiscal year beginning after December 31 in the calendar year in which the notice of termination has been given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Plenipotentiaries of the two Contracting States, duly authorized thereto, have signed this Convention.
DONE in duplicate at Islamabad on the 4th day of August 2005, in the English language.
Text of avoidance of double taxation treaty between Pakistan and Austria
